Jimmy Doherty in Darwin's Garden

His head swimming with the thousands of species he had seen around the world, Darwin began a series of experiments at his home, Down House. He looked at how seeds can travel the world on ocean currents, and confirmed his ideas about diversity by surveying the meadow next to his home. The astonishing range of plants, over 140, gave him confidence in his theory. The unexpected arrival of a manuscript proposing a similar theory of natural selection by another British scientist, Alfred Wallace, blew away Darwin’s doubts, and the race was on for publication. Jimmy Doherty, farmer and entomologist, follows Darwin’s intellectual journey, recreating ground-breaking experiments on inbreeding in plants, natural selection, and some quirky tests involving earthworms and music.