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A Patch Wilder

A Patch Wilder is a conservation project aiming to benefit wildlife and connect people with the environment around them.

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Gallery

As well as documenting the sights and sounds of nature at A Patch Wilder, Charlie and Spade have built up a portfolio of nature photography from across the globe. See our other photos here.

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

From the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe 
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#apatchwilder #mendips #raven #britishbirds #ukbirdwatching
The Bluebell Path really living up to its name at The Bluebell Path really living up to its name at the moment.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #bluebells
Lovely display of an underrated woodland plant at Lovely display of an underrated woodland plant at the moment - Sanicle is easily overlooked with its subtle white flowers peppering the woodland ground flora, but take a closer look and it is rather lovely.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #sanicle
Imagine if your entire species evolved to look lik Imagine if your entire species evolved to look like a bird 💩. Meet the Chinese Character moth! This diminutive little lepidopteran manages to escape the attention of avian predators by looking like a bit of poo on a branch!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #chinesecharacter #mothsmatter
A lucky capture on the camera trap - sparrow hawk A lucky capture on the camera trap - sparrow hawk with what appears to be a blackbird that it has just captured posing nicely on this drystone wall before being chased away.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #sparrowhawk #trailcam #browningreconforceelitehp4
Now you see me, now you don't. It is amazing how f Now you see me, now you don't. It is amazing how fast snakes can travel, considering their primary mode of movement is "lateral undulation" which is effectively just rippling their bellies!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #grasssnake #springwatch
We've had quite a few new followers lately, so if We've had quite a few new followers lately, so if you are new to us.. hello and thanks for your interest in our Patch!

We are Charlie and Rachel, a couple of consultant ecologists who manage this 15 acres of former campsite in our (somewhat limited) spare time. 

With yesterday marking the incredible milestone of Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday, we got talking about how much his programs influenced us as children. Sunday evenings for us both are fondly remembered as watching David Attenborough documentaries with our respective families. The films absolutely inspired us to the point that our chosen degree (where the 2 of us met)  and career path was ultimately shaped by them, and the desire to see those same animals. 

I wonder where we would be today if not for this absolute legend! Happy birthday Sir David 🎈🎂

(Photo from Aug 2020, our first summer on the Patch when we had just learned to scythe and made our first haystack.)

#apatchwilder #davidattenborough #rewilding #mendips #zoologist
We have a very exciting resident staying with us a We have a very exciting resident staying with us at the moment - this is a Greater Whitethroat. These scrubland birds can be encountered fairly frequently in the wilder places in Mendip but this is only the second one we have recorded at A Patch Wilder. This male has established a territory here and has been singing his heart out all week in search of a female. This feels like a milestone as scrubland is something we are trying to create and getting this whitethroats seal of approval makes it feel like we are slowly moving in the right direction!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #whitethroat #britishbirds #ukbirdwatching
And hot on the heels of the grizzled skipper, we h And hot on the heels of the grizzled skipper, we have their partner in crime - the Dingy Skipper. We always see these species together - same areas at the same time of year. Dingy they may be but also rather pretty when you get a good look at them.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #dingyskipper #butterflyconservation
First Grizzled Skippers of the year. These butterf First Grizzled Skippers of the year. These butterflies are now very localised and declining in the Uk, so it is always good to see them. They like wild strawberries and limestone grassland, but of which are fairly plentiful here so hopefully they continue to thrive on the Patch.
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#apatchwilder #mendips #grizzledskipper #butterflyconservation
Cockchafer beetle (also known as the Maybug or Doo Cockchafer beetle (also known as the Maybug or Doodlebug) is the largest of the 90 scarab beetle species in the UK. They also have these rather spectacular antennae which can be used to tell apart males, which have seven feathers (like this individual) and females which only have six.
Large they may be, but graceful... not so much if this individual is anything to go by!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #cockchafer #beetlesofinstagram
His and hers sinks for Mr and Mrs Green Woodpecker His and hers sinks for Mr and Mrs Green Woodpecker. Only the best for our feathery friends!
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#apatchwilder #birdphotography #greenwoodpecker #trailcam #browningreconforceelitehp4
Lovely time at the Axevale Greening Festival at Ad Lovely time at the Axevale Greening Festival at Ad Astra Cider this afternoon. Great to meet some new nature lovers as well as lots of familiar faces.
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#apatchwilder #axevale #climateaction
A lovely dawn chorus walk on the Patch this mornin A lovely dawn chorus walk on the Patch this morning. Highlight for me was a rap battle between blackcap and whitethroat right at the end!
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#apatchwilder #dawnchorus #mendios #birdsong
May Morning Mint Moth on a Marsh Marigold. Happy B May Morning Mint Moth on a Marsh Marigold.
Happy Beltane!
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#apatchwilder #mendips #mintmoth #mothsmatter #beltane
Painted Lady butterfly feeding on bluebells. Our f Painted Lady butterfly feeding on bluebells. Our first sighting of the species this year and they are always exciting to spot as Painted Ladies have the longest known migration of any butterfly. The individual here will likely have taken part in a multi-generational journey of 12000km, including crossing the Sahara desert twice annually! 😮
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#apatchwilder #mendips #butterfly #butterflyconservation #paintedlady
Absolutely love the primordial unfurling of these Absolutely love the primordial unfurling of these fern fronds. Ferns are one of the oldest groups of plants on earth and have been doing much the same thing for  hundreds of millions years. 🪴🦕 
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#apatchwilder #mendips #ferns
Well hello there Mr redstart! Not a bird we see Well hello there Mr redstart! 

Not a bird we see very often here (this is our 4th record in 6 years)  so a nice surprise to see this on our Browning camera trap. This chap will have just arrived from Sub-Saharan Africa and will likely just be stopping off at the Patch for a quick drink and a bite to eat before carrying on his way to some nice old-growth woodland to find a cavity to nest in.

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#apatchwilder #mendips #redstart #britishbirds #trailcam
A freshly emerged Speckled Wood butterfly perching A freshly emerged Speckled Wood butterfly perching on a leaf along the woodland edge. 
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#apatchwilder #mendips #butterfly #speckledwood #butterflyconservation
Common lizard out basking in an area we cleared of Common lizard out basking in an area we cleared of scrub over winter. Every year we clear small sections of scrub to prevent it encroaching too much and to increase the structural complexity - resulting in areas of different ages, providing different reasons ecological niches. 
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#apatchwilder #mendips #commonlizard #lizard #conservationmanagement
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