25/05/2026
Five years ago, One Planet Bruton started the pollinator patch at Jubilee Park on previously close-mown grass, with volunteers from our community planting seedlings grown by the Growing Space in Wincanton.
Since then we've added to it with more seedlings from the Growing Space, ox-eye daisy plants donated by Bruton residents, yellow rattle from Habitat Aid to weaken the grass, and scraped back and sown patches with seed from the meadows at Cooks Farm in Brewham. We've held work parties there with students from Sexey's school doing community volunteering, and volunteers from our community.
Ox-eye daisies and poppies are in flower at the moment, and there's a clump of nettles. We want the patch to provide food and shelter for insects year round. It might look a bit scruffy to some, but this is why we leave dead heads over the winter.
Why have a clump of nettles? If we want to have butterflies, we need to have caterpillars! Stinging nettles are crucial, high-value host plants for over 100 invertebrate species, and are the primary food source for caterpillars of key butterfly species including the Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Comma, and Painted Lady. They are also essential for several moth species and provide food for aphids. Which is why, if you can, leave a patch of nettles in your garden.
Take a walk to Jubilee Park and see what you can spot.
