1. This is a thread about the wild boar & its wonderful farmland descendant – the humble pig. These animals, when allowed to roam free, create outcomes for nature far richer than many of us might imagine. Here’s why our native diggers are the greatest wildlife gardeners of all.

2. Boar serve a unique role in the ecosystem. There is no species similar. In rotovating the soil, boar & pigs turn sameness to serrated variety; creating the basis for new life. It may look messy at the start, but then so does your flower bed. Below, in the Forest of Dean.

3. Whilst confined to woodlands here in Britain, boar can function in an enormous range of habitats – and once did. From the marshes of Iraq to the Mediterranean coast, this powerful swimmer is evolved to reset the soil structure & biodiversity of almost every biome it inhabits.

4. In the wake of boar diggings, a whole range of outcomes spring into being. Foxgloves, dog-violets & many other plants, such as orchids, colonise. These woodland gardens feed a range of insects from bees to dappled small pearl-bordered fritillaries.

5. The story of the boar & the butterflies is so rich and complex, it’s hard to fit into a tweet, but the presence of boar increases the habitat of many woodland butterflies. Studies show grizzled skipper benefits from boar, which convert coarse grassland to diverse floral mess.

6. Studies in the Sologne have shown birds like the buttercup wood warbler, vanishing fast from the UK, benefit from boar. Through digging, boar rootle rodents from their burrows. Wood warblers will often select such areas in which to nest, to avoid their eggs being eaten.

7. Ever wondered why robins follow as you dig in the garden? They’ve been at it for a while – and once followed more disruptive gardeners than you! Robin, dunnock, blackbird & song thrush all follow in a boar’s wake to find freshly-unearthed snacks. © Matthew Caldwell / Alamy.

8. Pork and apple is a well-known combination. Boar serve an invaluable role as ‘endozoochorous' dispersers of wild fruit trees. Carrying the seeds of wild apple intact in their guts, they help plant the next generation of wild fruit trees; invaluable restaurants for many birds.

9. Often, the wondrous results of free-roaming diggers are only realized much later on. The largest colony of purple emperors in Britain now thrives in sallows on the Knepp Estate; sallows that have colonised in the wake of Tamworth pig rootling. A snouty surprise for all.

10. It is now recognized that many of our woodlands are too dry. From the willow tit to the great-crested newt, restoring small wetlands within our woods, restores life. Boar wallows save us time and money in doing so; creating newt or frog ponds free of charge. © David Slater.

11. A range of other species, such as the stone-curlew, a species dependent on heavily-disrupted soils in which to feed and nest, may once have been ‘boar birds’ too. They have been observed to do well on Suffolk pig-farms & nest around boar diggings in the Mediterranean. © RSPB.

12. There is no doubt that boar are large & disruptive, and their actions, whether on a cricket pitch or productive arable farm, can be both expensive and unwelcome. Fortunately, 9000 years ago, some (presumably brave) settlers in Turkey converted some boar – into pigs.

13. Right now, we face a situation where pigs, one of nature’s most intelligent & sensitive mammals, are often kept in conditions like this, here in the UK. It’s inhumane, unnecessary & reflects badly on farmers. It’s time to get pigs back where they belong, beneath an open sky.

14. Returning more pigs to roaming free in farms wouldn’t only be a positive outcome for farmers (and pigs). The implications for biodiversity are considerable. Many 'boar' actions can be effected by old-breed pigs. On hill farms, pigs would also help reverse soil compaction.

15. Britain’s diggers have a vital role to play in rejuvenating our wildlife & soils. With the right subsidies, determination & imagination, we can surely find more space for boar in our wilder lands & free-roaming pigs on our farms. It’s time for our fellow gardeners to return.