TWiG

05/09/2026

A few photos of life on the community meadow coming back after the summer cut. Also things on trees and hedge this morning.
The meadow is recovering from its summer baking with many of the now established perennial wildflowers from the original sowing re-shooting in this "second spring".
We left some areas of vegetation uncut last month to allow grasshoppers, crickets, spiders and other insect life a chance to complete their life cycles. These will be cut during the autumn.
Photos of
Puff ball
Oxeye daisies yarrow foliage and seedlings to identify
Oak apple gall
Oak spangle gall
Musk mallow
Knapweed
Yarrow
Spot the Clouded yellow butterfly - have you seen one of these this year?

20/08/2026

This is worth reading!

PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE

I'm just about hanging on after several heatwaves and no rain to speak of. In fact I can't speak at all, I can only hope that the onslaught of blades isn't going to slash down every last bit of greenery clinging to my branches and obliterate the life barely surviving in the grasses beside me in a few week's time.

I've got just about enough reserve left to see me through the winter. I'm weak and dehydrated. The only fruit to show right now are the blackberries springing from the brambles - and that's not even my own fruit. I haven't been allowed to fruit for longer than I can remember, as tractors keep coming along to take away the growth I spend all my time trying to muster up through the year.

The birds, insects and animals that rely on me have dwindled and died winter after winter with no shelter and no food despite my efforts to give them harvest and protection. Every creature that tries to breed in the habitat I provide has been destroyed in vast numbers - every year I've come back to give blossom and berries, only to have them taken away. I don't know why.

Right now I don't know if I can cope with any more of this punishment. I don't know what threat I'm supposed to present, or why nobody is coming to my rescue. I'd give shelter and forage to the beasts in the fields, given the chance. I'd be helping the ecosystem to recover itself, given the chance. If I don't get the chance this year, I hate to think what will happen.

Please, if you have a heart and care about the living system I support and the habitat I provide, tell the people who keep taking away everything I try so hard to give... to stop. Tell them to stop attacking me senselessly with blades - some humans do care, I know. I need the humans that care to be the voice I don't have.

Please tell the people with the blades to leave me alone this year.
I need to rest, and I need time to heal.

Thank you.

16/08/2026

Saturday morning on the *South Petherton community meadow at Whitfield - it was time to start cutting but also bring a great group of people together. We ran a scythe school for those interested to have a taster session led by experienced scythers. Good useful exercise and great to get people outside and socialising over a cuppa. And we opened up moths traps to see what is living up there. We found over 20 species of moths with names like Orange Swift, Hebrew Character and Lime Speck Pug (thanks a wildlife identification app called inaturalist)

It was wonderful to have comments like "I always come away from things like this feeling happy!" and "thanks for the chance to try scything" or "it's such a delight to find the meadow creating such interest and opportunities for people"

14/08/2026

Gardens have become extremely important in this parched landscape we are living through - have you got many open (not frilly double) flowers for the wild bees in your garden?

August is your last chance to see all of the Big Eight bumblebees 🎱🐝

Of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species, these eight are the most common.

👑 Bumblebee queens begin to emerge from hibernation in spring, when rising temperatures and longer days awaken them from their winter snooze in the soil.
💤 When a queen emerges, she spends some time resting in order to wake up properly.
🌷 Once fully awake she feeds on flowers to gain energy.🏠 Then begins the search for a suitable nest site: holes in the ground, long grass, bird boxes and beneath garden sheds.
🌼 Having chosen her nest site, the queen will feed on more flowers and lay her first batch of eggs.
🐛 Little white larvae hatch, feed on collected pollen, and then develop into adult workers.
💼 These smaller females carry out work inside and outside the nest.
👑 Queens remain inside the nest, laying more eggs for the next batch of workers.
🚹 Towards the end of a nest, males are produced and leave. They do not collect pollen. Instead, they spend their time feeding on nectar and trying to mate with queens from other nests.

Have you spotted any bumblebees recently? How many species have you seen?

🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/fEFR50ZoOuX

14/08/2026

TWiG are running a meadow scything morning on Saturday at the community meadow next to the newest allotments from 8am until noon.

If you're walking by please ensure your dog is on a lead.
And if you are interested in what we are doing come and say hello at our gazebo.

11/08/2026

Do you wonder what all those moths are? Fancy a closer view? Join us on Saturday morning at the community meadow to see what we find overnight in a light trap. Message TWiG for more info.

20/07/2026

Everyone should watch this!

People's Emergency Briefing Screening – The David Hall, Thu 20 Aug 2026 - 📢 A special community screening: The People’s Emergency Briefing What’s happening with climate and nature, and what does it mean for everyday life in the UK? Join us for a screening of the People’s Emergency ...

12/07/2026

Some of the many insects doing better this summer in the extreme heat, though some flowers will reduce the amount of pollen released to pollinators. Good idea to go leave a bowl of water - if you have some today - with some pebbles in for insects to drink from.
2 spot Ladybird, Peacock butterfly, Four Banded mining bee, Red Mason bee

06/07/2026

Thank you to all the helpers and visitors who came to open day at the allotments and community meadow on Sunday 5th July. We had a super day with lots of good conversations plus lots of sightings across the meadow 🦗🐝👀🌸🌼🐞🦋🦟 and a special thanks to the scythers and rakers for their hard work on Saturday clearing paths ready for Sunday's meadow moochers🌞💚
Whitfield allotments & South Petherton TWiG

27/06/2026

Allotments and Community meadow open afternoon 2-5pm Sunday 5th July
We'll have experts to help you identify what you see - get involved in Citizen science. See the allotmenters hard work and unexpected edibles!
On a 10 minute walk through the meadow yesterday I spotted 4 different bees, 5 butterfly species, an interesting non-stinging wasp and one of those wonderful migrant hummingbird hawk moths. That's just what I could identify.
Come and join us!