Kingley Vale to appear in Sir David Attenborough's Wild isles

The broadcaster and natural historian pays a visit to Kingley Vale during the next episode of BBC series Wild Isles.

Filmed over the course of three years, the five-part series investigates how the UK’s woodland, grassland, freshwater and ocean habitats support wildlife of all kinds.

Using the very latest technology, each episode will capture dramatic and new behaviour across the British Isles, from battling butterflies to mighty killer whales on the hunt.

Wild Isles is a new BBC five part series (Image: BBC)

During Sunday’s episode, different UK woodlands will be followed in each season.

Kingley Vale, near Chichester, known for its twisted and ancient yews, is seen in summer.

The episode explores the unusual way the trees spread their pollen as the flowers of the male trees open and release huge clouds of pollen with the hope of coming into contact with the yew’s female trees to be fertilised.

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The explosion of pollen is so huge that the fire service is often called out by worried residents thinking the forest is burning.

Ahead of the programme’s airing, Sir Attenborough warned that the country’s woodland is under threat.

“In England alone, we have more ancient oaks than the whole of the rest of Europe put together. But since I was born, we have lost almost half of our ancient woodland,” said Sir Attenborough.

“And now we are one of the least forested countries in Europe. Woodland covers only 13 per cent of the British Isles, and human influence can be seen in every single bit of it.

“But despite this, there is a remarkable variety in the woodland that remains. Pines in the north, broadleaved woodlands in the south and even rainforests – temperate ones - along our western shores.

The series investigates how the UK’s woodland, grassland, freshwater and ocean habitats support wildlife of all kinds (Image: BBC)

“In this episode, we’ll take you on a seasonal journey, to see how animals and plants respond to the challenges of life in our ever-changing woodlands.”

Episode two Woodland will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday, March 19 at 7pm.