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Seasonal Forests

Episode 10 of 11

Documentary series which celebrates our planet in all its glory. David Attenborough reveals the greatest woodlands on earth, from the northern Taiga to Madagascar.

David Attenborough's documentary series which celebrates our planet in all its eclectic wonder. He reveals the greatest woodlands on earth, from the evergreen forests of the frozen north to the deciduous dry forests of the equator.

The Taiga forest is a silent world of stunted conifers cloaked in snow and ice. The trees form a belt that circles the globe, broken only by ocean, and contains a third of all trees on earth. Here, animals are scarce, with just a few charismatic loners like the wolverine and lynx.

By contrast, the broadleaf forests of North America and Europe bustle with life. The most startling illustration happens just once every 17 years, when the nymphs of the periodical cicada burst from the soil in the biggest insect emergence on the planet.

In California, witness the cameras fly up the tallest trees on earth: giant redwoods over 100 metres high. See General Sherman, a giant sequoia, ten times the size of a blue whale, and the largest living thing on the planet. Close by are bristlecone pines, so old they pre-date the pyramids and were already 2,500 years old when Jesus Christ was born.

The baobab forests of Madagascar are the strangest of all. The bizarre upside down trees store water in their swollen trunks and harbour strange wildlife, such as the tiny mouse lemur, the world's smallest primate.

Available now

58 minutes

Audio described

Last on

Thu 31 Aug 2023 19:00

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter David Attenborough
Series Producer Alastair Fothergill
Producer Mark Linfield

Broadcasts

  • Sun 3 Dec 2006 21:00
  • Thu 14 Dec 2006 00:35
  • Sat 16 Dec 2006 01:00
  • Sat 23 Dec 2006 01:25
  • Wed 20 Aug 2008 18:00
  • Sun 7 Sep 2008 15:30
  • Sat 13 Sep 2008 16:30
  • Sat 5 Sep 2009 16:40
  • Sat 6 Mar 2010 16:00
  • Wed 17 Nov 2010 19:00
  • Thu 18 Nov 2010 00:45
  • Sat 20 Nov 2010 20:00
  • Mon 27 May 2013 16:15
  • Thu 17 Apr 2014 15:15
  • Fri 1 Sep 2017 16:15
  • Fri 23 Mar 2018 15:15
  • Thu 31 Aug 2023 19:00

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