Out of Doors

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Factual: Science & Nature

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Out of Doors: Algae, the Fairy Glen and Swarms of Bees

03/07/2021

Algae, the Fairy Glen and Swarms of Bees

BBC Radio Scotland - Out of Doors, Algae, the Fairy Glen and Swarms of Bees

Mark Stephen and Anna Massie with stories from the great outdoors.

Mark hears the incredible story about the journey of some wheat that originated in Scotland, made its way to the Soviet Union and has now returned to Fife.  Andrew Whitley from Scotland the Bread is the man growing it.

Last week the sea around Arran turned a rather spectacular shade of turquoise, probably caused by a coccolithophore bloom, a type of algae.  We are joined live by Dr Paul Tett from the Scottish Association for Marine Science who can tell us more about this phenomenon and algae in general.

And Mark is on the island of Hoy visiting the Dwarfie Stane, a prehistoric tomb hollowed out from a massive block of sandstone.

There have been gardens at Kellie Castle since the 14th century and now they are recognisable as a great example of an arts and crafts garden designed by renowned architect and designer Robert Lorimer in 1880.  Mark gets a tour from produce gardener Diane Barrie and admires their productive fruit trees and bushes.

The Hamiltonhill Claypits Local Nature Reserve is just a mile from Glasgow’s city centre, but it provides a home for lots of wildlife including roe deer. It’s also a popular spot for walkers and cyclists as Anna Massie found out when she went to explore the reserve. 

At this time of year honeybees can be seen in swarms.  Thousands of bees can be on the move at the same time but why are they doing it and what can you do if you see one? We’re joined live by Chris from Moray Beekeepers’ Association who can tell us more about swarms and honeybees.  

Katharine Norbury is a writer who has recently put together an anthology called Women on Nature which features extracts of women writing about nature from across a 700-year period.  Helen Needham spoke to her for our Scotland Outdoors podcast and in this excerpt, hears about the different women featured in Katharine’s book. 

We delve into our archive to hear a piece Euan recorded with musician and composer Phil Cunningham about his passion for recording sounds of nature and the outdoors.
		
Anna Massie takes us on a wander through the Fairy Glen near Rosemarkie on the Black Isle with her dogs Sunny and MacPhail for company.

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