Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife February 2025

February 20, 2025February 20, 2025 by Helen Bovillin WildlifeLeave a Comment

The first three weeks of February were dull and dry, with only a few hazy, sunny days and very little rain. It was also very cold, but despite the low temperatures there was only a light frost on one day. Then the weather changed and the last week of the month was much milder, with a little more rain and sunshine. So the cemetery wildlife had no extremes of weather to deal with this month.

Plants and Flowers

Only a few flowers had opened on the Blackthorn (pictured at the start of this report) although there were plenty of buds on it. This contrasts with the same time last year, when the majority of the flowers had opened. Everything seems to be flowering later this year, the best example being the Forsythia near the cemetery gates. This time last year it was a mass of bright yellow flowers; this year I found just one flower that was open.

A lone yellow Forsythia flower on a branch — **Forsythia**

The daffodils are similarly late – this is the only open one I found.

A single yellow daffodil in the cemetery — **Daffodil**

Elsewhere I found just a few Lesser Celandines in flower on the verge alongside the cemetery, together with one or two Dandelions. But the most abundant flower in the cemetery is the Snowdrop. There are clusters of them scattered all around the cemetery and on the verge and it doesn’t seem to matter if they’re in shade or sun – they thrive regardless of the conditions.

Plenty of catkins are now visible, especially on the Hazel trees. I also found this on a headstone – it looks like it’s from a White Poplar, as there is a very large example of one near where this flower had fallen.

A fluffy White Poplar catkin with red seeds on top of a gravestone in the cemetery — **White Poplar**

Insects

The cold, dull weather meant less flowers had opened to provide nectar for the many pollinators that live in and visit the cemetery. I didn’t see any hoverflies or butterflies this month whereas this time last year I saw several hoverflies and two different species of butterfly.

I did find a Ladybird though – one of our native British species, the 7-spot.

A 7-spot ladybird on a leaf — **7-spot Ladybird**

Birds

My best sighting this month was of a Treecreeper, the first one I’d seen in the cemetery since the middle of last year. I had some really good views of one working its way up a tree, then flying down to another tree to repeat the process.

The cemetery is a beautiful and important habitat for wildlife. Its large trees act as an urban woodland and there can’t be many cities that have such a place just a mile from the city centre. Of course it’s a disused cemetery, and the headstones give a great insight into local history via the stories of the people buried there. The headstones and monuments are also things of beauty in their own right, with their intricate carvings and unusual shapes and sizes. So it’s very satisfying when I manage to get a photograph of any of the cemetery wildlife sitting or perched on a headstone.

I watched as the Treecreeper then landed on one of the taller monuments, quickly making its way up the obelisk on the top of it. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me! But anyway, that’s bird species number 16 of the year so far.

This is the best time of the year for photographing the avian branch of the cemetery wildlife because there are no leaves on the trees. I saw all our regular species this month, and heard plenty of singing as they started to pair up ready for their nesting season. Here are some of my favourites –

Coal Tit on a branch in the cemetery — **Coal Tit (above)**

A Goldfinch on a branch — **Goldfinch (above)**

Stock Dove high up in a tree — **Stock Dove**

Fungi

Fallen branches provide great habitat for various types of fungi such as Jelly ones, Candlesnuff and these small Turkey Tail ones.

Conclusion

The dry weather provided ideal working conditions for the cemetery’s volunteers. They spent February cutting back some of the brambles growing along the back of the verge alongside the cemetery. They also removed dead stems and fallen branches from the grass to give more space and light for the spring flowers to grow. I suspect after a month of very little growth, March will see an abundance of blooms for all, both human and animal, to enjoy!

Comparison with this time last year –

Cemetery Wildlife – February 2024 – Friends Of Hull General Cemetery

A squirrel in a tree in the cemetery — **Your squirrel of the month. See you next time!**

Helen Bovill

Helen is a keen photographer and nature lover. She spent a large part of her working life at the Land Registry. She is a member of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and various other similar organisations. Living close to the Cemetery for over 30 years she has seen the fortunes of the site fluctuate and has joined the FOHGC to make a positive difference.

Cemetery Wildlife – January 2025

January 29, 2025 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments

The year started with a few dull, mild days. Then we had a cold snap for most of the second week, with temperatures well below freezing but no snow. When a headstone is taken off its base the slot into which it fits, when filled with rainwater, becomes an ideal source of water for the cemetery wildlife. During those sub-zero temperatures these convenient little drinking “troughs” became frozen. Luckily there was plenty of sunshine to thaw out the frost on the plants, providing some moisture in lieu of water.

A frost covered green leaf — **Frost upon frost on a tiny Cow Parsley leaf**

The rest of the month was still quite cold, and there were a few rainy days and nights that left parts of the footpaths rather muddy.

Birds

I’ve seen 15 different species of bird in the cemetery so far this year – Great Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Wood Pigeon, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Stock Dove, Long-tailed Tit and Redwing. I was particularly happy to see a Redwing (pictured at the start of the report). In fact I saw two, possibly 3, high up in the trees. Their light coloured undersides really stood out in the bright sunshine.

Over the years I’ve seen 30 different species of bird in the cemetery. But for an average year, the total is usually somewhere in the mid-20s.

I noticed the Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Robins and Blue Tits were particularly active.

A female blackbird on the ground in the cemetery — **Blackbird (female) (above)**

A Robin perched on a branch — **Robin – note the tiny insect underneath the branch**

I was pleased to see a Dunnock, as I don’t see them very often.

A Dunnock on a frosty log in the cemetery — **Dunnock**

Up in the trees I heard a group of Carrion Cows making a lot of noise. This could have been a warning there was a predator such as a Sparrowhawk around, although I didn’t see one.

Two black Carrion Crows in a tree against a blue sky background — **Carrion Crows**

Trees and plants

There were not many species in flower this month. The Feverfew is still clinging on, and I found a couple of Dandelions on the verge alongside the Cemetery. This is where I found the first fully-opened Lesser Celandine, earlier in the month. But then the frost arrived and I haven’t seen any more in flower yet.

A bright yellow Lesser Celandine surrounded by its glossy green leaves — **Lesser Celandine**

There are a couple of Hazel trees in the cemetery, both of which are in flower. Hazels are monoecious, meaning the tree contains both male and female flowers.

Hazel showing male flowers (catkins) and tiny red flowers — **Hazel flowers**

The long catkins are the male flowers. Slightly higher up on the branch are small buds with red tendrils coming out of them – these are the female flowers. I found out they’re higher up so that when the male flowers release their pollen into the wind, it’s less likely to reach its own female flowers. For pollination to succeed, the tree has to be pollinated by pollen from a different tree.

Then later in the month the Snowdrops started to appear in small clumps all around the cemetery, although many of the flowers have not yet fully opened.

Two photos showing two different types of snowdrop growing in the cemetery — **Snowdrops**

I managed to find two different species. However, there could be more in the cemetery as there are around 20 different species of Snowdrop in the UK.

I also found fruit on several of the plants including Berberis, Rose, Pyracantha and Ivy. They all make excellent food for the cemetery wildlife of course. I often see Wood Pigeons feeding on the Ivy berries. I used to think they only ate the dark, ripe ones but I saw some eating the green, unripe berries too.

Insects

Apart from a few tiny flies, I didn’t see any insects this month. This contrasts with January last year, when I saw hoverflies feeding on the verge alongside the cemetery.

Fungi

I saw some more Velvet Shank growing in the workhouse graves area. I usually only see their shiny orange tops, so it was interesting to see their stems this time. And some nice specimens too, yet to be nibbled by the cemetery wildlife.

Shiny bright orange Velvet Shank mushrooms on the ground — **Velvet Shank**

I also saw Jelly Ear fungi on several fallen branches throughout the cemetery.

Some Jelly Ear fungi growing on a fallen branch in the cemetery — **Jelly Ear**

Conclusion

Plant growth in general seems to be slightly later this year. For example, this time last year there were many more Lesser Celandines in flower, and the snowdrops were more advanced too as you can see from the link below. But the cemetery wildlife is still thriving, and the sight and sound of it never fails to lift one’s spirits, even on the dullest of days.

Cemetery Wildlife – January 2024 – Friends Of Hull General Cemetery

Squirrel having a snack in the Quaker Burial Ground — **The first Squirrel of the month and year. See you next time!**

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – December 2024

December 31, 2024January 17, 2025 by Helen Bovillin Volunteers2 Comments

By Helen Bovill, Volunteer

December was a month of contrasts, containing sunshine, cool dull weather and a named storm Darragh, resulting in a medium-sized tree coming down. The volunteers quickly removed the thinner branches that were lying across the path. The rest of the tree will remain as it fell, providing excellent habitat for the cemetery wildlife.

Just after Christmas there were three consecutive days of fog. The air was still and very damp, and as I walked around the cemetery there was a constant dripping sound as the droplets of water fell from the trees. The fog wasn’t particularly thick though and the birds were still visible.

Birds

During one such foggy day I was thrilled to see a Pied Wagtail walking along one of the paths. This is quite a common species in Hull, and I’ve seen them in Pearson Park and West Park. But this was the first time I’d ever seen one in the cemetery.

A Pied Wagtail on a path inside the cemetery — **Pied Wagtail**

On several days I saw a group of more than a dozen Carrion Crows feeding on the ground just inside the cemetery gates. I noticed that several of them had some much lighter tail and wing feathers. There’s a population of them in West Park, about half a mile from the cemetery, and several of them also have these lighter feathers. It’s therefore likely these are the same birds.

Three Carrion Crows amongst leaves — **Carrion Crows**

I noticed during those cold foggy days how the birds fluffed up their feathers to keep warm.

Two photos, one of a goldfinch and one of a chaffinch — **Goldfinch (left); Chaffinch (right)**

Nest Box Survey

In mid-December Bill, Dennis and I did the annual checking and cleaning out of the bird boxes. We actually did it on the same day as last year. December seems to be the ideal month for it – too late for birds to still be on the nest, but too early for them to have started building new ones.

We should now have a total of 52 boxes but we were only able to locate and check 50 of them. Of those 50, 30 had nests or other nesting materials in them, giving an occupancy rate of 60%, an improvement on last year’s result of 52%. I’ve counted both Owl boxes as having been used, and this year one was definitely used by Tawny Owls as I saw them and their two owlets back in May.

The cemetery occupies a long, regular sized area of land and it divides up nicely into two parts – the western end and the eastern end. There are 26 boxes in each end and we only managed to locate 25 in each end. When I checked the occupation rates again, but for each end separately, the results were very interesting. 20 of those 25 boxes had been used in the western end, giving an occupation rate of 80%. But only 10 of the 25 boxes in the eastern end had been used, giving an occupation rate of just 40%. It seems the western end of the cemetery is the most attractive to our bird population.

Nests and Materials

Nest-wise, there were some real beauties nestled snugly in those boxes.

A bird's nest, made up of red and white material — **Nest found in the eastern end of the cemetery**

The red material is from the felt poppies the volunteers place on the graves of war casualties each November. Birds can start nesting as early as February and can continue into late Summer, so this will be from the 2023 poppies. The white material is synthetic, identifiable as such by the cut ends of the fibres. The ends of natural fur and hair taper to a point.

Many of the nests and boxes had woodlice in them – dead and living.

Bird nest with woodlice in it — **Nest with woodlice**

Artificial material has been used in this one too. The light green fibres could be from lost tennis balls their canine owners had failed to “fetch” successfully.

Some nests were made of just natural material though.

Nest made of natural materials in the cemetery — **Nest made of natural materials**

Note that in all three nests, dried plant stems are the main materials used.

We also found tiny skeletons in two of the boxes, suggesting these birds had perished early in the nesting season. Another nest had a couple of dead chicks in it, with feathers indicating they were Blue Tits. I wonder if these dead chicks were the result of a second or third brood from much later in the season, when food supplies were starting to dwindle? Or maybe one or both parents had died before the chicks fledged?

Plants

There was hardly anything in flower this month apart from a few Dandelions on the verge alongside the cemetery. But a week before Christmas I found a snowdrop in flower in the Quaker Burial Ground.

A snowdrop growing in the Quaker Burial Ground in the cemetery — **Snowdrop**

I was also very surprised to see a Lesser Celandine in flower just after Christmas.

The yellow flower of a Lesser Celandine, growing on the verge alongside the cemetery — **Lesser Celandine**

There were plenty of berries on some of the plants, including on the Holly, Berberis, Pyracantha and Japanese Skimmia. Good food for the cemetery wildlife.

The bright red berry of a Japanese Skimmia — **Japanese Skimmia**

The most abundant supply of berries was on the Ivy. The Wood Pigeons and Blackbirds seem particularly fond of these.

Fungi

I found Velvet Shank in a few places, including on this mossy tree stump. Some appear to have been nibbled by the cemetery wildlife.

Velvet shank mushrooms on a mossy tree stump — **Velvet Shank**

I also found some I’d never seen before. I think both are types of Stereum.

Brown and cream fungus, a type of Stereum, growing on a dead branch in the cemetery — **Stereum (above)**

Conclusion

Overall it was quite a mild month, with no frosty days as far as I can recall. The insect branch of the cemetery wildlife was largely absent. It was nowhere near as wet as last December, and the footpaths are still very easy to walk on with no large puddles to avoid.

Squirrel on a fence post in the cemetery — **Your final squirrel of the year. See you in 2025!**

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife November 2024

November 30, 2024December 8, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Volunteers, Wildlife2 Comments

By Helen Bovill, volunteer, 30 November 2024

Weather-wise, November had it all, starting off with a bright sunny day. More than a week of cool, dry dullness followed, the lack of wind keeping the weather unchanged. There was a moderate amount of rain which was good for the cemetery wildlife. One day I saw a Wood Pigeon drinking from a small puddle on the top of a headstone.

Towards the end of the month there were a few frosty days but only the very lightest of snow flurries which didn’t settle. It sometimes feels like the cemetery has its own microclimate because whilst there was a heavy frost on the exposed verge alongside Spring Bank West, I found very little frost inside the cemetery, it being much more sheltered by all its magnificent tall trees.

Birds

Autumn is when there is an influx of migratory birds from mainland Europe and beyond. This doesn’t just include rare or uncommon species but common ones too such as Robins and Blackbirds. The one pictured above could well be one such visitor, as I saw more Blackbirds than usual this month.

I saw a good number of the smaller birds too, such as Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Robins, Chaffinches and Goldfinches.

A male and a female chaffinch perched on branches in the cemetery — **Chaffinches – female (left); male (right)**

They were still active despite the rain, and much easier to spot with most of the leaves now fallen from the deciduous trees.

A Goldfinch perched in a tree in the cemetery — **Goldfinch (above)**

A Coal Tit perched on a branch in the cemetery — **Coal Tit**

Other birds were active too – I even saw a pair of Wood Pigeons mating, high up in a tree. It seems rather late in the season do be doing that, but pigeons feed their young by producing a type of milk in their crop. This allows their breeding season to be longer than that of the other birds.

Insects

I was very surprised to see a Red Admiral quite late in the month – on the 26^th. It was on a cool but sunny day that followed a few very cold frosty ones. This is probably the latest in the year I’ve ever seen a butterfly anywhere in the UK. Although quite worn and with several parts of its wings missing, it was still managing to fly.

a Red Admiral butterfly resting on a golden leaf on the ground inside the cemetery — **Red Admiral**

I also saw this tiny moth – an Ashy Button. It was around the size of my little fingernail.

A tiny pale grey Ashy Button moth, resting on autumn leaves — **Ashy Button**

There were still a few ladybirds, bees, flies and hoverflies around.

A Sun Fly hoverfly feeding on a dandelion — **Sun Fly, also known as The Footballer due to its pattern of stripes**

Plants

Fruits and Flowers

I didn’t find many plants in flower at all this month, just a few Dandelions and some Feverfew. And the Ivy too of course.

The small daisy-like flowers of Feverfew growing on the verge alongside the cemetery — **Feverfew**

I also noticed a flower on the Himalayan Honeysuckle.

The dark red flower of Himalayan Honeysuckle — **Himalayan Honeysuckle**

There was still some fruit for the cemetery wildlife to eat. I found brambles still to fully ripen, rose hips, and berries on the holly, just in time for Christmas.

Bramble fruits at varying stages of ripeness — **Brambles (above)**

Rose hips with raindrops on them in the cemetery — **Rose hips (above)**

Holly with berries, some of them not fully ripe — **Holly (above). I don’t think I’ve ever noticed partially ripe berries before.**

Also worth noting is the appearance of one or two Lesser Celandine leaves, poking through the fallen leaves in a couple of places in the cemetery.

A small new green leaf of the Lesser Celandine amongst autumn leaves — **Lesser Celandine**

Earlier on in the month the Council gave the verge alongside the cemetery its end of season cut, although they only cut the outer couple of metres or so and didn’t remove what they’d cut. The rest further back had been left. The volunteers started cutting back some of the brambles that had started to encroach into the area where the daffodils usually flower.

Trees

Last month I said I would talk in greater detail about our trees in autumn. Most of their leaves have now fallen, leaving carpets of various colours all over the cemetery. This gave me a good opportunity to study them up close in greater detail. It’s hard to study them when they’re so high up!

The leaf colours vary enormously – the White Poplar is a good example of this.

Two photos of two White Poplar leaves, one showing the tops and the other showing the undersides of them — **White Poplar. The pale colour of the underside (left photo) shows why the tree is so named.**

Leaf shape is often a good way of identifying trees. At first glance Sycamores and Maples look the same, but their leaves are different.

Two photos of fallen leaves, one showing a sycamore leaf and the other showing a Norway Maple leaf — **Sycamore (left) and Norway Maple (right). Note the different shapes, and the small toothed edges of the Sycamore that are absent in the Maple.**

The only Oaks in the cemetery are Turkey Oaks, and their leaves turn a variety of colours in the autumn.

Fallen Turkey Oak leaves covered in frost on the cemetery verge — **Turkey oak**

The leaves of the Beech tree, especially in autumn, are quite distinctive with their coppery colour and wavy but untoothed edges. By contrast the Hornbeam has toothed leaf edges.

You’ll note that some of the leaves are resting atop headstones. Many fall on the headstones anyway of course, but these were placed here by myself to make photography a little easier!

Elms have toothed edges too, and a distinctive leaf edge that is longer at one side than the other. They are difficult to identify but this is probably an English or a Field Elm (Complex Ulmus minor).

The green leaf of an Elm, resting on a headstone in the cemetery — **Elm (above).**

The green leaf of the Small-leaved Lime on the ground in the cemetery — **Small-leaved lime**

I noticed how the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife seems to have nibbled many of the fallen leaves, and I found some tiny insects on their undersides but was unable to get a clear photograph of them.

Fungi

I have nothing new to report, other than a couple of small clumps of Candlesnuff fungus growing on tree stumps.

The white fingers of the Candlesnuff fungus growing on a tree stump — **Candlesnuff fungus**

Conclusion

I observed lots of cemetery wildlife during November’s changeable weather. Doing this was as enjoyable as ever, even in the rain. This was the last full month of autumn and it ended on a rather damp note.

A Grey Squirrel amongst fallen beech leaves — **Your squirrel of the month. See you next time, when it will be winter!**

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – October 2024

October 31, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments

The first full month of autumn contained some mild sunny weather, with temperatures reaching the high teens on several days. October is the month of Hull Fair, and anyone who has lived in Hull for most of their lives will be familiar with the term “Hull Fair weather”. This dates back many years and refers to the cold, wet and windy weather that often used to affect the week of the fair. Nowadays more and more Hull Fair weeks are mild and sunny. Many fairgoers use the Cemetery as a short cut from the Dukeries to Spring Bank West and then to the fair. I hope they appreciate the beauty of the cemetery wildlife on their way there.

Insects

I was hoping to see some butterflies, and saw a Speckled Wood at the beginning of the month. Then much later in the month I saw two of them, plus one Comma. These are pictured above – the Comma is on the left. Both these species overwinter as adults, and the mild sunny days seem to have kept them active.

I saw lots of Ladybirds this month, all of them Harlequins as far as I could tell. Several of them landed on my clothes and in my hair while I was trying to photograph just one of them!

A harlequin ladybird on a holly leaf in the cemetery — **Harlequin Ladybird on Holly**

The rest of the insects I saw in October were mainly wasps, a few hoverflies and several flies of various types.

Bluebottle fly on the leaf of a Lime tree inside the cemetery — **Bluebottle on Lime**

Birds

It was a quiet month for the avian branch of the cemetery wildlife. I saw most of the expected small birds but in ones and twos rather than in larger numbers. These were Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks and Blackbirds. There was still no sign of the Bullfinches that were a regular sight in the spring and early summer.

A male Blackbird foraging on the ground in the Quaker Burial Ground — **Blackbird (male)**

Of the larger birds, I saw just Wood Pigeons, Carrion Crows and Magpies. I didn’t see any Stock Doves this month.

A Carrion Crow perched in a tree in the western end of the cemetery — **Carrion Crow**

Plants and Trees

I spent a considerable amount of time looking for flowers this month, but found much less than I did this time last year. The most flowers I found were on the Ivy. The flowers and fruits of this widespread plant provide food for much of the cemetery wildlife.

Ivy flowers on a plant growing upwards — **Ivy**

I managed to find a few Dandelions in flower, and also one White Campion.

A Dandelion growing on the verge alongside the cemetery — **Dandelion (above)**

Wood Avens is a plant that can be found just about everywhere in the cemetery. It spreads with ease by its seeds, which can easily get stuck on clothing and animal fur. I managed to find one plant still in flower.

Tiny yellow Wood Avens flowers — **Wood Avens**

As you can see, it appears to have been nibbled by the cemetery wildlife.

The trees continue to look very autumnal, including this Rowan and a large Beech tree in the centre of the cemetery. But I’ll say more about the different trees and their autumn leaves in next month’s report.

The orange and yellow colours of autumn on Rowan leaves — **Rowan (above)**

A large Beech Tree in the centre of the cemetery, with some of its fallen leaves on top of a nearby gravestone — **Beech – this one is also known locally as the “Money Tree” due to the lines of coins embedded in its trunk. The leaves at the bottom of the photo have landed on a nearby gravestone.**

Fungi

I found a species I’d never seen before – the Flame Shield. They were growing inside the trunk of an old but still living Horse Chestnut tree.

Two orange Flame Shield mushrooms growing inside the exposed, rotting trunk of a tree — **Flame Shield**

I also found some Candlesnuff fungus, growing on a tree stump, and some Coral Spot on a nearby fallen branch.

The small white upright strands of Candlesnuff fungus growing on a rotting tree stump — **Candlesnuff fungus (above)**

Tiny orange dots of Coral Spot fungus growing on a fallen branch in the cemetery — **Coral Spot fungus**

I also found a group of small mushrooms. They were larger than the Fairy Inkcaps I occasionally see, so these are possibly Common Inkcaps.

A small cluster of inkcap mushrooms on the ground in the cemetery — **Inkcap mushrooms**

Conclusion

In addition to the weather already mentioned, there was some rain in the last half of the month. This has left some parts of the footpaths muddy with small puddles in them, but nowhere near as bad as it was last October. The month ended with a week of dry, mild and sometimes sunny weather, so the footpaths have started to dry out and are now easy to walk on again.

A squirrel pauses at the foot of a tree, near a large bracket fungus — **Your squirrel of the month. These furry little acrobats are certainly the “fun guys” of the cemetery!**

And Finally …..

I’m delighted to say that Hull General Cemetery now has its own dedicated page or project on the iNaturalist website. It was kindly set up for me by Andy Steele of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Whenever anyone adds anything they’ve seen in the cemetery to iNaturalist, either from their smartphones or computers, it’s automatically added to the cemetery page. I’ve added a link below – as you might have guessed, I’m helenbhull. You can now see not just the cemetery wildlife I’ve found but what other people have found too. Please enjoy looking at this fascinating site!

Search Projects · iNaturalist United Kingdom

Helen Bovill

Notice of 2024 AGM

September 30, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Meetings

Friends of Hull General Cemetery are pleased to announce details of our first-ever AGM. All friends, supporters and volunteers are welcome to join us. Looking forward to seeing you then!

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – September 2024

September 29, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Volunteers1 Comment

Autumn Fruits Special

This month marked the end of summer and the start of autumn. The weather was very mild, dry and sunny for the first three weeks of the month. Many of the shrubs and trees are now bearing fruit and providing plenty of food for the cemetery wildlife. To mark such abundance, this month’s report is an autumn fruits special.

Plants, Trees and Shrubs

Fruit

The Dog Rose near the Cholera Monument is now bearing fruit, known as hips (pictured above).

I found a small group of European Barberry plants not far from the main gates. Their small red berries add a nice splash of colour to the greenery. I found lots of orange and red berries on the Firethorn bushes growing along the south path and also at the back of the Spring Bank West verge. Firethorn is also known as Pyracantha.

The Japanese Skimmia now has a few red berries on it. I noticed that some had already been eaten by the cemetery wildlife. The Yew tree in the Quaker Burial Ground has berries on it, many of which had fallen to the ground. I couldn’t see any on the tree because of the darkness of the leaves and the lack of light.

The majority of the fruits in the cemetery fall into two colour sets – red/orange, and black/purple. Here is a selection of fruits from the latter category:-

Brambles and Elder grow throughout the cemetery and are a particularly good source of food for the cemetery wildlife. I noticed Blackbirds in particular eating the elderberries.

There is a patch of Cuckoopint or Lords-and-Ladies growing in a central part of the cemetery. I’ve never seen the plants reach their fruiting stage in an upright position though. They usually seem to wither and end up flat on the ground. I don’t know if this is because they get trampled by visitors to the cemetery or if they’re just not strong enough to remain upright.

Orange and green berries on cuckoopint or Lords-and-Ladies — **Cuckoopint or Lords-and-Ladies**

I found lots of acorns on the ground from one of the Turkey Oaks along the south path. They seem to have fallen prematurely in the recent high winds, as none of them looked ripe.

An unripe Turkey Oak Acorn on a a headstone in the cemetery — **Turkey Oak**

Flowers

A small patch of Feverfew is still in flower on the Spring Bank West Verge.

But in general, I didn’t find many plants in flower this month. I found a few flowers on some of the brambles, and the Ivy is now in flower. It’s easy to walk past without seeing their flowers because they look so different to other flowers. At the moment they’re providing food for insects; later their berries will feed a lot of the cemetery’s birds.

An Ivy flower with a Marmalade hoverfly feeding on it — **Ivy flower with Marmalade Hoverfly**

The Red Campion and Creeping Thistle is still flowering. The only new flower I found this month was Ivy-leaved Cyclamen.

Fungi

Continuing with the fruity theme, whenever you see any type of fungi what you’re looking at is the organism’s fruiting body. The main part of a fungus is made up of lots of fine threads, growing under the surface and therefore hidden from view. Please see the link at the end of this report for more information.

The largest fungus I found was one I wasn’t able to identify for certain. It could be either a Birch Polypore or a Dryad’s saddle.

It looks like the cemetery wildlife found it before I did!

Quite a lot of the fallen logs have smaller fungi and lichens growing on them which can also be difficult to identify. But one I was able to identify was Witches’ Butter.

Witches' butter fungus growing on a fallen log in the cemetery — **Witches’ butter**

Birds

I noticed quite a few fledglings in the cemetery this month – Robins, Goldfinches, Blue and Great Tits, and Chaffinches. Some of these were towards the end of the month. It looks like the generally warmer weather has allowed some of the cemetery’s birds to raise a second brood later in the season.

Two young Chaffinches — **Young Chaffinches. (Young Goldfinches look very similar, but have distinctive yellow wing feathers.)**

I was hoping I might see some baby Bullfinches, but I haven’t seen any Bullfinches this month. The adult birds that I used to see regularly just don’t seem to be around anymore.

Insects

There were still some bees, hoverflies, ladybirds and other small insects around. I saw dragonflies on a couple of occasions.

Common Darter dragonfly on dried Dock seeds — **Common Darter on the seed head of a Dock plant (above)**

An orange and black spotted Harlequin Ladybird — **Harlequin Ladybird**

I started to notice wasps in and around the cemetery this month. It occurred to me that I never stop to look at this common species so this time I did!

I don’t often see moths in the cemetery, but this month I saw a tiny Plume moth of some sort. It didn’t stay still for very long though, and landed amongst some nettles.

Butterflies

I saw at least five different species of butterfly this month, but in singles rather than in any sort of numbers. There are 3 species of white butterfly I’d expect to see in the cemetery at this time of the year – Small White, Large White and Green-veined White. I caught occasional glances of a white butterfly or two but I wasn’t able to confirm the species. I did see Comma, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Holly Blue though.

Conclusion

After a mild and dry start, September ended with some colder weather, and a couple of wet and very windy days. Fortunately, the rain wasn’t heavy and prolonged enough to turn the footpaths muddy. The avian branch of the cemetery wildlife seemed to cope with the wind, and I watched as the smaller birds seemed to time their short flights to fit in with the lulls between gusts. However, the wind brought down a medium sized tree at the western end of the cemetery, blocking the northern footpath leading into Western Cemetery.

And finally ……

A squirrel with a horse chestnut fruit in its mouth — **A perfect (albeit blurry) example of how there is food for everyone in Hull General Cemetery. See you next month!**

Link to Fungi information –

How are fruit bodies made :: British Mycological Society (britmycolsoc.org.uk)

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – August 2024

August 31, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife4 Comments

August has been the driest month of the year so far. Our part of the country had only around 20% of its expected rainfall, leaving the footpaths dry all month. This meant less available water for the cemetery wildlife, as there is no water supply on site. In the absence of puddles, I’ve been maintaining a small shallow dish of water in the Quaker Burial Ground. As the cemetery has several houses that back onto it, I hope they contain bird baths and other water features to supplement this. There were plenty of warm sunny days in August, but no heatwave.

Insects

I had a few brief glimpses of dragonflies in the first part of the month. I finally managed to photograph them one sunny afternoon later in the month. I was delighted to see two different species – firstly a Common Darter, pictured above. At the same time and in the same part of the cemetery I also saw some Migrant Hawkers. I saw one land on a high, dead branch, then noticed some more on that same branch. At one point I counted a total of five of them, wings open, catching the sun, together with a second Common Darter.

It’s great to be able to add these to the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife. For more information about dragonflies, please see the link at the end of this report.

I saw another butterfly species this month – the Gatekeeper. I actually saw two, both female, on Ragwort on the grass verge alongside the cemetery. This is the second year I’ve seen them here, and it brings the yearly butterfly species total to twelve.

Two photos of an orange and brown female Gatekeeper butterfly, one showing the wings open and the other showing the wings closed — **Gatekeeper (female) – one of two I saw on the grass verge one morning**

The only other butterflies I saw this month were Holly Blue, Large White and Speckled Wood. The Speckled Woods were the most abundant, but it shows what a quiet summer it’s been for butterflies when seeing four of them at once counts as a high amount.

Holly Blue butterfly on yellow Ragwort flowers — **Holly Blue butterfly on Ragwort (above)**

A Large White Butterfly on a leaf — **Large White (male) (above)**

A Speckled Wood butterfly on a leaf in the Quaker Burial Ground part of the cemetery — **Speckled Wood, one of four I saw in the Quaker Burial Ground**

I saw plenty of small bees and other tiny insects this month (several of which bit me during my days working in the cemetery!). I didn’t see many hoverflies or ladybirds this month.

A 7-spot Ladybird on a leaf in the cemetery — **7-Spot Ladybird with irregular markings**

Birds

Many of the birds have been busy raising their young, and I saw a number of fresh eggshells on the ground in the cemetery.

Whilst I can’t say for definite which bird laid this particular egg, the colour and size would suggest a Wood Pigeon or possibly a Stock Dove. Both species live in the cemetery.

I also found a feather on the ground.

I’ve been unable to find out which bird it belonged to. My guess is possibly either a Tawny Owl or a Sparrowhawk, both of which have been seen in the cemetery. However, it could also be from a Buzzard – this species was a spectacular visitor to the cemetery a few years ago. I hope this is just the result of preening rather than an attack of some sort.

The smallest avian branch of the cemetery wildlife has proved rather difficult to photograph this month. There have been plenty of Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Robins around, but I did manage this quick snap of a Coal Tit.

I also saw Wrens, Goldfinches and Blackbirds but I didn’t see any Bullfinches in August. It’s the first month this year when I haven’t seen any.

Plants

I didn’t find many plants in flower this month and the dry weather hasn’t helped them.

There is a lot of dry and dead vegetation in and around the cemetery. However, the Tansy and Musk Mallow growing on the grass verge is still in flower.

The pink flowers of Musk Mallow — **Musk Mallow**

I also found this small yellow flower growing on the verge. It is possibly Smooth Hawksbeard, although there are so many very similar looking plants that it is difficult to say for certain.

There was not therefore much pollen and nectar for the cemetery wildlife that relies on it for food. But for the other cemetery wildlife there is plenty of fruit available in the form of brambles and elderberries.

There have been a few windy days this month, and some of the horse chestnut trees have lost their fruit prematurely.

A spider's web, shining in the sun, on a Horse Chestnut Tree — **Mature Horse Chestnut tree (above) and fallen fruit (below). Note that most of the seed, commonly known as a conker, is yet to ripen.**

Conclusion

August was a typical summer month, with lots of dry and fine weather. But dare I say that the cemetery is already starting to look rather autumnal, with light falls of brown and orange leaves now carpeting the floor? Plus of course the fruits I mentioned earlier, but I’ll say more about them next month.

A Squirrel high up in a tree in the cemetery — Your Squirrel of the month. See you next time!

Link to more information about dragonflies :-

British Dragonflies: Larvae, Wings and Lifecycle – Woodland Trust

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – July 2024

July 25, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment

Considering July is in the middle of summer, the weather has not fully reflected that. There have been several cool, dull and rainy days, especially at the start of the month. So we still had some muddy footpaths, even in July. Only a few odd days here and there were hot and sunny, and the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife has not been as abundant as expected.

Insects

Butterflies

I saw worryingly few butterflies this month, so I was very happy to see a Comma (pictured above) on one of those hot sunny days. I also saw Speckled Woods in several different places in the cemetery. This one was in the Quaker Burial Ground. This is the only species where I saw more than one at the same time – I counted four of them that day.

A brown Speckled Wood butterfly on the thin green leaves of Crocosmia — **Speckled Wood**

The only other butterflies I saw in July were Large White and Holly Blue. This makes a total of four different species, compared to the seven different species I saw in July 2023. Members of other butterfly watching forums around the country have reported a similar lack of butterflies in general, so it isn’t just the cemetery that’s affected.

Butterfly Conservation is currently carrying out its annual Big Butterfly Count. It ends on 4 August so if you’d like to take part, there’s a link at the end of this report.

Other Insects

I saw this hoverfly – a Globetail of some sort. This one is a female, as there’s a gap between the eyes at the top of the head. Only the male has the distinctive globular tail. I’d never noticed these before, but they are rather small and easy to miss.

A Small Globetail hoverfly on a yellow flower in the cemetery — **Globetail hoverfly (female)**

I actually saw more different species of hoverflies than butterflies this month.

Four photos showing different species of hoverfly in the cemetery — **Top – Marmalade Hoverfly (left); Common Flower Fly (right). Bottom – Sun Fly (also known as the Footballer Hoverfly, left); Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (right).**

The Tansy is now in flower on the grass verge alongside the cemetery on Spring Bank West, and on it I saw this tiny bee. It could be a type of cellophane bee – they’re very difficult to identify.

I also saw a dragonfly in the cemetery one morning. It was quite distant and didn’t stop for me to identify it properly or get a photo. It looked quite large though.

A small bee on some yellow Tansy flowers — **Cellophane Bee on Tansy**

But generally I saw very few bees this month and very few ladybirds and other small insects.

Plants

Small

As is typical in Summer, a lot of the taller spring plants such as Hogweed and Cow Parsley have now died back. The cemetery can look rather tired in places, but this is quite normal. It has generated plenty of seeds for the cemetery wildlife to eat, so there is always a positive way of looking at this! The dried stems, left untouched on the ground, make excellent nest material too, forming the basis of many of the nests we check during our annual bird box survey.

Dried up Hogweed seed head in the cemetery — **Hogweed**

I noticed a few more Ragwort plants in flower on the verge alongside the cemetery. It’s a very good food source for the tiny branch of the cemetery wildlife – I found several Thick-legged flower beetles on this plant. The Wild Basil is also in flower on the verge.

The yellow flowers of the Ragwort — **Ragwort (above)**

The pink flowers of Wild Basil — **Wild Basil**

I’m always looking for plants I haven’t noticed before, and I found some Figwort at the eastern end of the cemetery.

Figwort growing at the eastern end of the cemetery — **Figwort**

Growing nearby was Enchanter’s-Nightshade – I saw quite a lot of this throughout the cemetery. It’s a plant that grows well in shade.

The tiny white flowers of Enchanter's-Nightshade — **Enchanter’s-Nightshade**

Willowherb is a very common species of wildflower and will grow just about anywhere. I found two species in the cemetery this month – Broad-leaved Willowherb and Great Willowherb.

Two photos showing Broad-leaved Willowherb and Great Willowherb — **Broad-leaved Willowherb (left) and Great Willowherb (right)**

There’s a patch of Cuckoo-Pint in the cemetery, and I found most of the leaves had died back, leaving these unripe berries. They should turn orange or red eventually. This plant has many common names, such as Lords-and-Ladies.

The green, unripe seeds of the Cuckoo-pint plant growing in the cemetery — **Cuckoo-pint or Lords and Ladies**

Trees

I also noticed two of the cemetery’s Horse Chestnut trees have some unripe fruits on them. This doesn’t seem to happen every year, so hopefully they will ripen and we’ll have some “conkers” in autumn!

Two Horse Chestnut fruits, or "conkers" — **Horse Chestnut**

And at the bottom of one of the other trees in the cemetery, I found this small cluster of Fairy Inkcap mushrooms. Another source of food for the cemetery wildlife.

A cluster of tiny Fairy Inkcap mushrooms at the base of a tree in the cemetery — **Fairy Inkcaps**

Birds

I don’t have anything unusual to report – all the regulars were present such as Blue Tits, Great Tits, a couple of Coal Tits, Robins, Wrens, Goldfinches, Blackbirds, Crows and Magpies. I also got a few quick glimpses of a male and a female Bullfinch. There’s a good population of Chaffinches spread throughout the cemetery. I also heard a Tawny Owl calling on several occasions.

A male Chaffinch in a tree in the cemetery — **Chaffinch (male)**

I also saw a Dunnock – I don’t see them every month as they blend in so well with their surroundings.

A Dunnock (similar to a Sparrow) in the cemetery — **Dunnock**

A Blackcap kept me entertained for a few minutes one morning – they have a beautiful (and loud) song.

A male Blackcap singing in a tree in the cemetery — **Blackcap (male)**

Wood Pigeons are the commonest of the larger birds. They can be heard noisily crashing through the branches high up in the trees.

A Wood Pigeon in a tree in the cemetery — **Wood Pigeon**

Mammals

I don’t often mention the mammalian branch of the cemetery wildlife simply because, with the exception of the squirrels, I don’t usually see it. So I’m happy to share these photos of a beautiful fox, courtesy of fellow volunteer Karen Towner.

This is a female, or vixen, and from the first photo it looks like she’s recently given birth. These photos actually date back to March but I decided not to share them at the time in order to give her the chance to raise her cubs without being disturbed. I think it’s fantastic that foxes find the cemetery a safe place to live. We always aim to manage the cemetery for wildlife as well as heritage and this is a good indication that we are managing to do just that.

Conclusion

July was a quiet month in terms of the overall amount of cemetery wildlife that I saw. It started off cool and wet. But the month ended with some warmer, sunnier days and some almost dry footpaths. Let’s hope this continues into August.

A squirrel in a tree — **Your squirrel of the month. See you next time!**

Link to Butterfly count:

Big Butterfly Count (butterfly-conservation.org)

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – June 2024

June 30, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife3 Comments

The month started off cold and wet, and up to the middle of the month the footpaths were still muddy. But warmer, sunnier weather arrived later in the month and continued to the end of it. I had plenty of opportunities to watch the cemetery wildlife during this busy time of the year. The dry footpaths made it particularly pleasurable for me, as did the smell of the flowers on the privet bushes dotted around the cemetery.

Plants

New Species

Most of the cow parsley and a lot of the hogweed has now died back. Although this can look a little unsightly in places, it has allowed some different plants to come through and I found four new species that I hadn’t noticed in the cemetery before.

The first of these was Meadowsweet (see photo above). This was growing on the grass verge alongside the cemetery. It might be one of the plants the volunteers set along there in November 2022 but which has only just managed to flower for the first time this year.

I also found some Corky-fruited Water-Dropwort – at least, I’m pretty sure that’s what it is. It wasn’t planted by the volunteers, it being on a different part of the verge to the area that was planted.

White flowers of the corky-fruited water dropwort growing on the grass verge alongside the cemetery — **Corky-fruited water-Dropwort**

So it’s worth bearing in mind at this time of the year that not every plant with a round cluster of densely packed white flowers is Cow Parsley or Hogweed!

One of the things we did plant was Common Birds-foot Trefoil, and I was delighted to find some of it in flower.

The yellow flowers of Birds-foot Trefoil — **Common Birds-foot Trefoil**

I also found a very similar-looking plant, albeit considerably taller, growing nearby. It looked very much like Meadow Vetchling.

The yellow flowers of Meadow Vetchling — **Meadow Vetchling**

Established Species

Staying with yellow flowers, I also saw a few clusters of Common Ragwort on the grass verge. This is a perennial plant, flowering every other year. It’s great for the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife, and can flower until as late as November.

The yellow flowers of Ragwort — **Ragwort**

I found two different types of Mallow growing on the verge – Musk Mallow, one of the plants set by the volunteers in 2022, and Common Mallow, which is just growing wild.

Also on the verge I found a nice patch of Feverfew.

The white daisy-like flowers of Feverfew — **Feverfew**

Inside the cemetery I found some Hedge Woundwort and some Wall Lettuce, although it bears no resemblance whatsoever to the lettuce you’d have with a salad!

The purple flowers of Hedge Woundwort growing in the cemetery — **Hedge Woundwort (above)**

The tiny yellow flowers of Wall Lettuce, growing near some headstones in the cemetery — **Wall Lettuce**

There’s still plenty of Herb Robert growing in various places in the cemetery – this pretty little pink wildflower seems to be having a very good year. I also saw plenty of Campion – both red and white varieties – growing in the cemetery and on the grass verge. Other wildflowers I’ve seen this month are dandelions, knapweed, thistles, buttercups and Hedge Mustard.

Insects

Despite the abundance of flowers and nectar, it’s been a very poor month for butterflies. I saw just one Red Admiral and a couple of Speckled Wood, all in the Quaker Burial Ground. But we are in the “June gap” – this is the quiet period when the eggs laid by the early butterflies are hatching and developing into the next generation of butterflies ready for flight from July onwards.

I did see some bees, ladybirds, a Green Shield Bug and a few hoverflies including this Hornet Mimic hoverfly.

Hornet mimic hoverfly on a flowering tree — **Hornet Mimic hoverfly**

But the insect I saw the most of this month was the Thick-legged Flower Beetle (sometimes called the Swollen-thighed Flower Beetle). It was only last year that I saw my first one in the cemetery, but this year there’s been a huge increase in their numbers.

I checked on the iNaturalist website and found a distribution map that indicates this is a species found mainly in the south of the country, with very few being recorded north of York. It makes me wonder if this species is spreading northwards now as a result of the warmer temperatures and milder winters.

Birds

I saw my first-ever young Great Spotted Woodpeckers this month, high up in a tree in the centre of the cemetery. They were making lots noise, and I saw the adults making several visits to feed them. It looked like they were nearly ready to fledge because the female (right) no longer has any red feathers on the top of her head. Both sexes of the chicks have these red head feathers. Only the males retain them into adulthood.

Woodpecker chicks looking out of a nest hole in a tree in the cemetery — **Great Spotted Woodpecker chicks – male (left) and female (right)**

I also saw a young Robin. The red breast feathers are yet to grow – this is so that he or she can stay in the area until fully fledged. Once the red feathers appear, the other adults will chase the youngster away.

Baby Robin on a headstone in the cemetery — **Robin**

I still regularly see a couple of Bullfinches in the cemetery.

A female bullfinch in the cemetery — **Bullfinch**

This is the female. I didn’t see her as often as usual this month – this could have been because she was incubating eggs in the nest. June is in the middle of the Bullfinch breeding season, and a few years ago I saw a young fledgling in the cemetery. That was in August.

Blue Tits are normally the most abundant species but I didn’t see as many of them as usual this month.

Blue Tit on a branch in the cemetery — **Blue Tit**

I did see plenty of Chaffinches and Great Tits, including some younger ones. In addition I also saw a couple of Coal Tits, a Treecreeper, Blackbirds, Goldfinches and wrens. The usual larger birds – Wood Pigeons, Crows, Magpies and Stock Doves – were around in good numbers. I regularly heard Chiffchaffs in the cemetery, but couldn’t see them. They’re usually high up in the trees, and difficult to see when the trees are in full leaf. A regular visitor to the cemetery also saw one of the adult Tawny Owls this month.

Fungi

Not much to report, other than this interesting (and tiny) specimen I found on a fallen log. I think it belongs to the Lycogala genus. My thumb is shown purely for the purposes of scale.

Thumb pointing at a tiny fungus on a fallen log — **Lycogala fungus (possibly)**

Conclusion

June has been a month of transition, with the spring flowers dying back to make way for the summer ones. The weather could have been better too, being colder than normal for much of the month.

I mentioned the results of the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge 2024 in my April report but these figures were just interim ones. Although the recording period was from 26 to 29 April, the participants had until 6 May to upload their observations and have them verified. I spent that weekend observing and recording a lot of the cemetery wildlife, so here’s a link to the results, from The Deep’s website.

Results of the Hull City Nature Challenge 2024 | The Deep

Squirrel having a snack on a headstone in the cemetery — **Your Squirrel of the month – see you next time!**

Helen Bovill