Episode 2.25 - Salt Marshes and Storms, A Summer Surge

In this captivating episode of the Countryside Podcasts, Chris Skinner and Matthew Gudgin embrace a radiant June morning at High Ash Farm, where nature’s might and beauty collide. Following a fierce storm that dumped 38 millimetres of rain in an hour and a half, the farm’s meadows reveal a tapestry of grasses—tall meadow fescue, Yorkshire fog’s purple haze, and sweet vernal’s perfumed blooms—standing resilient against the deluge. A buffer strip, crafted 20 years ago, proves its worth, halting floodwaters that once threatened the River Tas, a testament to working with nature’s power. At Brancaster’s salt marshes, Chris marvels at sea lavender and glasswort, their salt-tolerant forms thriving amidst tidal shifts, while cattle egrets and oystercatchers adapt to the high tide. Listener tales of early brambles, hedgehog hoglets, and a piebald jackdaw enrich this journey, as the longest day heralds summer’s peak under a sky of promise and memory.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2432378/episodes/17351488-episode-2-25-salt-marshes-and-storms-a-summer-surge.mp3?download=true