🌅 The Medieval Scythe Is Returning to England

SOURCE

English Heritage

WHAT TO KNOW

• Conservation charity English Heritage recently announced a three-year project replacing motorized lawnmowers with scythes at protected sites across Somerset county, seeking volunteers willing to cut grass like their ancestors to help promote wildflower growth and protect the endangered shrill carder bee. The project aims to revive the centuries-old tradition of “roaming scythers,” who once traveled from meadow to meadow using hand tools to cut grass and hay. In keeping with tradition, English Heritage says volunteers will be “paid” with bread and cheese for their work.

WHY IT MATTERS

• The shrill carder bee is one of the U.K.’s rarest and most vulnerable bee species. It lives in only five areas across the U.K., one of which is the southwestern county of Somerset. Research shows mowing grass helps promote wildflower growth and improve habitats for species. However, powerful, motorized lawnmowers can harm the shrill carder bee, which nests in the ground and often can’t get away from the machines before being killed. English Heritage says the volunteers will also perform wildlife surveys while reaping, recording the number of bees, which flowers are blooming, the plants the bees are attracted to, and how far the bees travel from their nests.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• Scythes first became common in Europe around the eighth century, when it was seen as a crucial part of a medieval farmworkers’ arsenal. The tool first gained popularity as a more efficient alternative to the handheld sickle, which required laborers to work at crop level. Scythes were eventually replaced by horse-drawn mowers and are now more closely associated with cultural figures like the Grim Reaper and Father Time.