Warning: This episode contains the unusual mating habits of spiders.  Autumn is the time for spiders, and the colder months mean our eight-legged friends are searching for something vital: sex.  Join arachnologist Anna Maka and author and broadcaster Lucy Cooke to uncover the fascinating and freaky sex lives of spiders and what it teaches us about evolution itself.  [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure. Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more. Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/      Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel:   https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts        Production Presenter:  Rosie Holdsworth  Producer and sound designer: Marnie Woodmeade Contributors: Lucy Cooke   Anna Maka Discover more You can find Lucy’s book Bitch: On the female of the species here.  You can find out more about Anna’s work with rare diamond back spiders here.  Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account  If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Join producer and barge dweller Marnie as she leaves London’s canals behind to explore the Wey Navigations.  Along the way, she meets the people who care for it, discovers its wildlife, and finds out why this waterway matters so much to so many. [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.  Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.  Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.  www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/ Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts  Production Presenter: Marnie Woodmeade Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck Contributors  Derek Croucher Emily Curtis Emma Goodwin Stephen Perdita Discover more Explore the Wey Navigations by electric boat from Dapdune Wharf      River Wey Navigations boat trips Wey River Festival takes place on Saturday 27th September 25 at Dapdune Wharf.  Expect food and craft stalls, live music, children’s activities, and a colourful illuminated pageant.    River Festival Learn more about nature prescriptions and the mental health benefits of connecting with the natural world.  Dose of Nature   Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account   If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

On 20th July 1969 the world watched as humans first set foot on the Moon. More than half a century on, the view of Earth from space has given rise to a profound idea: the Overview Effect — the shift in perspective that astronauts experience when they see our planet from orbit. From 250 miles above, the Earth appears as a fragile, glowing sphere suspended in the darkness of space. Borders vanish, noise falls silent, and what remains is a single, shared home. But what happens when astronauts return to Earth and can never see the world in quite the same way again? Join Ranger Ajay Tegala as he explores the Overview Effect with artist Luke Jerram and astronaut Tim Peake, and discover how this cosmic perspective might change the way we care for the places closest to us. [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.  Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.  Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/   Production: Host: Ajay Tegala Producer: Jesse Edbrooke Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez Contributors: Luke Jerram, Tim Peake Discover More: Find out more about Luke Jerram’s artwork: https://www.lukejerram.com Discover Tim Peake’s story: https://www.esa.int/peake Picture: Gaia at Inside Out Dorset, 2021. Photo (c) Roy Riley Special credit: A big thanks to Jonathan Goldsmith, composer student at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, for their collaboration to this episode with the track "Flying Nymphaea".  Follow us @wildtalesnt on Instagram If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at [email protected]

In 2018 a team of intrepid explorers came in to the possession of a treasure map - one which would see them venture half way around the world to the Australian island of Tasmania.   Those explorers were a team of garden experts from across the UK and Ireland who were now on a historic mission to save and catalogue plants for the benefit of people and the planet. Following in the footsteps of the historic plant hunters, find out what was in store for the team of modern-day collectors and how natural history has helped to shape gardens around the world. Production Host: Rosie Holdsworth Producer: Jack Glover Sound Design: Jesus Gomez Contributors Charlie Bancroft and team BIBET Caroline Ikin Images courtesy and with thanks from the Royal Botanic Gardens of Tasmania. All Rights Reserved. Discover More Explore a garden lovers home at Nymans in West Sussex where some of the collected species are now flourishing  https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/nymans Read Charlie’s report here: https://merlin-trust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/718-Charlie-Bancroft-compressed.pdf Find out more about historic plant hunters from our friends at Kew Gardens https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/adventure-and-discovery-around-the-world-with-plant-hunters BIBET Botantic Gardens   Republic of Ireland https://www.botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/ Northern Ireland https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/northern-ireland/mount-stewart Wales https://botanicgarden.wales/ Tasmania https://gardens.tas.gov.au/ If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

On 10th August 1925 the Farne Islands came into the care of the National Trust. A hundred years on and this wildlife haven off the coast of Northumberland is home to a breeding colony of 23 different species of seabirds.   But perhaps its most colourful characters, in looks as well as behaviour, are the 15,000 pairs of puffins that return to the Farne Islands to breed in the spring and summer months each year. Join Rosie and Rangers Dan Iceton and Tom Hendry on a unique quest to uncover the secret lives of the Farne Islands' feisty puffin population.  [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.  Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.  Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor. https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/   Production: Hosts: Rosie Holdsworth and Dan Iceton Producer: Katy Kelly Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez    Contributor: Tom Hendry  Discover More:  Find out more about The Farne Islands: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/farne-islands/our-work-on-the-farne-islands  Follow us @wildtales Instagram account  If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at [email protected]   

The UK’s largest bird of prey is making a comeback.  It’s now possible to spot white-tailed eagles, or sea eagles, as they’re also known, in many parts of the country thanks to an ongoing re-introduction programme.  Join Ranger Rosie Holdsworth as she sets out with Forestry England’s Steve Egerton-Read, a pair of binoculars, and a lot of hope, as they try and spot them on the Isle of Wight.    [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.  Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.  Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.  www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/    Production Presenter: Rosie Holdsworth Producer: Claire Hickinbotham Sound: Nikki Ruck and Jesus Gomez  Contributor Steve Egerton-Read, Forestry England. Forestry England are working with the Roy Dennis Foundation to bring the White-tailed eagle back to the English Landscape.  If you’d like to read more about some of the points raised in this episode, have a look at this. White-tailed Eagle Project - Frequently Asked Questions - Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation   Visit Rosie visited Bembridge and Culver Downs | Isle of Wight | National Trust and Newtown National Nature Reserve | IOW | National Trust If you fancy visiting, why not have a look at  Isle of Wight Holidays | Places to stay | National Trust And why not check out Wild Tales on Instagram Wild Tales | Nature Podcast (@wildtalesnt) • Instagram photos and videos

Every summer, swifts return to our skies, screaming overhead in joyful, acrobatic flight. But behind their spectacular aerial displays lies a stark reality: these much-loved birds are in serious decline. Join ranger Rosie Holdsworth in Sheffield as she meets two swift lovers doing everything they can to keep them flying high.  [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.  Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.  Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.  www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/  Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts  Production Presenter: Rosie Holdsworth Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck Contributors Flora Jeferzade Chet Cuñago Discover more Find out more about swift conservation at Sheffield Swift Network   Find out about swift bricks and boxes at Action for Swifts Follow us @wildtalesnt Instagram account If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Bioluminescent tides are often described as the northern lights of the ocean.   Marine biologist, Dr Yasmin Meeda, has only witnessed this natural phenomenon once. She says seeing bioluminescence is one of the most magical things she’s ever experienced.    Yaz takes us into the strange world of bioluminescent life to meet the species whose bodies light up from the inside, due to a chemical reaction.  From bioluminescent tides caused by microscopic dinoflagellates to angler fish and glow worms, uncover nature's light displays in the dark.  [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.    https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/   Production:   Host: Rosie Holdsworth   Producer: Michelle Douglass  Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez   Special thanks to Dr Yasmin Meeda @marinebiologywithyaz for exploring the weird world of bioluminescence with Wild Tales.  Follow Yaz @marinebiologywithyaz on instagram   Image (c) Kezan24 | iStock Discover more:  Find out about the UK Glow Worm Survey and look for organised walks:   https://glowworms.org.uk/  Follow Wild Tales on your favourite podcast app or on Instagram @wildtalesnt If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a wild tale you’re like to hear, you can contact us at [email protected]  

How did two beetles cause a gay panic?  There's much more to a cockchafer or ‘maybug’ than meets the eye.  Join ecologist, Connor Butler, to find out more about what these charismatic creatures can teach us about science, humanity and the fluidity of the natural world.  Discover more:      You can find out more about Connor’s work and the queer ecology walks here: https://www.connorbutler.co.uk/  To visit Osterley Park and House and gardens, or to find out more about its spectacular grounds, find out more here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/osterley-park-and-house  Further reading:   This is a HUGE topic of which we’ve only scratched the surface. As part of our research and if you wanted to dig a little deeper, we read:  Of Maybugs and Men: A History and Philosophy of the Sciences of Homosexuality by Pieter R. Adriaens and Andreas De Block  and  Biological Exuberance by Bruce Baghemil  Special thanks to Laine Kaplan-Levenson from A Field Guide to Gay Animals for taking the time to speak with us while we developed the episode.   [Ad] Wild Tales is sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor, your outside retailer and epic guides to adventure.    Quick breathers, calming walks or heart-pounding hikes. We feel better when we get out more.    Find quality kit and 50 years of outdoor wisdom. Plus, supporters save 15% in-store and online. Feel in your element, in the elements, at Cotswold Outdoor.    https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/      Production:    Host: Rosie Holdsworth    Producer: Marnie Woodmeade   Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez      Follow Wild Tales on your favourite podcast app or on Instagram @wildtalesnt. If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected to our wild world, you can contact us at [email protected] 

Wild Talk: In this bonus episode Ajay chats with wildlife legend Chris Packham about their shared love of birds.  After 3 weeks of filming Springwatch at the Longshaw Estate, Ajay wants to hear more about the stunning cast of characters on this year's show.     In particular, the black and white birds that choose to spend their summer here: the migrant pied flycatchers.     Ajay meets Chris for a walk on the Springwatch set where they share their passion for birds, birding and what we must do to help wildlife.     Production:   Host: Ajay Tegala  Producer: Marnie Woodmeade   Sound Designer: Jesus Gomez   Special thanks to Chris Packham for recording with us and the Springwatch TV team for being so welcoming!      Discover more:   Find out more about Chris Packham’s work and what’s coming up: https://www.chrispackham.co.uk/   Learn more about pied flycatchers from the British Trust for Ornithology website: https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/pied-flycatcher Follow Wild Tales on your favourite podcast app or on Instagram @wildtalesnt If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a wild tale you’re like to hear, you can contact us at [email protected]