West Crescent, Ilminster, receives boost after joint project

A wildflower mix was added to two acres of grassland behind West Crescent thanks to an initiative that also involved Parsonage Solar Farm, which provided a grant.

The project started last year, but council staff led by Jake Taylor and Green Ilminster volunteers installed signage to explain what is happening this week.

Chris Curran, a Green Ilminster member, said: “In the week when world leaders meet in Egypt at the Cop27 summit this could not be more relevant.

“The new, colourful information board designed and illustrated by artist and volunteer, Haz John-Taylor describes how the project is intended to preserve and protect wildflowers, insects, and pollinators such as bumble bees, moths, and butterflies.

“The seed mix that has been scattered contains twenty-three native British wildflower species, which are becoming rare, to restore and enrich the existing grass area.

“Flowers to look out for include Meadowsweet, Poppy, and Lady’s Bedstraw.

"As well as being good for pollinators this will create an attractive display from May to October each year once established.

“Over the past century, 97 per cent of our wildflower grasslands have been lost and it’s not a coincidence that in the UK, for example, butterfly populations have fallen by about 50 per cent since we started keeping good records in the 1970s.

“Why should that matter to us we might ask? Well, the majority of the world’s wild plants rely on insects to pollinate them as does three-quarters of the crops we grow.

“A lot of this work we don’t even see as many pollinators prefer to operate at night while we sleep.

“The food we put in our mouths relies on the work of pollinators who in turn rely on having enough food from flowers.

“Without pollinators, it’s not too much to say that food production would grind to a halt.

“Pollinators are not just an attractive addition to the world we live in; they are the glue that hold us together.

“So, initiatives like this are important. The very beautiful yellow and black striped caterpillars of the red and black cinnabar moth have declined by about 83 per cent but importantly there are still some left and it’s not too late to help them recover and to preserve them.

“Ilminster’s West Crescent wildflower meadow aims to help do just that.”

A spokesperson for Ilminster Town Council said: “The development of the green meadow is something that the Town Council was keen to be involved with.

“It recognises in the work that it does in the community a need to be aware of the Climate Crisis that we are all facing. Whilst it will not be solved overnight it is clear that every little step that is taken to deal with the problem will have an impact.”

You can learn more about joining in by visiting the Green Ilminster Community page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2909604655782030/