Story perspectives

English Heritage launches scything team to protect shrill carder bee

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 10:57 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

English Heritage launched a volunteer scything team at Muchelney Abbey.
Volunteers hand-cut meadow grass to improve habitats for the shrill carder bee.
The three-year effort partners with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust for bee monitoring.
Volunteers receive bread and cheese as traditional payment, echoing historic roaming scythers.
The meadow is one of 100 sites pledged for King Charles’s 2023 coronation.

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Story summary

English Heritage launched a volunteer scything team at Muchelney Abbey.
Volunteers hand-cut meadow grass to improve habitats for the shrill carder bee.
The three-year effort partners with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust for bee monitoring.
Volunteers receive bread and cheese as traditional payment, echoing historic roaming scythers.
The meadow is one of 100 sites pledged for King Charles’s 2023 coronation.