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Trees A Crowd

David Oakes

Ever wondered what happens when you fill a cello with bees? Or how robins have successfully colonised the outer-reaches of our universe? Or why the world is destined to be populated purely by female turtles? This podcast celebrates nature and the stories of those who care deeply for it. Join artist, actor and Woodland Trust & Wildlife Trusts ambassador David Oakes, for a series of informal, relaxed conversations with artists, scientists, creatives and environmentalists as they celebrate the beauty of the natural world and how it inspires us as human beings. All episodes available at: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  • 150 episodes
  • Updated May 12

Episodes150

Newest first
  • Jul 6, 2020 · 1 hr 3 min

    Dr William C. Tweed: The secret histories of John Muir’s Giant Redwoods

    Dr William C. Tweed is a lover of Big Trees - the Giant Redwoods of California to be precise. An historian and naturalist, he has a career spanning over 30 years working for the US national park service, and after holding several roles at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, spent a decade as its Chief Naturalist. Whether it’s describing what a Giant Redwood is through a comparison to the miniscule mosquito, or a deep dive into numerous secret histories of mankind's fascinations with these trees, William will have you captivated, falling in love with, and longing to hug, the giant sequoia. In exploring the tree’s many wonderful evolutionary features, and the serene images he paints of the Sierra Nevada, William explains that our passion for sequoias starts with our love of that which is “big, and old, and rare”, and then continues to grow tall. William explores the history of the “Father of the National Parks” himself, John Muir - how his religious upbringing inspired his writing (his works serving as a “secular Bible” for those devoted to nature) - and how the Sierra Club is still following firmly in Muir’s footsteps today. Among William’s teachings are plenty of digressions and distractions - charming moments of a mind as fascinated by nature today as he has ever been. For further information on this and other episodes, visit: http://www.treesacrowd.fm/dr-william-tweed/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • May 25, 2020 · 47 min

    Dara McAnulty: The young naturalist providing new perspectives on old problems

    Dara McAnulty is a 16 year old naturalist and writer from Northern Ireland. His love for nature burgeoning at a young age, he began collecting feathers from his garden floor in Belfast. Compelled to share this passion, he began writing a wildly successful blog, joined the likes of Sir David Attenborough as an RSPB Medal winner, received the BBC Springwatch Unsprung Hero Award and has become an ambassador for the Jane Goodall Foundation. His first book, ‘Diary of a Young Naturalist’, is a brave nature-infused coming-of-age story that not only delves into his love of the outdoors, but also his autism and battle with mental health. We join Dara at Murlough Nature Reserve as he walks along the winding paths of sand and forest, marvelling at the flora and fauna - including the troublesome sea buckthorn. Funny, articulate and humble, do not let his age fool you, Dara is passionately knowledgeable and explores issues of conservation, education, the global stock markets and even the possibility of mining the moon. Illuminated by a poetry recital by Elinor Lawless, this conversation will help you to reassess the world around you, “Stop. Go outside, and just stare at the ground for a little bit, and take in all that you see”. For further information on this and other episodes, visit: http://www.treesacrowd.fm/dara-mcanulty/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • May 17, 2020 · 33 min

    Éanna Ní Lamhna (Part 2): The trees of Ireland and our snake-free run up to the sixth extinction

    In part two of our conversation with Ireland’s favourite naturalist, Éanna Ní Lamhna, the broadcasting force of nature explains how St Patrick is not to blame for a lack of snakes in Ireland, why one local shop has never sold a mole trap, and why certain trees are dying out in the country. Recorded on the Emerald Isle, on the southern outskirts of Dublin, this conversation is littered with little lessons and intriguing anecdotes, as Éanna embodies her mantra, that if we better educate people about the natural world, we’ll care for it not because government policy says we have to, but because we want to. Listen in for a healthy dose of inspiration, laughter, and a little folklore to boot. For further information on this and other episodes, visit: http://www.treesacrowd.fm/eanna-ni-lamhna/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • May 10, 2020 · 35 min

    Éanna Ní Lamhna (Part 1): The force of nature teaching teachers about the Emerald Isle

    Éanna Ní Lamhna is undoubtedly Ireland’s favourite naturalist and broadcaster. She has served as the president of the Tree Council of Ireland, secretary for the Irish part of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and as president of An Taisce, the Irish National Trust. She’s worked on the radio show ‘Mooney Goes Wild’ since 1995, and has published a number of books about wildlife and education. During part one of this incredible conversation (recorded in early 2020), hear how an endless emphasis on daisies, daffodils and dandelions led her to writing a book determined to broaden the floral vocabulary and knowledge of young people - “how can you appreciate the exotic, when you don’t know the ordinary?” This conversation heads into a favourite topic for the show - climbing trees, and how children are doing it less and less, and it also explores Ireland’s many links to the natural world, through poetry, stories and in particular place names. You’ll hear quite quickly that with a wealth of knowledge and an unmistakable passion comes modesty, as Éanna charts her success down to “an accident”... but we know the truth! For further information on this and other episodes, visit: http://www.treesacrowd.fm/eanna-ni-lamhna/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Apr 26, 2020 · 57 min

    Alastair Humphreys: Living adventurously, yet learning how to love home

    Alastair Humphreys, named as one of National Geographic’s adventurers of the year, has walked, cycled and climbed over seemingly every surface of the planet. He began his adventures in his early 20s, and since then has cycled more than 46,000 miles around the globe. Unusually for a professional adventurer, Alastair is now cutting down on his flights, and finds himself falling in love with Britain’s landscape. As such, we meet him two weeks into his month-long cycle around Yorkshire, where his only goal is to “see what happens”. Although he would quite like it all to himself, Alastair believes the outdoors are something we should all share and explore - that we shouldn’t worry so much about getting out there, living minimalistically and challenging ourselves. Find out how 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan came in the midst of his four year long travels, and how those events, incredibly, almost passed him by. Alastair explains how he’s constantly pulled between wanting to be a hobo, a vagabond, and wanting to find a place he can truly call home - and then once he’s done that, head north to take a selfie on the moon! For further information on this and other episodes, visit: http://www.treesacrowd.fm/alastair-humphreys/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Apr 22, 2020 · 7 min

    "Curlew" by Bella Hardy

    The uninterrupted world premiere of Bella Hardy's song "Curlew", as featured in our "World Curlew Day" episode - https://www.treesacrowd.fm/world-curlew-day/ This release also includes an introduction from Bella, atop Kinder Scout. Many thanks to Bella for agreeing to create this song for the podcast - it's hypnotically beautiful. Hopefully, the song will soon be available to purchase from https://www.bellahardy.com/ as soon as it's back from being professionally mastered. Thanks too to Si Homfray for providing the artwork to accompany this episode - prints can be purchased here: https://www.peakdistrictdesign.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Apr 21, 2020 · 49 min

    CURL-EW-PHORIA!

    Why the duck is everyone wacky about this wonderful wader?

  • Mar 31, 2020 · 17 min

    Luci Ryan: A hidden battle against HS2 to preserve five ancient woodlands

    David, speaking here as an Ambassador for the Woodland Trust, is joined in conversation by Luci Ryan, an ecologist and Lead Policy Advocate for conservation on behalf of the Woodland Trust. HS2 ltd - the company behind the Government's highspeed rail project - is quietly about to start moving the soil from five ancient woodlands. The move goes against both conservation principles and guidance from Natural England. With this in mind, David talks to Luci about the complex communities found in ancient woodlands, how this project seems to be going ahead despite the ongoing pandemic and associated government advice, and how this is a time to preserve our unique British habitats, not destroy them. For further information on this and other episodes, visit: http://www.treesacrowd.fm/woodland-trust-hs2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Mar 30, 2020 · 58 min

    Dr Helen Pheby: Sculpture for sheep, and rhubarb trains; the place ‘Extraordinary’ can happen

    Dr Helen Pheby is the head of curatorial programmes at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Set in 500 acres of historic parkland, the park has provided a “gallery without walls” for artists such as Elisabeth Frink, Auguste Rodin, Giuseppe Penone, and local legends such as Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. Helen has collaborated on projects in Iraqi Kurdistan, South Africa, India, and even Barnsley! Born in the so-called ‘rhubarb triangle’, Helen reminisces over “the rhubarb express”, a train which ran from her village in Yorkshire to London, and muses over how magical it was being able to see the contrast between rural and urban environments. In this insightful conversation, Helen explains how she believes creativity and art is a human right, how the YSP was visited by Henry VIII, and how another Henry, Henry Moore, believed it was the job of artists to show people the natural world and subsequently designed artwork for sheep. She explains how the Sculpture Park aims to be inclusive, free from the barriers of social standing, wealth and a gender imbalance that art is often associated with. Subsequently, the YSP is now home to brain-controlled helicopters, women on horseback steeplechasing through the landscapes of the First World War, and all of this second to the migratory routes of the Great Crested Newt. In her own words: “We are places the extraordinary can happen.” For more information on this podcast, including David's thoughts following this interview, head to: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/dr-helen-pheby/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Mar 26, 2020 · 17 min

    Edward Davey: Learning how to feed the planet in response to COVID-19

    Edward Davey is the Director of Geographic Deep Dives for the World Resources Institute and the Food and Land Use Coalition. Here, David and Ed speak briefly in direct response to the state of the global COVID-19 pandemic and how we might feed the people of the world moving forward. Ed and David discuss the agricultural concerns both in Britain and abroad, how the environment and economy are interlinked and how now is a time for compassion and careful consideration. This epsiode was released as part of the London Climate Change Festival 2020. For further information on this and other episodes, visit: http://www.treesacrowd.fm/edward-davey/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Mar 16, 2020 · 1 hr

    Tim Pears: Foraging fables from the hedgerows of the West Country

    Tim Pears is a multi-award-winning author. His novel ‘In a Land of Plenty’ was made into a 10-part drama series for the BBC, and he’s just published the final book in his ‘West Country Trilogy’. Compared to Balzac and Hardy and inspired by Cormac McCarthy and Annie Proulx, Tim draws on his experiences of growing up in Devon and around nature to create the depth behind his fictional worlds. His love of nature came from a sort of “benign neglect” as his parents allowed him to explore the outdoors freely, without restraint. Growing up, he’s always appreciated the natural world, from being captivated by the sight of badgers in a sett, to feeling “closest to the divine” picking blackberries in his local park. As the son of a clergyman, he explains his respect for spirituality, and why religion features so prominently in his work. In this episode, he explores his writing and inspiration, including the difficulty of watching his work being acted out on screen and his love of writing about people and the landscapes they inhabit. For more information on this podcast, including David's thoughts following this interview, head to: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/tim-pears/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • Mar 2, 2020 · 57 min

    Rob Rose & Nat Stoppard: Food as a by-product of conservation at Rosewood Farm

    Rosewood Farm makes its home in the Lower Derwent Valley, deep in the Yorkshire Ings. Here, Rob Rose, his partner Natalie Stoppard, and their award-winning herd of 160 Irish Dexters – Europe’s smallest native cattle breed – place conservation, environmentally friendly farming methods, and the highest standards of animal welfare at the forefront of their practice. Rob’s story is one of inspiration, dedication and stubbornness. He started keeping Dexters at the age of 14, and despite being told he’d never make the tiny cows profitable, his perseverance has proved the naysayers wrong. Rosewood has always been a passion project as well as a business – a way of life. Ultimately, the couple’s pioneering methods have won over customers, and now Natural England entrusts Rosewood’s Dexters to graze birdlife and wildflower rich conservation areas. In this episode, hear how Rob is following in the footsteps of Vikings, how each time you buy a steak from Rosewood you are also giving birth to six lapwings, and how the Irish Dexter cattle have befriended three spritely Exmoor ponies Hushwing, Butterbump and Snippick (old world names for the barn owl, the bittern and the snipe). For more information on this podcast, including David's thoughts following this interview, head to: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/rosewood-farm/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.