0:00:03 > 0:00:05I'm Judi Dench..
0:00:07 > 0:00:09..and I've been an actor for 60 years.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14But I have another passion, which may come as quite a surprise.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Ever since I've been a little girl, I've adored trees.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25SOARING ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Oh, it's lovely!
0:00:34 > 0:00:38I've even turned my six-acre garden into a secret woodland...
0:00:39 > 0:00:43..and I think of my trees as part of my extended family.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50But I've always suspected that there is much more to these beautiful,
0:00:50 > 0:00:51magical giants.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01'Now, over the course of a year, I'm going to find out how much they
0:01:01 > 0:01:04'live, breathe, and even communicate.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12'I'll discover how they survive the harshest winter.'
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Isn't that just beautiful?
0:01:16 > 0:01:20'I'll hear what's going on beneath the bark when they burst back into
0:01:20 > 0:01:24- life in spring...'- And now we're going to place it back on the tree.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31'How they fight back against invading hordes.'
0:01:31 > 0:01:34My tree, doing all that work.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38'I'll see into the heart of my beloved oak tree.'
0:01:38 > 0:01:42SHE GASPS It's riveting!
0:01:44 > 0:01:48'I'll discover how our woodlands shaped our history.'
0:01:48 > 0:01:51- Oh! You're joking!- A cannonball? - A cannonball?- Yeah. - SHE GASPS
0:01:53 > 0:01:59'I'll even find out if trees live in communities, just like us.'
0:01:59 > 0:02:03A forest like this is a very, very social place.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09'Do you know, there are more trees on the planet than there are stars in
0:02:09 > 0:02:14'our galaxy? There's so much for me to discover.'
0:02:14 > 0:02:16My life now is just trees.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Trees and...and champagne.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23SHE CHUCKLES
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Come on.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Whenever I can, whatever the season, this is where I escape to.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39SHE HUMS A MELODY
0:02:40 > 0:02:44These are the trees I've nurtured for over 30 years.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50I started planting trees here with my actor husband Michael Williams.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56Michael died in 2001, but even before that,
0:02:56 > 0:03:01every time a relative or a friend died, we would plant a tree.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04This is Jeff. This is one of my brothers.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11This is Stephen Hanley. He was a lovely, lovely
0:03:11 > 0:03:15actor and singer in A Little Night Music at the National,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19and he died, and we put this in, and it's just like him.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21He was very, very tall and kind of pale.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24And it's lovely.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28We've got Ian Richardson
0:03:28 > 0:03:31and we've got Natasha Richardson. No relation.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Ian and I were at Stratford together, and Natasha,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I was at Central with Vanessa.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39And this is Michael.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43But this was already here
0:03:43 > 0:03:47when Michael died, and that was 16 years ago.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49So this is not a 16-year-old tree,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51but it was a young tree at the time.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55It is about remembering and it's something, for me,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58it's something that's living, that goes on.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01So that...it's not, you know, you don't remember them and stop.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04You remember them and, and the
0:04:04 > 0:04:08memory goes on and gets more wonderful.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13SHE HUMS A MELODY
0:04:13 > 0:04:18Now it's time for me to learn more about my beloved trees at the bottom
0:04:18 > 0:04:21of my garden in the heart of Surrey,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24and there's no better time to start than in the winter.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33CROW CAWS
0:04:35 > 0:04:38I think my trees are at their most magical at this time of the year.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Sleeping giants, waiting for spring to arrive.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Their icy beauty takes my breath away.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59"How like a winter hath my absence been from thee,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01"the pleasure of the fleeting year!
0:05:04 > 0:05:06"What freezings have I felt...
0:05:08 > 0:05:10"What dark days seen!
0:05:12 > 0:05:15"What old December's bareness everywhere!"
0:05:29 > 0:05:31When it's freezing outside,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33there's nothing I like more than sitting in the
0:05:33 > 0:05:35warmth with David.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42David has devoted his life to nature and conservation,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45and he shares my passion for trees.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48So I'm going to find some quotes for you now.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- Right, and I'll try and spot what plays they're from.- OK. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:05:52 > 0:05:54"Be you in the park about midnight?"
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- This is the Merry Wives.- Well done.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59LAUGHTER
0:05:59 > 0:06:01We've been together now for seven years,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and she's just great fun to be with.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06We've both got good senses of humour,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09and the silliest of things gives us fits of giggles.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Yes. Oh, yes.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- "Creep into acorn cups and hide them there."- Well done.- Is that it?- Yeah.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17LAUGHTER
0:06:19 > 0:06:23It seems that Shakespeare knew a thing or two about trees,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26and now it's my turn to learn more,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28and I'm going to need some help.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36Tony Kirkham is the head of the tree collection at Kew Gardens,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38one of the largest in the world.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42He's going to help me uncover the secret lives of my trees.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- So you want to learn more about trees, Judi?- Always, I do.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50I'd love to know more about them.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53You know, you...I don't know that much about them.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54I just know I love them so much,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and I know you know everything that I don't know.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Well, I'd love to do that with you, Judi, and you
0:07:00 > 0:07:02live in an amazing part of the world,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05because Surrey is the most wooded county in England.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07And so wooded, in fact,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11that there are more deer in Surrey today than there were in Queen
0:07:11 > 0:07:13- Elizabeth I's reign.- Good gracious!
0:07:13 > 0:07:17And here we are in winter. I love this time of the year,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19and it's a time when all the trees are shutting down.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22They need to prepare themselves for winter.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- This is their rest period.- Get rid of the leaves and have a rest.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Get rid of the leaves, they know that it's going to get frosty,
0:07:29 > 0:07:33so they have bark that acts like an insulation jacket, like a coat.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38But some trees, like the conifers,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40keep most of their leaves in winter.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46There is a tree that's one of my favourite trees.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50The yew tree. It's one of only three British native conifers in the
0:07:50 > 0:07:55British Isles, and I love it because it's still very active in winter,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57and it has this amazing sap
0:07:57 > 0:08:01that will tolerate temperatures down to -35 degrees.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06Because it has almost a built-in antifreeze in the leaves that
0:08:06 > 0:08:10stop the leaves from freezing and allow it to keep growing.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12What a pity I haven't got one here.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Well, I know a really, really good
0:08:16 > 0:08:19yew tree, not far from here,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23that's very old, full of character. It's a beautiful tree.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Oh, I'd love to see it.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34Apparently, the yew is 140 million years old.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36So it's Europe's most ancient tree.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Walking through a yew forest always feels mysterious.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49And Tony tells me there's a good reason.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Their leaves are poisonous to humans,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00and some people say they've experienced hallucinations
0:09:00 > 0:09:02amongst these magical trees.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15To show me one of these wonderful yews,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Tony's brought me to a local churchyard.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23So...it's a lovely church, isn't it?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Yews are often found beside old churches.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34So, Judi, I've brought you here to see this, this tree,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38- which is a favourite of mine in Surrey.- Oh, my word!
0:09:41 > 0:09:45- How ever old is it?! - It's probably 1,500 years old.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51It's so ancient, it only grows at a 100th of an inch a year,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54but it has a girth of more than 30 feet.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00So it's seen quite a lot of activities.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03- With a little door to the side. - Incredible!- You've got to touch it.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Oh!
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- Look at this little gate! - And it's hollow inside.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11- If you go around the side, you can see in, and...- How beautiful!
0:10:11 > 0:10:16- Shall we go round this side? - Yeah, yeah.- Oh, how fantastic!
0:10:16 > 0:10:21And it still shows the form of yew, of the old yew, you know.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Look at the old bark there. This is all living.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26SHE GASPS
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Around 1820, I think it was hollowed out by the landlord of the
0:10:32 > 0:10:36local pub, so he could get some chairs in here, and a table.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39When they hollowed it out, this is what they found in it.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44- Oh! You're joking. A cannonball? - It's a cannonball.- Oh, my goodness!
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Probably from the Civil War.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- It must be.- Lodged, lodged in, you know, in one of these holes.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- Isn't that amazing?- Good gracious! That's so heavy.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55SHE GASPS
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Most people assume that the yew was planted by the church.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03- Yes, I did.- Well, actually, the church was built by the yew.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- Oh, right.- So the old yew's like this, so this predates the church,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11and this was a revered tree by the Druids and the pagans.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14So they would come and worship this tree, because it was a sign of
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- longevity, prosperity. - Well, you can see, can't you?- Yeah.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Already, I've learned so much.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Trees live on a completely different timescale to us.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36I'm told the oldest tree in the world is over 5,000 years old.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Now, having met Tony,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44there's somebody who knows about trees, absolutely.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47So all those things that you kind of suppose you know, and you think,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50you know, I'm going to get them all answered, properly, now,
0:11:50 > 0:11:55and told about it. And I shall give up acting and lecture on trees,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59I expect. Quite soon...probably. SHE CHUCKLES
0:12:13 > 0:12:18I love that moment when you realise that winter is coming to an end and
0:12:18 > 0:12:20spring is bursting through.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26LIVELY ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Dormice sense the leaves around them are warming up,
0:12:34 > 0:12:39and open their eyes for the first time in months.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Along with bats and hedgehogs,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45these little creatures are the only British animals that hibernate.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51And, for me, a sure sign of spring
0:12:51 > 0:12:54is when I see thousands of wood ants
0:12:54 > 0:12:56building their huge nests.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02But I want to know what's happening
0:13:02 > 0:13:04to my trees in the spring.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07How are they preparing for the longer, warmer days?
0:13:10 > 0:13:15I'm meeting Alex Metcalf, in Nower Wood in Surrey.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20He wants to show me what's going on under a tree's skin in spring.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25When you're thinking about spring,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28this is the kind of day you imagine.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Look at that. Isn't that wonderful?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Alex has brought an ingenious invention of his.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41So we're going to have a look at this sweet chest up here.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- Let's step very carefully round the bluebells.- Yep.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Oh! Oh.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- Oh.- Fantastic, beautiful old tree. - Beautiful.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58So what I wanted to show you is this device here,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01that allows us to explore a bit more
0:14:01 > 0:14:05- about what's going on just behind the bark here.- What is that?
0:14:05 > 0:14:10- So, this is...- A microphone, called a tree microphone? SHE CHUCKLES
0:14:10 > 0:14:11This is a tree-listening device,
0:14:11 > 0:14:15and it allows us to hear what's going on just behind the bark.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20- OK.- So, can you hear anything?
0:14:20 > 0:14:22FAINT RUMBLING
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- Can you hear anything?- I can hear very faintly.- So, there's a...
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- There's a deep rumble there.- Like a... Yes, I can hear...
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Yeah. So that's the, that's the inner workings of the tree,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- so that's the tree vibrating. - Oh, I say!
0:14:36 > 0:14:39But Alex has another magic trick in his box,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- to help me hear even more. - All right.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- So now I'm going to plug it into here.- Mm-hmm.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51So I can give you those headphones.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56And now we're going to place it back on the tree...
0:14:56 > 0:14:58RUMBLING
0:15:01 > 0:15:05So now we can hear more clearly,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07there's just the rumbling sound.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08Oh, yes, very, very clearly!
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Can you hear anything else in the background to the rumble?
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Every now and again, a little blip.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- Like a little popping sound? - Yes.- Yes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26- So that little popping sound is... - SHE GASPS
0:15:26 > 0:15:31..that little popping sound is the sound of the water travelling up
0:15:31 > 0:15:34from the roots, all the way through
0:15:34 > 0:15:38the thousands of tiny little tubes, called xylem tubes,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41just behind the bark, as the water goes up to the leaves.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47The tree, like this, will drink
0:15:47 > 0:15:51around 200 litres of water a day.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55So that's equivalent of, say, two full baths full of water.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01So there's a huge amount of water travelling up inside this tree.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02Well!
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Oh, it's riveting! It's wonderful!
0:16:12 > 0:16:15So, trees get thirsty, just like us.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20And when we know how to listen to trees,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23we can hear them quenching their thirst.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26RUMBLING
0:16:31 > 0:16:34"From you I have been absent in the spring,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38"when proud-pied April, dressed in all his trim,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41"hath put a spirit of youth in everything."
0:16:45 > 0:16:49Now I've heard the rush of water surging up under the bark,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52I know they're fully awake and ready for action.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00But I've also noticed that spring is when they start attracting the wrong
0:17:00 > 0:17:02sort of attention.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I'm taking Tony to look at one of my favourite trees -
0:17:07 > 0:17:11a young oak that Michael and I, and our daughter Finty,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13planted for my grandson, Sammy.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19But, unfortunately, it's looking a bit frayed at the edges.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23- Is it all right? - There's some feeding damage here.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27- Somebody munching away.- This is just a caterpillar munching away on them,
0:17:27 > 0:17:28- by the looks of things. - Just the end of it?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Yeah, and can you see how they've gone between...
0:17:31 > 0:17:34They've left the midrib, which is like, if you imagine a cabbage,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36and you eat, you prefer the bit in between the...
0:17:36 > 0:17:41- So you eat round it?- ..the thick bits, they...- Choosy. - They're choosy, very choosy, yeah.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46- They go for the softer pieces... - Yes, look at that. - ..which are probably more tasty.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I wonder if my tree can feel anything when there's a
0:17:49 > 0:17:51caterpillar invasion, and also,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53can it do anything about it?
0:18:01 > 0:18:05There's so much more going on in trees than I'd ever imagined,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07so I suspect my tree might be able
0:18:07 > 0:18:09to sense when it's under attack.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17Tony thinks Oxford University scientist Kristiina Visakorpi
0:18:17 > 0:18:19can help to solve the mystery.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24- So this is your office? - Yeah.- What an incredible structure.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27- Yeah.- In the middle of the woods, in the middle of nowhere.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28Right, then.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Right, Kristiina. Is it one on the, the one on the ladder at a time?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Yeah, one at a time, so if you go first, then I'll...
0:18:36 > 0:18:39You'd never believe this beautiful treetop office
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- is just outside Oxford, in Wytham Woods.- Wow!
0:18:43 > 0:18:45This is absolutely amazing!
0:18:53 > 0:18:59It's like an elfin forest, but we're in the top of the canopy.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05It's...Tolkein-like.
0:19:10 > 0:19:16This 40-foot-high walkway is where Kristiina is exploring
0:19:16 > 0:19:18whether a tree can sense when it's under attack.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23So we're looking for a leaf with damage on, Kristiina.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- Oh, there you go. There, there, look.- Oh, yeah!
0:19:27 > 0:19:31Kristiina's machine works by measuring photosynthesis -
0:19:31 > 0:19:36the amount of carbon dioxide that the leaf is breathing in.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41And if the damaged leaf slows down its breathing,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Kristiina's machine will pick it up.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51We can have a look of the, of the actual rate from this monitor here.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Not sure if you can see,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00but right here it's recording how much the leaf is taking.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04- And how much is that?- How much... That's quite a low number.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Leaves that are eaten by these caterpillars,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09they drop their photosynthetic rate, and what I find really
0:20:09 > 0:20:13interesting is that this effect also spreads to the surrounding leaves,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17so even if the caterpillar is just eating one leaf,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21I can see the same effect in those leaves surrounding that one leaf.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24So the tree is talking to itself...
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- Yes.- ..and sending signals from the damaged leaf to the other leaves,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30to beware, insects about.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39So, Sammy's oak does sense an insect attack,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41and Tony says some trees can take
0:20:41 > 0:20:44defending themselves a step further.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46They fight back.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50So there is some tree species, like the common beech,
0:20:50 > 0:20:55and she can sense when roe deer are grazing on her,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57from the saliva from the roe deer...
0:20:57 > 0:21:02- Really?- ..and very quickly can increase the tannin levels in the
0:21:02 > 0:21:07leaves, so the leaf tastes very bitter and sour to the taste,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10which means the roe deer stops grazing on them.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14What's more, Tony tells me that when some trees are overwhelmed by an
0:21:14 > 0:21:17attack, they can call in outside help.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22This is a pine forest, and pines
0:21:22 > 0:21:25often come under attack from aphids...
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- Oh!- Hmm.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31..that can multiply at an incredible rate.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34So a single aphid, in a year, could
0:21:34 > 0:21:39give rise to around 600 billion aphids.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41- 600 billion?- 600 billion.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- You know they're up to no good, don't you?- You do.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Tony has had a graphic made,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51to show how trees fight back against the aphids.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56The trees are under attack from aphids, so what the tree can do...
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It needs help, it needs to bring in the cavalry,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03and this is an invisible cloud that the trees are sending out.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Apparently, the cloud is a strong perfume.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10The tree releases it when it's under attack,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and it attracts a mini superhero.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17And the ladybird can smell this cloud.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21It can sense this cloud and it knows that there is food there.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23You know, they are launching off.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Flying away to the pine, to feed on the aphids.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33So, ladybirds are as sensitive to that cloud emitted by the pine
0:22:33 > 0:22:38as that to a shark to the smell of blood in the sea.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45- It's wonderful that nature's got an answer to all the problems, isn't it?- It's quite reassuring.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47It's very reassuring, yes.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50It's only when we come along, as man, and mess it all up.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- Mess the system up, yes.- Yeah.- True. - So we've got to protect...
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- Indeed, definitely.- ..our fauna.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17So, not all insects are harmful to trees.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20For some trees, it's quite the opposite.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24This is the orchard close to my house.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28It's just gorgeous at this time of year,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31when the blossom is out and it's buzzing with insects.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- Well, they all look very healthy, don't they?- They certainly do. - They're wonderful.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40- That's wonderful. That's beautiful. - It's beautiful, isn't it?
0:23:41 > 0:23:46- Actually, if you smell it... - I thought I could smell something, I thought I could.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49I'm told that bees will travel
0:23:49 > 0:23:52six miles to get to flowers like these.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56They're after the nectar, but as they drink,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58pollen brushes onto their backs.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04And when the bee visits another tree,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08the pollen drops off and the flower is fertilised.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12- Here we are. - Oh, look, how wonderful!
0:24:12 > 0:24:13How wonderful is that?
0:24:13 > 0:24:17But if you look underneath, you see you've got little, tiny
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- pears just developing. - Well, I look forward to the pears.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23But all pollinated by insects.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Yes. The bees, the bees.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33But trees are so clever, some have
0:24:33 > 0:24:36evolved other ways to pollinate.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Since they can't move, they use something that can.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41The wind.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46One of them is the Scots pine.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51In spring, it releases thousands of tiny pollen grains into the air.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05The grains can travel 100 miles on
0:25:05 > 0:25:08the wind, until some of them land on
0:25:08 > 0:25:10these little flowers.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Sometimes they even form vast pollen clouds,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23like this one above a yew forest.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30These clouds can be so dense they've been mistaken for forest fires.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36And, a few months later,
0:25:36 > 0:25:42these fertilised flowers will become pine cones, containing tiny seeds
0:25:42 > 0:25:44which float off in the breeze.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52But the fruit of many trees is too heavy to be carried on the wind.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57They need a friendly courier to find them the perfect spot to germinate.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04David has brought me to his wildlife centre,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06to show me the ideal messenger.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08It's one of his favourite animals.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10HE CLICKS HIS FINGERS
0:26:10 > 0:26:15- He'll come.- He's passionate about saving these endangered creatures.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- Here he comes.- There you are.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22These little bits, then he'll sit and eat it.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26If you give him a whole nut, he'll just take it away.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Look at those ears. Look at how lovely he is.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Very, very good manners.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38The red squirrel population has shrunk by 90% since grey squirrels
0:26:38 > 0:26:41were introduced nearly 150 years ago.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45So David is helping to reintroduce them around Britain.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51All squirrels are important to how trees spread their seeds.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Very, very pretty to look at.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57And those wonderful tufts at the end of their ears,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00and the way they keep their balance with the tail.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06Like grey squirrels, they gather the nuts and bury them for the winter,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08but they don't have the best memory.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12They get food, they bury it,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14and then they forget where it is.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16So you get a plant, you get a tree.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19What could be better than that?
0:27:33 > 0:27:36It's been a wonderful spring,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40but now the days are getting longer and warmer,
0:27:40 > 0:27:43and I can't wait to find out what happens next with my trees.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53GENTLE PIANO MUSIC PLAYS
0:27:58 > 0:28:02BEE BUZZES
0:28:02 > 0:28:04This is the time of year I love most.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07I just adore it.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13At the heart of my garden, stands this incredible oak.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21It towers over everything else, and it's one of my favourite trees.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28I've asked Tony if we can uncover some of its secrets,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31and we're going to start by working out its age.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37So, Judi, shall we measure your tree and see roughly how old it is?
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- Look at it!- Isn't it magnificent?
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Oh, it's lovely!
0:28:42 > 0:28:45- It's..- Got to give them a pat. Let them know you're here.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50- I quite agree.- Yeah. A rough guide is, if we measure the circumference
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- at breast height...- Yeah.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56..and a good guide is, for every inch, is a year.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02- Well, we have to do that! - Well, I've got some string. - Oh, that's convenient!
0:29:02 > 0:29:06- AndI hope it's going to be long enough, because it's a big tree. And we'll, we'll measure it.- OK.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- So, if I give you that... - How are you going to get round?
0:29:09 > 0:29:12- I'm going to, I'm going to go this way...- Are you? SHE CHUCKLES
0:29:12 > 0:29:15..and if you can hold it in one spot...
0:29:15 > 0:29:18- Yeah.- ..and then, and I'll thread this through. I'll be back...
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I'll be back in about a week. THEY LAUGH
0:29:24 > 0:29:25OK.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29If you hand me that, I can take it.
0:29:31 > 0:29:37- Yeah.- Are you all right?- Yeah. - OK. Here we are.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43- Here we are.- OK. Good. So, now...
0:29:43 > 0:29:45we need to measure...
0:29:45 > 0:29:47- That.- ..this piece of string.
0:29:53 > 0:29:54One yard.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57Two yards.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59Three yards.
0:30:01 > 0:30:02Four yards.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06Where's the...?
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Five yards and...
0:30:08 > 0:30:1018 inches?
0:30:10 > 0:30:12I should think.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16So, five times 36...
0:30:16 > 0:30:20- SHE CHUCKLES - Get the calculator out.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Obviously, maths isn't Tony's strong point,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28- or mine.- Right. Five times 36...
0:30:28 > 0:30:31- 15...- ..plus 18..
0:30:33 > 0:30:36is 198. So it's 200 years old.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Oh. Good for him.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44What a lovely thing to find out.
0:30:46 > 0:30:51My oak might just have started growing when Wellington won the
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00But finding out its age is just the beginning.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04I want to know what other secrets my oak holds at this time of year.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13Tony has invited Doctor Matt Disney to my garden, to reveal some of my
0:31:13 > 0:31:15oak's summer secrets.
0:31:17 > 0:31:23He scans trees all over the world to explore exactly how they help the
0:31:23 > 0:31:26planet, and he's made me a
0:31:26 > 0:31:28three-dimensional model of my garden.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30SHE GASPS
0:31:34 > 0:31:37So we come through the gate and come into the clearing.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Oh, look! The pavilion.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41So we have the summer house here
0:31:41 > 0:31:44and all the other trees around the outside...
0:31:44 > 0:31:45And the oak...
0:31:45 > 0:31:48..and you can see your oak through the clearing there.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51So we've stripped away all the other trees
0:31:51 > 0:31:53from our three-dimensional picture...
0:31:55 > 0:31:58..and we're left with your splendid oak here.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Oh!
0:32:00 > 0:32:04So, one of the things that we can do is we can estimate how many leaves
0:32:04 > 0:32:07there are on your tree. Would you like to have a guess?
0:32:07 > 0:32:09I couldn't begin to guess.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11So we reckon there are about
0:32:11 > 0:32:15260,000 leaves on your tree,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18so that's about three tennis courts' worth of leaf area.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23I'm told that all those leaves are helping the tree to breathe in more
0:32:23 > 0:32:28carbon dioxide, which it will then use to grow more branches.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32So, the other thing we can do,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35we can measure how long the branches are on your tree.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42So, over the course of our work, over the last few years, we've been
0:32:42 > 0:32:45all across the tropics, and we've scanned somewhere between
0:32:45 > 0:32:4710,000 and 15,000 trees in total,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49and so far we've found trees that are a lot taller.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52One of the biggest trees we found was in Ghana,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55and that tree had nearly 9km of branches,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58and when we saw that, we thought, "Wow, that's amazing!
0:32:58 > 0:33:00"9km of branches!"
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Your tree's bigger than that.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09- Of course it is.- Your tree has 12km of branches in it.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18A prize tree.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22- Indeed. So far, that's our longest-branched tree.- Really?
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Is it? SHE GASPS
0:33:27 > 0:33:29I'm very, very proud of it.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35All those branches!
0:33:35 > 0:33:37My oak must be a very healthy tree.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44And, in 200 years, my tree must have breathed in a lot of carbon dioxide.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Just the wood alone weighs about 25 tonnes,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51so that's how much carbon is stored in your tree there.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58So, by hoovering up all that harmful carbon dioxide in the summer,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00my oak must be helping the planet.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05Matt wants to show me this map of the world.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11We're looking at how the levels of carbon dioxide, seen in red,
0:34:11 > 0:34:12change over the seasons.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17So, in winter, the photosynthesis slows down,
0:34:17 > 0:34:19and the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere go up.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24So here we are, coming towards summer, and you'll see the levels of
0:34:24 > 0:34:27CO2 in the atmosphere, in the northern hemisphere, start going
0:34:27 > 0:34:31down as the trees start drawing down that CO2 from the atmosphere.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37So, Matt, you can tell me absolutely, finally,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40that my tree is helping the planet.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43- Absolutely.- It's riveting!
0:34:46 > 0:34:49It's riveting, isn't it? SHE GASPS
0:34:50 > 0:34:54I would like that there forever, just that picture of it.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08Very, very proud of my tree, doing all that work, and here am I, going
0:35:08 > 0:35:11about, thinking I'm so hard worked and everything.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14Look what it's doing, my oak in the garden.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18And all the others, actually. Don't want them to feel left out.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
0:35:36 > 0:35:38"Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46"and summer's lease hath all too short a date.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52"Sometime, too hot the eye of heaven shines...
0:35:54 > 0:35:57"..and often is his gold complexion dimmed...
0:35:58 > 0:36:03"..and every fair from fair sometime declines,
0:36:03 > 0:36:07"by chance or nature's changing course, untrimm'd."
0:36:12 > 0:36:15My other passion is Shakespeare.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19In 60 years, I've been in over 30 of his plays,
0:36:19 > 0:36:22many of which involve woodland and nature.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Tony's heading off to explore how
0:36:30 > 0:36:32trees like mine shaped Shakespeare's
0:36:32 > 0:36:35world, and I want to examine how
0:36:35 > 0:36:37they feature in his plays.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Since I was really a little, little girl,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44and was taken just to see my brothers in Shakespeare,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46at St Peter's School in York,
0:36:46 > 0:36:49that's all I ever wanted to do, was to be in those plays,
0:36:49 > 0:36:53and learn as much as I could about them and about him.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59I am on Box Hill in Surrey, brushing up on my knowledge,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02with Shakespeare expert Dr Charlotte Scott.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08One of the things I think that's unique about Shakespeare is that he
0:37:08 > 0:37:10was brought up in a rural environment,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13but actually made his living in an urban environment.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17So he's one of the few playwrights, I think, of his generation who
0:37:17 > 0:37:20actually could bring that kind of local rural knowledge...
0:37:20 > 0:37:23- Exactly, yes, yes.- ..to the kind of city landscape.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26So, tell me, what was the first Shakespeare part
0:37:26 > 0:37:27that you ever played?
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- Ophelia. - Ophelia.- Not many trees in Hamlet.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- No, not enough trees. - Not enough trees in Hamlet. THEY LAUGH
0:37:33 > 0:37:37We did a production of As You Like It at the Vic in about 1958,
0:37:37 > 0:37:41and Alec McCann played Touchstone, simply wonderfully.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45And, you know, that line, "So this is the Forest of Arden,"
0:37:45 > 0:37:47and I remember he came in and said,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50"So THIS...is the Forest of Arden."
0:37:50 > 0:37:52It used to get the most marvellous laugh.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55- LAUGHTER - Massive disappointment.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Often, Shakespeare's woods are full of menace and magic.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05But Charlotte reminds me that they're also full of romance.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Cos, of course you'll remember in As You Like It,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12the trees were so central, not only to the entire action of the play,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15but also to the way in which Orlando
0:38:15 > 0:38:19communicates his love for Rosalind.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23- I think he pinned them up on the trees, doesn't he?- He does, he does.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26- Exactly. He pins up love letters. - Writes them up and pins up love letters.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30And it turns out that these love messages
0:38:30 > 0:38:32are still to be found today.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37So these are called arborglyphs, and they have an ancient and very, very
0:38:37 > 0:38:41long history of tree-carving as forms of communication, but also,
0:38:41 > 0:38:45- I think, as pictorial symbols, as... - What did you say it was called?
0:38:45 > 0:38:48- Arborglyphs.- Arborglyphs.- Mmm.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Oh, that's wonderful!
0:38:50 > 0:38:53It is, yeah. And an ancient, ancient art that was practised,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57I think, for thousands of years in terms of, not only, as we said,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00messages, but also artworks,
0:39:00 > 0:39:04you know, notes, sort of forms of reminders.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08Much nicer than just signing your name on a, you know,
0:39:08 > 0:39:10on a bit of the Tower of London.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12That's it. Sort of an early tattoo, isn't it?
0:39:12 > 0:39:16- Yes, I suppose it is.- And you wonder if these tell stories of people
0:39:16 > 0:39:20who were married or, you know, proposals,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23that somehow this moment in this woodland marked something they
0:39:23 > 0:39:25wanted to remember forever.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28- And they come back and see it, maybe.- Yeah.- Well, it's lovely when
0:39:28 > 0:39:32- it's like that and doesn't actually harm the tree.- ..spoil the tree.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34- Yes.- No, exactly.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36And it will go, eventually, too.
0:39:36 > 0:39:41- It will disappear and the story will end.- Yes.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45- We could go on for hours.- I know. Should we go to the pub and keep going?
0:39:45 > 0:39:49- INDISTINCT DIALOGUE - Cymbeline, yes, exactly.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52I've talked to Charlotte about the magic of Shakespeare...
0:39:54 > 0:39:57..now Tony is discovering how trees like mine,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00and especially my magnificent oak,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03were so important to the Tudors.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06- Hiya, Chris.- Really good to see. - Yeah, good to see you, too.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09He's meeting archaeologist Chris Dobbs
0:40:09 > 0:40:12to explore the greatest wooden treasure
0:40:12 > 0:40:14that survives from the Tudor age.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18So here we are coming into the Mary Rose ship hall.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Oh, my goodness!
0:40:23 > 0:40:27That is absolutely incredible.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43It's Henry VIII's warship, the Mary Rose.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45So half of it was eroded on the sea bed,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48but this is the ship that Henry VIII ordered
0:40:48 > 0:40:50the building of in 1509.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53The sheer amount of timber that's in it.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55There's quite a few trees there.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59It is beautiful, isn't it?
0:40:59 > 0:41:01And it's beautiful because of those curves.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05It was supposed to be very fast.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10This beautiful ship was about 130 feet long.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13It was the first specially commissioned warship
0:41:13 > 0:41:16built by Henry VIII.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20It marks the birth of the Royal Navy,
0:41:20 > 0:41:25which helped forge the largest empire the world has ever known.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28And what actually happened to her?
0:41:28 > 0:41:33Well, she fought for Henry VIII in three wars against the French,
0:41:33 > 0:41:38but sadly, in 1545, capsized and sank in front of the king's eyes.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41There were 35 survivors but probably over 500 men on board,
0:41:41 > 0:41:45so, I mean, a great tragedy of the time.
0:41:45 > 0:41:52Parts of it are elm, but the frame is made from 600 oak trees.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56That's about 40 acres of woodland.
0:41:56 > 0:42:01And I suppose when they built this they had to get as much timber
0:42:01 > 0:42:03the shape of the ship that they could
0:42:03 > 0:42:05because they couldn't work it.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08In the 16th century they could easily find these wonderful curved
0:42:08 > 0:42:11- timbers to build the ship from. - It's amazing, really, isn't it?
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Because although they've shaped them,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15all they've done is squared off those branches
0:42:15 > 0:42:16but retained that...
0:42:16 > 0:42:18- That joint is the tree. - Exactly.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21It's not been changed in any way apart from flattened down, really.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23And I love that you see they've retained the shape.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25That's absolutely what this ship is.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28It's built out of the curves of the tree,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30the natural curves of the trees.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Basically, the oak built the ship.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37On the Mary Rose, almost everything was made of wood -
0:42:37 > 0:42:41from the simplest object to the most advanced technology.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47And what I really want to show you is this tiny thing here.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Can you guess what that is? I mean, it's absolutely wonderful.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53No idea. It looks like a chess piece or a draught.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- Yeah, it looks like a draught piece, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57But that is actually a pocket sundial.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00And I've got a replica of one in my pocket.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02So what you'd have to do is you'd have to get it out,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04orient it for north, south.
0:43:04 > 0:43:09Then you'd have to see where the shadow is cast on the dial.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12I mean, this just shows it was very much a wooden society.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16Even their pocket sundials were made of wood.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Do you know, I'm absolutely blown away.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21This is a floating forest.
0:43:28 > 0:43:33Tony has brought some things from the great Tudor warship to show me.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37Accompanying him is conservator Simon Ware.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41- Judi, how are you? - Oh, great to see you.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43- Great to see you.- Yeah, it's been quite a while, hasn't it?
0:43:43 > 0:43:45- It's been a long time.- Yeah.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47Nice to see you.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Wow, look at this.
0:43:51 > 0:43:57So, this is a yew longbow that was brought up from the Mary Rose.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00Isn't that amazing?
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Of course, one of your great friends...
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- Robert Hardy. - Robert would have handled this.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07- He would have looked at this. - And he's only just died.- Yeah.
0:44:10 > 0:44:11Isn't that incredible?
0:44:14 > 0:44:18Robert Hardy was a very dear actor friend of mine.
0:44:18 > 0:44:23In 1960, I played Catherine to his wonderful Henry V.
0:44:24 > 0:44:29He was also the greatest expert on the English longbow,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32and conserved all the longbows found on the Mary Rose.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38- I remember him telling me that this was the machine gun...- It was.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41- ..of medieval times. - It was, of course.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45But the bow isn't the only thing Tony's brought with him.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47- What is this?- This is a nit comb.
0:44:47 > 0:44:48What is that?
0:44:48 > 0:44:51- Oh, a nit comb!- Yeah.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53Isn't that amazing?
0:44:53 > 0:44:55This belonged to a member of the crew,
0:44:55 > 0:44:57so they would have had their own comb for removing head lice.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00And I think if we look in the light, you may actually be able to see some
0:45:00 > 0:45:03of the little remains of the nits and the head lice
0:45:03 > 0:45:05still in there in those fine teeth.
0:45:05 > 0:45:06- Along there?- Yes.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08JUDI GASPS
0:45:08 > 0:45:12That's absolutely incredible.
0:45:16 > 0:45:21It's amazing that wood was once so crucial to an entire society.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32I've learned so much about what my trees do in summer.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35They're such sophisticated individuals.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39But just how social are they?
0:45:39 > 0:45:41Do they communicate?
0:45:43 > 0:45:47I hope autumn will give me the chance to find out.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07The changing colours of the leaves show my trees are hard at work
0:46:07 > 0:46:10preparing for winter.
0:46:10 > 0:46:16Their green pigment is sucked back and stored safely under the bark
0:46:16 > 0:46:17for next year.
0:46:17 > 0:46:22The tree transfers unwanted toxins into the leaves,
0:46:22 > 0:46:26which it jettisons to keep it healthy.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30But the impression that everything is shutting down is deceptive.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37This is when the janitors that keep the woodland clean set to work.
0:46:39 > 0:46:44This secretive scary slime mould roams the forest floor,
0:46:44 > 0:46:47hunting down microscopic debris to eat.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54And then there's another astonishing woodland caretaker.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59It's probably the single most important part of a woodland,
0:46:59 > 0:47:01but you'd never know it.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05There's a lot of life and action still going on
0:47:05 > 0:47:08underground in a woodland.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12So, if you look here, you see all this fungi,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15these are the fungi that breakdown that woody matter
0:47:15 > 0:47:19that many other creatures are incapable of breaking down.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21- Almost in a circle. - Almost.- Have you noticed?
0:47:21 > 0:47:23We're almost in the centre.
0:47:23 > 0:47:25We're almost in centre of it, yes.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28This type of fungi is called a decomposer
0:47:28 > 0:47:30because it breaks down woody matter
0:47:30 > 0:47:34and turns it into nutrients in the soil.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Just the tip of the iceberg,
0:47:37 > 0:47:41so there's so much more action going on underground here.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45Apparently, all these fungi have long threads
0:47:45 > 0:47:50like roots running through the earth sometimes for miles.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55We've got some amazing footage here.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59And these are the threads here of fungi.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02And they've come in, they're looking for dead wood
0:48:02 > 0:48:04and they've found this branch, this dead branch.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Good gracious!
0:48:06 > 0:48:08And that's sending a signal back to start the breakdown.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10So this is quickened up?
0:48:10 > 0:48:13- This is quickened up.- Yes. - Yeah, I don't know how many times.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16It's saying, "I've found dead wood.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18"Come and get it."
0:48:18 > 0:48:20And all these other threads are coming
0:48:20 > 0:48:24and enveloping this dead wood.
0:48:24 > 0:48:25Good heavens.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28By breaking that wood down, it then makes it available
0:48:28 > 0:48:31as organic matter for the tree to feed on,
0:48:31 > 0:48:33so it's recycling.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35The fungi are the best recyclers.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38It's amazing, isn't it?
0:48:38 > 0:48:41- It's absolutely...- But I've got something even better to show you.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44This has never been filmed for television before.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47This is called hair ice.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51And as the fungi starts to decompose, this is a waste product,
0:48:51 > 0:48:53it pushes the water out
0:48:53 > 0:48:56from the wood as it breaks it down.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59And because we're in autumn, as the first frosts appear,
0:48:59 > 0:49:03it freezes and crystallises
0:49:03 > 0:49:04this water that comes out.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07So this is ice. Isn't that incredible?
0:49:09 > 0:49:11- So beautiful.- It is beautiful.
0:49:17 > 0:49:23I never knew autumn was such an important time of year for my trees,
0:49:23 > 0:49:26and Tony tells me that there's another type of fungi
0:49:26 > 0:49:29that doesn't decompose dead wood.
0:49:29 > 0:49:34Instead, it may do something even more astonishing.
0:49:34 > 0:49:39It might just allow the entire forest to interact.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47In this beautiful beech forest I'm meeting fungi expert
0:49:47 > 0:49:49Professor Lynne Boddy.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53She's going to tell me what's going on beneath our feet.
0:49:54 > 0:49:55This is pretty, this forest.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57It's very pretty.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01It's lovely.
0:50:01 > 0:50:06Apparently, in forests like these, a special type of fungus
0:50:06 > 0:50:10attaches itself to the very tips of the tree's roots.
0:50:10 > 0:50:15Now, this happens on an incredibly tiny scale.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19So we're going to have a look at magnified images on the computer.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22Let's have a look, let's have a look. Oh, I say.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26So what we can see here is one of the fine roots of the tree.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- This is underground? - This is all underground.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32And you can see these very fine
0:50:32 > 0:50:35threads extending into the soil.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37This is the fungus.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41These threads build up and up until they cover the tip
0:50:41 > 0:50:44of the root completely, like a sock.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48And from there, they spread out under the forest floor.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53These below ground fungi are not just attached to one tree.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56They can be attached to several, so communication can occur.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58- Like an underground system. - Yes.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02The threads, are they attached to different types of tree?
0:51:02 > 0:51:04They don't just stick to one type of tree?
0:51:04 > 0:51:08No, that's right. Some fungi are only found on one species of tree,
0:51:08 > 0:51:10one type of tree,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13but other fungi can join up lots of different trees.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19- Really?- And if, for example, this tree here
0:51:19 > 0:51:21was being attacked by a swarm of insects,
0:51:21 > 0:51:24not only does it send the messages within itself,
0:51:24 > 0:51:29it can send those same messages through the underground network
0:51:29 > 0:51:32to adjacent trees.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34- That's...- It's amazing.
0:51:34 > 0:51:36- That blows your...- I know. - It completely blows your mind.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39It does, it does. So beneath our feet there is a huge network.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41JUDI GASPS
0:51:41 > 0:51:42Gosh, there's...
0:51:42 > 0:51:45- There's such a lot going on, isn't there?- There is, there is.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47That is staggering.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49And not only do they send messages,
0:51:49 > 0:51:53but they can also share food and water
0:51:53 > 0:51:56to another tree somewhere else.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58- What a brilliant system. - It is.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00- It's evolved over millions... - Yes, of course.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Hundreds of millions of years.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Lynne tells me that these fungal threads
0:52:05 > 0:52:09for both the communicators and the decomposers
0:52:09 > 0:52:12are so numerous that she can easily find some.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Oh, my goodness me.
0:52:15 > 0:52:16Can you see this one?
0:52:16 > 0:52:18Look at the size of this!
0:52:18 > 0:52:21- So there are lots and lots of fine...- Oh, my goodness.
0:52:21 > 0:52:22..threads joined together here.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25This is going to be a huge network. Look at this.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole woodland
0:52:28 > 0:52:31isn't connected up by this network. Look at it.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35JUDI GASPS Good gracious.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37- It's like a power line. - Isn't it?
0:52:37 > 0:52:40- Look how strong that is. - They are.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Knowing that all these trees are using fungi
0:52:43 > 0:52:45to communicate with each other,
0:52:45 > 0:52:48I'll never think of trees as individuals again.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54A forest like this is a very, very social place.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59Everybody is sharing and passing everything to everybody else.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02- Yeah.- And sustaining everybody. - Yes.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04That was just mind-blowing.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Yeah, they're remarkable organisms, aren't they?
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Aren't they just?
0:53:18 > 0:53:23"That time of year thou mayst in me behold
0:53:23 > 0:53:27"When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
0:53:27 > 0:53:31"Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
0:53:31 > 0:53:36"Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang."
0:53:46 > 0:53:51It's been wonderful to discover that my trees aren't just amazing
0:53:51 > 0:53:55individuals, but that they're part of an extended family.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01When I plant trees in memory of my friends,
0:54:01 > 0:54:04I always hoped that they would feel part of a community,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07that they would be communicating with each other.
0:54:08 > 0:54:13And now, it's so reassuring to find out that it's true.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18I think it might be time to add another member to the family.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29Tony has arranged to meet David and me in my garden.
0:54:29 > 0:54:33There's a famous Chinese proverb -
0:54:33 > 0:54:35the best time to plant a tree was 50 years ago,
0:54:35 > 0:54:38but the next best time is today.
0:54:38 > 0:54:43So what better time than today to plant a tree.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46The two trees that I've brought you are English natives,
0:54:46 > 0:54:48British natives.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52So one's a yew tree and one's an oak tree...
0:54:52 > 0:54:53JUDI GASPS
0:54:53 > 0:54:56..which are going to be around for a long time.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59What a great present.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02I'm going to do this one, as it's a yew tree, Robert Hardy.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04I thought you'd choose that.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06That would be so good.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08- He would love that.- How lovely.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10- And maybe in another 300 or 400 years' time...- Yep.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14..someone might be making a longbow from one of its branches.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16- You just never know.- You never know.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19- Shall we take them?- Yeah. - Oh, you are going to take them?
0:55:19 > 0:55:22- Yeah. We're going to plant them. - Gosh, that might be quite heavy.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24- They're OK.- I hope... I shall make my mind up quickly!
0:55:24 > 0:55:26THEY LAUGH
0:55:26 > 0:55:28David, the nearer the better!
0:55:28 > 0:55:30- THEY LAUGH - Yes!
0:55:30 > 0:55:33- Maybe here.- Yeah.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Just in here?
0:55:35 > 0:55:36- Whoops!- With that as the background?
0:55:36 > 0:55:38- Yes. I think...- It's a lovely spot.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41- Wouldn't that be a good place?- Yeah.
0:55:41 > 0:55:47The soil in my garden is a mixture of sand and clay,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50and Tony says my yew will be very happy here.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53That's going to be just right.
0:55:57 > 0:55:58How fantastic.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02Gosh! Wonderful.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10Oh, that is so nice.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12Oh, I'm so pleased.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14How appropriate, isn't it?
0:56:14 > 0:56:16It's perfect.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18It's absolutely perfect.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30I've loved trees all my life, but after this year,
0:56:30 > 0:56:33I'll never be able to look at them in the same way again.
0:56:35 > 0:56:41I shall never be able quite to walk so nonchalantly
0:56:41 > 0:56:44through a woodland again
0:56:44 > 0:56:47without thinking of all that incredible work
0:56:47 > 0:56:49that is going on under here.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52I mean, we think we live in a society.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58No comparison to what goes on round here,
0:56:58 > 0:57:01how these chaps live.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04I mean, it's mind-blowing.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06It's wonderful.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10And very, very exciting.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13I don't know how I've lived so long without knowing,
0:57:13 > 0:57:15but I know now.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22JUDI LAUGHS