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.
Friday 1 December 2023 saw the official opening of the newly refurbished cemetery gates. The weather was kind to us and the sun shone as Dame Diana Johnson, MP for Hull North, kindly performed the ceremony for us at our invitation.
The Friends of Hull General Cemetery (FOHGC) identified refurbishment of the gates as a project that would enhance the appearance of the entrance to the cemetery. Quotes for the work involved were obtained and we applied for a local ward budget grant from Hull City Council. Our application was successful and we appointed local firm Lightowler to carry out the cleaning and repainting of the gates. This began in October and was completed surprisingly quickly considering it had to be done between rain showers, and well in time for the official opening.
It was good to be able to get the work done by a well-established local firm – the same one that carried out the previous refurbishment of the gates over 40 years ago. Our grateful thanks to Lightowler for all their hard work and to Hull City Council for providing the funding for this important project.
Gallery
Volunteer and FOHGC charity trustee, Bill Longbone, giving a talk on the history of the gates, watched by Dame Diana Johnson MP
Getting ready to open the gates
Opening the gates – it took a team effort as those gates are heavy!
Dame Diana Johnson MP talking to volunteers and FOHGC charity trustees Bill Longbone (left) and Karen Towner (right)
And finally, here’s what Lightowler said about the occasion –
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.
November was very wet and windy, with so much rain that the footpaths throughout the cemetery have remained muddy all month. A lot of the time it was quite mild, but the month ended with two cold, sub-zero frosty days. One of those might have included a light dusting of snow overnight, but the next morning it just looked like a very heavy frost. On the final day of the month there were some light falls of hail and snow. The ground didn’t freeze though, so the cemetery wildlife had no trouble finding food and water.
Birds
There were decent numbers of the regular small birds around. It seems to have been a good year for them, especially the chaffinches, great tits and blue tits.
Great tit looking for insects behind the bark. Note the jelly fungi towards the bottom of the branch.
I also started seeing a pair of coal tits almost every day. It’s great to see them back in the cemetery. They’re just slightly smaller than blue tits.
Blue tit (left) and coal tit
I’ve also seen Goldfinches regularly too. This is a bird than can occur in large flocks, but the most I’ve seen together in the cemetery has been four or five.
Goldfinch. The males and females are difficult to tell apart – the difference lies in the amount of red above the eye. As the red extends a way back, this is probably a male.
I’ve also seen quite a few wrens in the cemetery. These tiny birds move so quickly, and usually disappear into the ivy on the trees, that they can be quite a challenge to photograph. And sometimes I only hear them, as they have quite a loud and distinctive call.
Wren in the Quaker Burial Ground
An even louder bird is the carrion crow. But they’re usually very easy to spot!
Carrion Crow
Whilst I don’t have anything rare or unusual to report, I did catch a very brief glimpse of a pair of bullfinches. I also caught a quick glimpse of a goldcrest.
Plants
There were very few plants in flower this month. The most distinctive of those in flower was the musk mallow, growing on the grass verge alongside Spring Bank West. New flowers were still opening late in the month, although the frost might now have finished them off.
Musk mallow before and after a heavy frost
A few dandelions were in flower but they might fare a bit better in the frost.
Dandelion after a heavy frost
Trees
It has been quite windy this month and a number of branches, some of them quite large, have fallen from the trees. But no significant trees were damaged. Most of the deciduous trees are starting to look very bare now. However, the leaves that have managed to cling on despite those high winds have now turned to lovely autumnal shades of yellow and orange.
Beech sapling (above)Ash
Fungi
I didn’t find much in the way of mushrooms and other fungi this month which was a bit surprising when I look back on what I saw in the November of previous years. I didn’t see any of the velvet shank I normally see growing on a particular fallen log. But I saw some candlesnuff and some coral spot, both growing on rotting wood.
Candlesnuff fungus (above)Coral spot
Insects
The smallest branch of the cemetery wildlife has been very quiet this month. I’ve seen a few flies, hoverflies and ladybirds, but no butterflies.
Conclusion
The last full month of autumn has been a very wet one. As we head into winter there is still plenty of autumnal colour left, but plenty of greenery too. We are hoping the Council will give the grass verge alongside Spring Bank West one last cut for the season. This is because lots of new thistles have already started to grow there and these could stifle the growth of the spring flowers that are essential sources of nectar for early insects such as butterflies, some of which can appear as early as February.
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.
October was a typically autumnal month, with some misty mornings leading to sunny days. It was quite mild at times, but it was rain that dominated the month with some quite heavy and prolonged showers, especially towards the end of the month. As a result of this higher than average rainfall, all the footpaths in the cemetery are very muddy. At least the cemetery wildlife wasn’t short of drinking water!
Plants
Small Flowering
Many of the cemetery’s plants have now died back, including the Hogweed shown above. It’s good that some of the seed heads remain upright even after all the seeds have been eaten because they make a great focal point for us photographers! However, I also found one still in flower.
Hogweed
Elsewhere in the cemetery I found lots of Ivy still in flower and attracting plenty of small bees and hoverflies.
Ivy
The main place for flowering plants is the grass verge along Spring Bank West. As I mentioned in last month’s report, the Council cut part of it during the hot weather early in September. Then we had lots of rain and the verge looks green and lush as a result. Unfortunately this has allowed lots of thistles to start regrowing, but the verge is due for one final cut of the season, hopefully soon.
Despite this I found several plants still flowering, including Tansy, Feverfew and Smooth Sow-thistle.
Tansy (above)Feverfew (above)Smooth Sow-thistle
That small patch of Ragwort I mentioned last month is still in flower. I’ve also found White Campion, Wild Basil, Toadflax, Dandelions and Musk Mallow still flowering.
Musk Mallow
Trees and larger shrubs
The heavy rainfall on the trees has saturated the bark, making it appear very dark.
Horse Chestnut
It isn’t just the flowers that add colour to the cemetery – the leaves on the trees look equally colourful, especially on the Forsythia growing near the cemetery gates. It gives us masses of bright yellow flowers in the Spring, and then this in the Autumn.
Forsythia
The Dogwood growing inside the cemetery is very colourful too.
Dogwood
The leaves on some of the trees have started to turn autumnal, but it looks like their main colour will come through in November.
The berries on the trees also add splashes of colour all over the site, and provide food for the cemetery wildlife, especially the birds.
Pyracantha
Birds
The usual small birds were around in good numbers, including Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens, Great Tits and Goldfinches.
Great Tit (above)Goldfinch
Walking through the cemetery one day, I heard a cooing sound that differed from the Wood Pigeon and Stock Dove ones I usually hear. When I looked up I saw a pair of Collared Doves perched on the roof of a nearby house. Unfortunately they were not in the cemetery itself so don’t count towards this year’s list of bird species seen in the cemetery. I’m hoping to see them again, but inside the cemetery.
Insects
I saw plenty of small bees and hoverflies this month. One sunny day I was walking along the grass verge and noticed that practically all of the Dandelions and other similar yellow flowers had a small insect on them. This includes Ladybirds, both Harlequin and native.
Marmalade Hoverfly (above)Harlequin Ladybird
I didn’t see any butterflies in October, and neither did any of the other volunteers. This is unusual, because I’ve seen at least one Speckled Wood in the previous two Octobers.
Fungi
Just a couple to record this time – a Jelly Ear and one that looks very like the Dryad’s Saddle ones I’ve seen on a few occasions in the past.
Jelly Ear (above)Dryad’s Saddle
Conclusion
October was a very wet month. The muddy conditions have made walking in certain parts of the cemetery quite a challenge, especially where people have ridden bikes along the paths, exacerbating the problems. With rain forecast for the start of November, the paths aren’t going to be drying out anytime soon. Despite all this, the cemetery wildlife seems to be thriving.
But I’d like to end this report with an appeal to all the animal lovers out there – once Halloween is over, please don’t leave your leftover pumpkins in the cemetery. They’re not good for wildlife to eat, especially hedgehogs. Whilst some animals may have a quick nibble of the pumpkin, the majority of it will remain, turning into a rotting mess that the litter picking volunteers then have to remove. The link below gives more information about what to do with your unwanted pumpkins.
Thank you on behalf of the cemetery wildlife, and I’ll be back next month!
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.
September started off unusually hot. Temperatures reached the high 20s, possibly even 30, in the first week, qualifying as a heatwave. An unexpected end to the summer here! The trees still had all their leaves though, giving plenty of shade to cool down the cemetery wildlife. As a result, the ground remained damp throughout this period. Autumn officially started in the last half of the month, and it started with quite a few rainy days. Some of the rainfall was quite heavy and the paths are rather muddy again. High winds brought down a few medium-sized branches but no major damage was caused.
Birds
I started this report with one of the two Coal Tits I’ve been seeing regularly this month. These little birds are very slightly smaller than Blue Tits but their colouring is quite different.
Blue Tit and Elderberries
There is plenty of food for the birds now because of the berries on many of the trees and shrubs. The Elderberry bushes with their fruitful abundance are particularly popular as you can see from the photo above. I saw other species that are light enough to perch on their thin stems too, such as Chaffinches and Blackcaps.
Blackcap (female, left) and Chaffinch (male, right)
Blackbirds like the Elderberries too!
Blackbird – the brown head indicates this is a young male, still to get his full Winter plumage
Other birds I’ve seen this month are Goldfinches, Wrens, Great Tits, Robins, Wood Pigeons, Crows, Magpies and Dunnocks. I haven’t had any more sightings of the Bullfinches I saw a couple of months ago. A visitor to the cemetery told me he’d heard a Tawny Owl calling in the area near the Owl boxes. Our end of year survey of the bird boxes should reveal whether or not they’ve nested in the cemetery this year.
Plants
The Pyracantha bushes are now laden with berries, adding some welcome colour and providing food for the cemetery wildlife.
Pyracantha
A one metre strip of grass along the verge on Spring Bank West was cut by the Council earlier in the month during the hot weather. The rain that arrived mid-month helped the regrowth, and there are now a few Dandelions flowering. The Musk Mallow has survived the cut, and a small clump of Ragwort is still in flower.
Ragwort
The Ivy is now in flower, but generally there were not many flowers to be seen in September. I did see a few flowers on one of the bramble bushes, and on this Ribwort Plantain.
Ribwort Plantain
It’s easy to miss these flowers, which look quite different to other more traditionally shaped ones. I also found some Cyclamen growing in the cemetery near the Cholera Monument.
Cyclamen
The main things to be found on the plants at the moment are berries as already mentioned, and seeds such as on this Dock.
Dock seeds
Insects and other small creatures
I’ll start with Butterflies, as they’re still around in September but in much smaller numbers. I’ve seen Small White, Large White, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. I can always rely on the latter for a photo, and they often fly on overcast days as well as sunny ones.
Speckled Wood on a Hogweed seed head
I’ve also caught brief glimpses of the occasional Dragonfly around the cemetery, but none have landed anywhere so identification wasn’t possible. It’s surprising to see them here, especially as there is no pond or other source of water in the cemetery. The abundance of vegetation and damp areas most probably explains their presence.
There are still plenty of hoverflies and bees around, making the most of the flowers on the Ivy. Large queen bees are feeding up on the nectar to sustain themselves during their winter hibernation.
Queen Buff-Tailed Bumblebee nectaring on Ivy flowers
Snails are not insects of course – they’re molluscs – but I thought this White-lipped one was worthy of inclusion because of its attractive shell. It seems to be one of our regular species and stands out nicely on dried plant stems.
White-lipped Snail
Conclusion
It’s been a quiet month, with nothing unusual to report as far as the cemetery wildlife is concerned. I occasionally hear a fox calling later in the evenings, and they do live in the cemetery. They seem very wary and secretive though. However, a regular volunteer had a good view of a fox early one evening.
When you spend a lot of the time in the cemetery, either volunteering or just enjoying a leisurely stroll, you get to see certain individual animals that stand out from the rest. Here’s one such animal – I call this squirrel Nick because of those distinctive tears or nicks in both ears. Whether these were present at birth or if they’re the result of a disagreement with another squirrel I don’t know. But here he (or she) is!
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.
August was a cool and wet month with lots of rain, some of it very heavy, in the first week. There were some warm sunny days too, but nothing even remotely resembling a heatwave. Some of the paths inside the cemetery are therefore still muddy. It was very windy on several days, resulting in some fallen branches although none had caused any damage. With no extremes of temperature to adversely affect the cemetery wildlife, it continues to thrive.
Insects
Butterflies
The good news is that I observed butterfly species number 12 in the cemetery this month – a Gatekeeper. I’ve never seen one in the cemetery before. This one was on the grass verge along Spring Bank West, and is pictured above, on Ragwort. They can be seen in the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s wildlife garden in Pearson Park, which is less than half a mile away from the cemetery, so that could be where it came from.
It has been a very quiet month for butterflies. The only other ones I’ve seen are Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small White, Green-veined White and Holly Blue. I didn’t see any of them in large numbers, just singly or in twos or threes.
Small White (female) (above)Green-veined White Butterflies. Note how the female (resting on the leaf) has her abdomen raised – this is to warn the approaching male that she does not want to mate. In fact it looks like she was in the process of egg laying before the male approached her. Holly Blue laying eggs on an Ivy flower bud
Other Insects
The main types I’ve seen this month have been Ladybirds, Bees and Hoverflies. The most striking of them was this Hornet-mimic Hoverfly. It’s noticeably larger than the other ones that are around at the moment, and is harmless to humans. The yellow band between the eyes indicates that this one is female.
Hornet-mimic Hoverfly (female)
Plants
Small
Most of the Thistles that had taken hold of the grass verge have now died back, so it looks a bit tired at the moment. However some Dandelions and other similar yellow flowers, often difficult to identify with certainty, have now started to come through. There is still some Knapweed for the cemetery wildlife to feed on, including this White-tailed Bumblebee.
Knapweed and White-tailed Bumblebee
The Teasels planted in various locations in the cemetery have now started to flower. However, they can sometimes be difficult to spot because the wind and wet weather has caused them to lean over. But again, they are great for the cemetery wildlife and there was also a small bug of some sort on this one which I didn’t get time to identify. This is because a Bee landed on the flower, thus displacing it.
Teasel and Buff-tailed Bumblebee
I’ve been keeping an eye on the Toadflax that was planted on the grass verge last year. It started to flower last month but is looking at its best this month. I was delighted to find this Sloe Bug, also known as a Hairy Shield Bug, on the flowerhead.
Toadflax and Sloe Bug or Hairy Shield Bug
Elsewhere along the Spring Bank West verge I found White Campions, Feverfew and a new one I hadn’t noticed before – Black Medick.
White Campion (above)Feverfew (above)Black Medick
The Crocosmia growing in the Quaker Burial Ground was looking at its best earlier in August, adding some welcome colour to that rather dark part of the cemetery.
Crocosmia
In another dark part of the cemetery, away from the footpaths, I found some Cuckoopint, also known as Lords-and-Ladies. The seeds should end up red, but this small group of plants never seems to thrive and they usually die off before the seeds reach maturity.
Cuckoopint or Lords-and-Ladies
Trees and Fungi
The windy weather has dislodged a lot of the fruits from the cemetery’s trees and they make for a lush green carpet on the ground.
Hornbeam and fruit (inset)
Whilst not being plants of course, I’ve included fungi under this heading because many of them grow on trees, both living and dead. I didn’t find much in the way of fungi in the cemetery this month but I did find this small group of what appears to be some sort of Honey fungus.
Honey Fungus
Birds
Young birds are still fledging, including this Goldfinch, pictured with one of its parents.
Goldfinches – fledgling (left); adult (right)
The Chaffinches, Blue Tits and Great Tits seem to have had a very successful year with lots of youngsters around. The adults are looking a little worse for wear, so it was nice to see a smart-looking Great Tit in full breeding plumage.
Great Tit
When I’m walking in the cemetery I often hear loud crashing noises coming from high up in the trees. I look up and see these – Wood Pigeons.
Wood Pigeon
Early in the month I heard the sound of at least two Sparrowhawks calling in the trees, but I wasn’t able to get a photo of them. As birds of prey are usually silent, I assume these were youngsters, calling to a parent for food. Other birds I’ve seen this month include Coal Tit, Wren, Robin, Stock Dove, Crow, Magpie and Blackbird. I didn’t see any Dunnocks or Long-tailed Tits though, or any sign of the Bullfinches I saw regularly earlier in the summer.
Young Blackbird
Conclusion
Another great month for the cemetery wildlife with plenty to see all around the site. Some of the bramble bushes around the cemetery are already bearing lots of ripe fruits, signaling that Autumn is not too far away.
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.
While parts of mainland Europe sweltered under record breaking heat, it has been a rather cool month here, with a higher than usual rainfall too. This caused some of the footpaths to become muddy again. There have been some warm sunny days though, and the cemetery wildlife is still thriving. This is particularly noticeable with the birds, as I’ve seen lots of fledglings around.
Birds
I started this report with a young Robin. It is probably less than a month old as it was flying, but doesn’t yet have its red breast. This will develop in late summer when the bird is between two and three months old. Once the young bird has its red breast it will be chased out of the area by the very territorial males. The initial lack of a red breast prevents this from happening and gives it time to learn to fly and feed itself.
I’ve seen lots of young Great and Blue Tits around the cemetery too.
Blue Tits – adult (left); juvenile (right)
I was delighted to see a Coal Tit this month. It was high up in a tree so I couldn’t get a particularly good photo of it, but I could clearly see the distinctive white patch towards the back of its head. That and the beige coloured chest meant it couldn’t be any other bird.
Coal Tit
I regularly heard and saw Goldfinches this month. There were lots of Chaffinches around, including young ones, and I still got occasional glimpses of the two Bullfinches I mentioned last month. I’m sure it’s the same pair as they’re not a common or numerous species here.
Chaffinch (left) and Bullfinch (right) illustrating their different colouring and beak size. Both are male.
I also saw young Blackbirds foraging on the ground, but begging for food whenever a parent was nearby. I also saw several Carrion Crows, Magpies, Wood Pigeons, Wrens and this Song Thrush.
Song Thrush
Insects
There were lots of Ladybirds around this month, and lots of Hoverflies too. When I use my phone to take close-up photos of flowers with Hoverflies on them, it’s always amusing to see another one trying to land on the flower on my phone screen!
Marmalade Hoverfly
I kept seeing Thick-legged Flower Beetles too, a species I hadn’t seen in previous years in the cemetery.
Thick-legged Flower Beetle on Tansy. It lacks the thick thighs, meaning this one is a female.
I see lots of flies too, but tend not to mention them as they’re so commonplace and often quite small and difficult to photograph. But this Flesh Fly stood out, being larger than most.
Flesh Fly
Butterflies
Last month I told you the story of a Large White Butterfly from egg to larva/caterpillar. But I also noticed something unusual about a week after I saw the caterpillar on the plant stem. I saw another Large White caterpillar in that same area (or maybe it was the same one?) on a cluster of what looked like oval shaped eggs. I knew these weren’t the butterfly’s eggs, so I did a bit of research and discovered a rather gruesome story.
It seems the “eggs” you can see in the photos below are actually the pupae of a Braconid, a type of tiny parasitic wasp. It lays its eggs inside other insects, including caterpillars. The eggs hatch and the larvae eat the host insect without its knowledge, whilst leaving the vital organs intact so the host doesn’t die. They then hatch out through a hole in the skin of the still-living caterpillar, and pupate near to it.
The caterpillar is then somehow persuaded to spin a web of silk around all the Braconid pupae to protect them. (This is the material it would normally use to make a cocoon inside which it would turn into a butterfly). And still, barely alive, the caterpillar keeps watch over them. I assume this is what we can see in the photo on the left, although the caterpillar still looks quite rounded rather than an eaten-out husk. A week later there was no caterpillar but the web with the pupae in them was still there.
Large White Caterpillar on a cocoon containing Braconid wasp pupae
I wasn’t able to observe what happened next due to the rather heavy rain from the middle to the end of the month and I lost track of the plant in the photos. Of course, these photos might not illustrate any or even part of the process I’ve described, but it did seem to make sense.
I didn’t see any more caterpillars, nor did I see a lot of butterflies until towards the end of the month, when there were a number of white ones around – Small White, Large White and Green-Veined White.
Green-veined White Butterfly on Wild Carrot. Note the tiny beetles on the left, possibly a type of Jewel Beetle.
I also saw a few Holly Blues, several Speckled Wood, a Comma and a Red Admiral.
Red Admiral on Bramble flowers
Plants and Flowers
The Brambles in the cemetery and along the grass verge are currently at all stages of development. Some have buds on them, some are in flower, as seen in the photo above, and some have fully ripe fruits on them. All good news for the cemetery wildlife!
Some more of the wildflower plants set by the volunteers last year are now flowering. This includes the Tansy on a previous photo, and the yellow flower the Hoverfly is resting on. These yellow flowers that look similar to Dandelions can be quite difficult to identify and they include Hawkbit, Hawk’s-Beard, Goatsbeard and Cat’s Ear.
Mallow is still in flower along the grass verge – Common and Musk.
Common Mallow (above)Musk Mallow with visiting Marmalade Hoverflies
The Wild Basil is also starting to flower.
Wild Basil
There are Privet bushes in various places in the cemetery, and these were in flower in July. The white flowers are rather small, but they do have a very nice fragrance.
Privet
There is also some Hedge Woundwort growing in the cemetery. It appears in the same place each year but doesn’t seem to have spread anywhere else.
Hedge Woundwort
I also found some Wall Lettuce – it seems to tolerate shade and adds a bit of colour to a dark area.
Wall Lettuce
Fungi
Not much to report, except for this small cluster of Fairy Inkcaps underneath an old bracket fungus. There are a few tough old bracket fungi still around, but I haven’t seen any other new mushrooms.
Bracket Fungus and Fairy Inkcaps
Conclusion
A cooler and wetter month than June. The vast majority of the Hogweed and Cow Parlsey has finished for the season, so anything you see from now on that looks similar is probably Wild Carrot. The die-back has left the cemetery looking a little battered, and the heavy showers have caused the taller plants such as the Thistles to bend over. But fresh plants are starting to grow and flower, and there is abundant cemetery wildlife wherever you look.
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.
June started off dry and warm, with some very hot spells of over 25 C on several days. There was some rain towards the end of the month, a few of the showers being quite heavy. This provided the plants with enough water to keep them alive and avoid them shrivelling and dying in the heat. This June has been one of the hottest on record according to the weather reports in the media. The dry, shaded pathways in the cemetery provided some cooler and welcome relief from the heat of Spring Bank West for the human visitors, and the cemetery wildlife seemed to be carrying on as normal.
Birds
Bullfinch (male)
I mentioned seeing Bullfinches in my report last month. I’m delighted to say that I saw both the male and female on several occasions throughout the month, sometimes together and sometimes separate. I saw the male more often than the female, suggesting she might have been sitting on some eggs, or brooding some chicks. When she’s doing this, the male gathers seeds in a pouch in the bottom of his mouth and carries them back to the nest to feed her. The photo at the top of the report is the female – her subdued colours help to camouflage her when she’s on the nest. It turned out that I was right about them being a breeding pair because I did catch a brief glimpse of a young fledgling, possibly two. They lack any of the parent’s colours, being mainly brown.
There are other fledglings around too, including Blackbirds, Chaffinches and Great Tits.
Great Tit
You can tell this is a young bird because the yellow gape at the side of the beak is still visible. Also the feathers are a very pale lemon yellow, and its legs are pale blue. The adult bird’s legs tend to be a darker grey colour.
I caught a brief glimpse of a Sparrowhawk chasing a Wood Pigeon and another brief glimpse of a male Blackcap. However, I didn’t see any other unusual or rarer birds than the species I usually see in the cemetery. I still heard the occasional Chiffchaff calling, and other birds were calling and singing too, but nowhere near as loud and as frequent as last month. The nesting season is well underway, making the need to sing to attract a mate and mark out territory less important.
Insects
Butterflies
It’s been a very quiet month for butterflies, and the only species I saw were Holly Blue, Large White, Small White and Speckled Wood. I also caught a brief glimpse of a bright orange one but it was a fast flier that didn’t land so I couldn’t confirm its identity although it was most probably a Comma.
Speckled Wood resting on a Teasel – at one point I saw 6 of them circling high up in the trees
This lack of butterflies is known as the “June gap” because the ones that emerged earlier in the year will have mated, laid their eggs and then died. There is then a period between that and the emergence of the next generation from July onwards. And here is a perfect example of that principle – I found this Large White caterpillar in the same area (possibly even on the same plant) where I saw eggs being laid last month. Here’s my photo from last month’s report –
Large White laying eggs on Hedge Mustard – taken 25 May
And here’s a caterpillar I found this month –
Large White Caterpillar – taken 25 June
I very rarely notice caterpillars as they are so well camouflaged. This is the final stage or instar of its life as a caterpillar. It seems to have eaten most of the Hedge Mustard plant it’s on and is now making its way down the stem to find a place to pupate. It will emerge as an adult butterfly sometime in July.
Other Insects
However, there were still plenty of other insects around. The best find for me was this – a Thick-Legged Flower Beetle. I’ve seen these before in other locations but never here. This was on the grass verge alongside the cemetery and it’s on an Oxeye Daisy. However, the flower has been nibbled quite extensively by the cemetery wildlife. I saw a few of these beetles throughout the month – this one’s a male. The female is slightly smaller and lacks those thick thighs.
Thick-Legged Flower Beetle (male) on Oxeye Daisy
There were lots of Ladybirds at all stages of their life cycle just about everywhere I looked this month. This is a very freshly emerged one with its spots barely visible – they’ll develop over a period of a few hours or so.
Newly emerged Ladybird
There were plenty of Bees of various kinds buzzing around the flowers, and Hoverflies too.
Marmalade Hoverfly approaching Fox-and-Cubs
Plants
Native Wildflowers Planted by the Volunteers
The “no mow” grass verge on Spring Bank West on the southern boundary of the cemetery had become rather choked with Cow Parsley and Thistles recently. However, these have now started to die back, allowing some more of the plants set by the volunteers last year to come through and flower. These include some Fox-and-Cubs as shown on the previous photo. They get their name from the flowers being the same colour as a fox, with the dark buds representing the cubs. An alternative name for this plant is Orange Hawkbit.
These wildflower plants, all in keeping with the nature of the site, were provided by Hull City Council and comprised several different types including the Oxeye Daisies already mentioned, Red Campion, Clustered Bellflower, Common Knapweed, White Campion and Musk Mallow. As I’m familiar with the plants that flower along here, it’s easy to spot the new ones that pop up for the first time.
Top – Clustered Bellflower and Common Knapweed; Bottom – White Campion and Musk Mallow
I’m also assuming that another one of the plants we set was this – a Wild Carrot – as I haven’t noticed any here previously. It’s easy to distinguish from Cow Parsley because it has very thin, feathery leaves directly underneath the flower heads. In addition, there is a tiny dark brownish-purple flower right in the middle of the flowerhead, as shown in the close-up.
Wild Carrot – side view and close-up
We’ve also planted some Teasels in a couple of locations inside the cemetery. Again, it’s an approved wildflower that’s in keeping with the nature of the site. It’s semi-carnivorous because rainwater is collected at the base of the leaves, trapping and drowning flies and other small insects. The plant thus gets a supply of rainwater, and nutrients from the bodies of the insects. It looks like a Hoverfly of some sort will be providing the nutrients here.
Teasel and drowned insect
Other Plants
The Meadow Cranesbill growing in the Quaker Burial Ground always looks colourful at this time of the year.
Meadow Cranesbill
The Astilbe growing inside the Quaker Burial Ground came into flower earlier in June. Whilst not a wild plant, it’s been growing here for many years and deserves a mention because its delicate flowery fronds provide a good source of nectar for the tiny branch of the cemetery wildlife.
Astilbe
Elsewhere in the cemetery I found this Red Valerian. Some areas inside the cemetery are looking a bit tired as the spring plants start to wilt and die, so this added some welcome colour.
Red Valerian
The leaves on all the trees are now fully open and most of them have finished flowering. However, one of the last trees to flower is the Common Lime.
Common Lime
Conclusion
June has been a good month in the cemetery for both wildlife and humans alike. There generally aren’t enough mammals in either numbers or variety of species to warrant a heading of their own, but as I always see at least one or two Squirrels whenever I visit the cemetery I shall end this report, and possibly all future reports, with a “Squirrel of the month”. This time it takes the form of an engraving on the Blundell monument, recently restored by the volunteers and looking rather elegant in the morning sunshine!
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.
May got off to a wet start, but there was plenty of warm sunshine throughout the month. I was away on holiday for 11 days in the middle of the month and when I got back home, I couldn’t believe the amount of growth there had been while I was away! The leaves on the trees are almost fully open, flowers are blooming everywhere and the cemetery wildlife is making the most of this late Spring abundance. The month ended on a cool but dry note.
Plants and flowers
The Bluebells were nearly at their peak when the above photo was taken. The vast majority of them are not the native British Bluebells but a Spanish variety. Most are blue of course, but I did see a few pink ones and quite a few white ones too. The stems have a more upright appearance whereas the native British ones have a more downward curving stem. Their flowering reached its peak in the middle of the month.
Bluebells
Another seasonally abundant plant in the cemetery is the Wild Garlic which is also known as Ramsons. It started to flower a bit later than usual but by the end of the month it had reached its peak.
Wild Garlic starting to open (inset); in full bloom (main photo)
Some more of the wildflower plants the volunteers set along the Spring Bank West verge last Autumn are now in flower, including Oxeye Daisies, Red Campion and Ribwort Plantain.
There is a lot of Cow Parsley growing along the verge. I also saw some more yellow flowers in the same family as Dandelions including Smooth Sow Thistle. There are many similar-looking yellow flowers growing in and around the cemetery, so it isn’t always easy to say what some of them are. But I think one of the plants is Hawk’s-beard.
Smooth Sow Thistle (above)Hawk’s-beard
I found another yellow flower in the cemetery – this Greater Celandine. It’s much taller than the Lesser Celandine, of which there are still a few to be seen in the cemetery.
Greater Celandine
The Hedge Mustard is now flowering. This plant has a tiny yellow flower and is easy to miss, but the cemetery wildlife seems to like it as I often found butterflies on it.
Hedge Mustard
It’s nice to see other colours appearing in amongst all the white and yellow such as the Periwinkle, and a few of the plants are still in flower. There are a lot more Germander Speedwell growing in the cemetery this year and their vivid little blue flowers are easy to spot among the greenery. But the plant with the tiniest flowers must surely be the Ivy-leaved Speedwell. There is a lot of it growing in various places but you might not have noticed the flowers because they’re such a pale colour and they’re only about 4 mm wide.
I also found some Rock Crane’s-bill growing in the Cemetery, and some Herb Robert. These splashes of pink contrast nicely with the greenery.
Rock Crane’s-bill (above)
Herb Robert
Insects
I haven’t seen any new species of butterfly this month. Those that I did see on several occasions were the Orange-tip, Green-veined White, Small White, Large White and Holly Blue on the grass verge. And I could almost guarantee seeing a Speckled Wood in the Quaker Burial Ground every sunny day this month!
Large White (male) (above)Large White laying eggs on Hedge Mustard (above)Holly Blue (female)
I was very pleased to see this – a Common Green Shield Bug – early in the month. There are several species of Shield Bug native to the UK and they get their name from a shield-shaped mark on their backs, although it’s not particularly visible in this photo.
Common Green Shield Bug
The grass verge was buzzing with hoverflies and several species of bee this month, including this Red Mason Bee.
Red Mason Bee (with Ant)
Birds
I saw the usual species I’d expect to see throughout the month, such as Magpies, Carrion Crows, Wood Pigeons, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Wrens, Blackbirds and Robins. I occasionally saw Dunnocks, Long-tailed Tits and Stock Doves but I didn’t see any Coal Tits this month. In fact it’s been a while since I last saw one.
Blackbird (male) (above)Robin
I also heard Chiffchaffs calling from high up in the trees, hidden by the leaves. I also saw what I think was a Sparrowhawk perched atop the tower of Thoresby Street school but this was just as the sun was setting and it was mostly in silhouette. Later in the month I got a brief glimpse of a male Blackcap but my most thrilling sighting was of a male Bullfinch one day, and then a couple of days later I saw a male and a female together. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get any photos.
Conclusion
I’ve concentrated on the flowers and insects this month because there was so much variety to be seen. I also took part in the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge for Hull at the start of the month. Some of the photos I took for that project are included here. Each submission to the website/app is called an observation, and I made most of these observations in the Cemetery or on the grass verge. Here’s a link to the results for Hull:
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.
April was generally another cool and wet month, with a higher than average total rainfall meaning the footpaths in the cemetery are still a bit softer than usual. I noticed a huge amount of growth in and around the cemetery, with flowers blooming everywhere. However, there were plenty of warmer, sunny days too, and that was how the month ended. The cemetery wildlife is thriving, and many people have told me and the other volunteers how good everything looks.
Insects
Butterflies
I was delighted to see my first Peacock of the year this month (above). I kept seeing at least one on several of those sunny days. April also saw my first yearly sightings of Speckled Wood, Small White, Large White, Orange-tip, Holly Blue and Green-veined White. This makes a total of 11 different species this year, 10 seen on the grass verge alongside the cemetery, one seen inside the cemetery and some seen in both locations. From my own observations over the past three years these are all the species one can expect to see in the cemetery every year. However I have occasionally seen other species, so I’ll keep looking out for them.
Speckled Wood in the Quaker Burial Ground
The differences between Small and Large Whites can sometimes be hard to see at this time of year because the markings on the Spring brood can be quite faint. The male Small White has one black spot on each upper wing and the female has two. I’ve noticed that the innermost of those two spots can look like it’s divided into two, but all the reference material I’ve seen regards it as just one spot.
The male Large White has no spots and again the female has two. Whilst it’s therefore easy to tell male Small and Large Whites apart, it’s harder in the females because both have two spots. The dark band on the edge of the wings is a good indicator of which species you’re looking at. It doesn’t extend as far along the edge of the Small White’s outer wing as on the Large White, where the band extends further around and is shaped rather like a boomerang.
Small White (top) & Large White (below). Males are on the left & females on the right
Another butterfly where the males and females are different (known as sexual dimorphism) is the Orange-tip. This is a male – the females lack the orange tips. And when I checked the photo, I saw the tops of his legs are covered in fine hairs, something I hadn’t noticed before.
Orange-tip (male)
Sexual dimorphism also occurs in the beautiful little Holly Blue.
Holly Blue – male (left) & female (right)
It also occurs in the Brimstone. Those differences are most noticeable when the butterfly is flying, because the males look bright yellow whereas the females are almost white. At rest, and especially in bright sunshine, it can be hard to tell them apart because both have quite colourful underwings. But generally the female is a pale shade of green and the male is a slightly darker, yellower shade of green.
Brimstone – male (left) & female (right)
The last species of Butterfly I saw for the first time this year was a Green-veined White. It was in the central part of the cemetery near the new Larkin commemorative bench. This is another species that shows sexual dimorphism – the males have either one spot or none.
Green-veined White (female) showing two black spots on each upper wing
I’ve made several wildlife posts on our Facebook page recently and it might therefore seem that the cemetery is teeming with butterflies! I do usually see at least three different species on each sunny day but usually only in ones and twos. Nevertheless, it is still a real joy to see them, feeding on all the flowers. Interestingly I looked back on my report for April last year, and although it had been a much drier month, I’d still managed to see 10 different species of butterfly by then.
Bees and other insects
I’ve seen plenty of Bees of various kinds this month including Red, White and Buff-tailed Bumblebees, Honeybees, Hairy-footed Flower Bees and lots of Tawny Mining Bees. The first photo shows one that’s emerged from its burrow. The next photos show one making a burrow underground in which to lay its eggs. This is one of our native species of solitary Bee.
Tawny Mining Bee
I’ve seen plenty of Bee-flies this month. Interestingly they’re a parasite of Tawny Mining Bees, laying their eggs in the Bee’s open burrow so that when they hatch the larvae can feed on the bee’s food and offspring.
Bee-fly
I’ve also seen Wasps, Hoverflies, flies and lots of other very small insects. I also caught a brief glimpse of a Hummingbird Hawk-moth on two occasions this month, the first one I’ve ever seen in the Cemetery! It’s a day-flying month and although this is a migrant species, we also have several native species of day-flying moths. It’s a fact that in the UK there are more species of day-flying moths than there are species of butterfly!
I also saw lots of Ladybirds this month. Most of them were our native Seven-spot ones but I also saw some non-native Harlequins.
Ladybirds – Seven-spot on a Magpie Feather (left) & Harlequin on a Daffodil (right)
Plants and Flowers
Smaller ones
March has been an excellent month for wildflowers. The ones planted by the volunteers on the grass verge last year are now starting to flower, such as this Cowslip.
Cowslip
Inside the cemetery, especially in the darker shaded areas, Hogweed is now starting to flower. Note how the buds are a dark pink colour before opening up to reveal their characteristic white flowers.
Hogweed
Yellow is still the dominant flower colour in the cemetery. There are still some Celandines to be seen, especially in the cemetery, but the Dandelions are in full bloom now as you can see from some of the above photos. I also found this unusual double Dandelion.
Dandelion and Celandines
These are all an excellent source of food for the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife. I also found a small patch of Yellow Archangel, and plenty of Wood Avens and Common Chickweed.
The Bluebells have now started to flower but their peak time is in May so I’ll talk about them a bit more next month.
Trees
When we think of flowers, we usually think of the ones that look like those in my previous photos. But trees also have flowers although they look quite different in appearance and colour. During the recent windy weather a lot of the tree flowers had fallen onto the ground, including several clusters of flowers from a Norway Maple.
Norway Maple
The flowers of some trees are known as catkins. The Hornbeam is monoecious, meaning it has male and female catkins on the same tree. The male catkins are the largest – I’ve marked one of the smaller female ones with an arrow.
Hornbeam
You can also see the flowers of the Spotted Laurel on the white butterfly photo – bottom left.
Birds
I haven’t seen anything unusual this month. The regular species are busy gathering nest material and marking out their territories – the Great Tits are particularly loud at the moment.
Another bird with a very distinctive call is the Chiffchaff, which I always hear before I see it, singing from very high up in the trees and from quite early in the morning too.
Chiffchaff
Other small birds around in good numbers are Blue Tits, Chaffinches, Robins, Blackbirds and Long-tailed Tits. I’ve also seen Wrens, Goldfinches, Dunnocks and I also caught a quick glimpse of two Treecreepers. I haven’t seen any Coal Tits this month though.
Dunnock
Of the larger birds, I’ve seen Wood Pigeons, Stock Doves, Carrion Crows and Magpies.
Magpie
Fungi
Not much to report this month, apart from some Jelly Ear growing on an old fallen branch and a bracket of some type growing high up in a tree. The Velvet Shank that I used to see every day has all but disappeared, probably eaten by the cemetery wildlife!
Jelly Ear (above)Bracket fungus
Conclusion
April has been a great month for the cemetery wildlife, with lots of colour and activity to be seen. I managed to spend plenty of time walking in the cemetery and along the grass verge, especially on sunny days – here’s a collection of some of the photos I took on just one of those morning walks.
And finally, there’s still time to take part in the City Nature Challenge 2023 – details below – for you to record not just the cemetery wildlife but any you see in your gardens in Hull!
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.
March got off to a very cold and wet start, with several days of sub-zero temperatures and some sleet and snow showers. The snow didn’t settle though, and was gone within a few hours of it originally falling. It didn’t seem to have any adverse effects on the cemetery wildlife though, which was as active as ever. The birds, including the male Chaffinch pictured above, just seemed to take it in their stride.
It does seem odd to be reporting on snow the month after I wrote about seeing our first butterflies though! But mid-month saw some mild sunny days and this was enough to tempt the butterflies out again, plus some other delightful little insects. There were still plenty of showers though, and the month ended on a mild but wet note.
Birds
I am always amazed at the beautiful bright colours of our British birds, including this Blue Tit and Robin in the snow. Whenever I see birds and animals in the snow, I often wonder if they are seeing it for the first time in their short lives, and what they must think of it.
Blue Tit (above)Robin
I regularly see Goldfinches in the cemetery. These small finches, which are not much larger than a Blue Tit, make soft chirps to each other as they fly.
Goldfinch
There are several Wrens in the cemetery, but they usually fly past in a blur of light chestnut-coloured feathers and rarely stay still for very long.
Wren
I also saw some small groups of Long-tailed Tits in the cemetery amongst the patches of brambles. They also chirp to each other as they fly – I always hear them before I see them.
I heard my first Chiffchaff of the year in the later part of the month. Its cheerful and distinctive call is a sure sign that Spring has arrived. I didn’t manage to get a photo though – they tend to stay very high up in the trees, and don’t remain still for very long.
Insects
There has been an explosion of activity and colour in the grass verge alongside the cemetery this month. The flowers opened and the small branch of the cemetery wildlife came out to feed on the nectar.
Butterflies
I’ve seen more butterflies than last month, including Small Tortoiseshells and Commas on a few occasions.
Comma on Lesser Celandines
I saw my first White butterfly of the year but I only got a quick view. It could have been either a Small, Large or Green-veined White as they all tend to appear at the same time of the year, usually early April.
I also saw my first Red Admiral of the year just a few days before posting this report.
Red Admiral
I also saw my first Brimstones of the year – the first was in the middle of the month and the second was today. Both were very active males, but this one finally came to rest on a leaf, laying flat against it rather than perching upright.
Brimstone (male)
That’s five different species of butterfly I’ve seen this month, although they have not been present in large numbers. This is due to the many cold, dull and rainy days we have had, plus wind too – not ideal for butterflies.
Other Insects
I saw a bug of a type I’d never seen before – a Juniper Shield Bug. It was on one of the Daffodils that form the main display near the footpath leading from Spring Bank West to Thoresby Street school. They are a species found mainly in the south of the UK, but they do seem to be spreading further north now.
Juniper Shield Bug
I saw lots of hoverflies and several species of Bee, including many large queens looking for suitable places to start a nest. I also saw some of the smaller species such as Common Carder Bee and this Hairy-footed Flower Bee.
Hairy-footed Flower Bee
I also just managed to get a quick photo of a Tawny Mining Bee before it took off for pastures, or most probably flowers, new.
Tawny Mining Bee in flight
I also saw lots of Ladybirds, including our native Seven-spot and some of the non-native Harlequins. I’ve also seen the first Bee-flies of the year, but I’ll talk about them next month.
Plants
It doesn’t seem long ago that I was struggling to find any plants that were in flower. Now there are so many that I don’t have space to include photos of them all.
Cultivated Flowers
Although this report is about the cemetery wildlife, some of the cultivated plants are providing a good source of nectar for the insects and are worthy of a mention. This Pulmonaria growing in the Quaker Burial Ground is one such source.
Pulmonaria
There are also a few Crocus plants growing in the Cemetery, and lots of different varieties of Daffodil – again, a good source of nectar for the insects.
Crocus (above)Daffodils
Wild Flowers
We are now starting to see lots of Dandelions in flower. But the most plentiful of the wildflowers at this time of year is the Lesser Celandine, responsible for much of that explosion of colour I mentioned earlier. And very resistant to frost and snow.
Lesser Celandine
The Snowdrops have almost finished for the year – these were photographed at the beginning of the month.
Snowdrops
There are two small clusters of Wood Anemones growing in the grass verge, in the same place as previous years.
Wood Anemone
There is also some Red Dead-nettle growing in the part of the grass verge nearer to Western Cemetery.
Red Dead-nettle
Many of the cemetery’s trees are now in flower, some in the form of catkins and some in the form of a more conventional flower shape. The Blackthorns in the cemetery that only had flowers on them last month now have leaves on them too – that fresh, bright green colour you see at this time of the year.
Blackthorn
Conclusion
March has been dominated by cold, wet and windy days but despite these conditions the cemetery wildlife does not seem to have been adversely affected. The grass verge is a lush green and yellow oasis for the insects, and is simply beautiful just to look at during a walk along Spring Bank West.
Coming Up
Next month sees an exciting nature-related event coming to Hull – The City Nature Challenge 2023, which takes place between 28 April and 1 May. It’s being run by iNaturalist, the app where you can record your wildlife sightings on to a national database. Hull is one of 22 UK cities or wider urban areas chosen to take part this year.
Some of you might already have this app on your phones – if so, why not visit the cemetery during this period and record any cemetery wildlife you find there? If you don’t have the app, why not try it? It’s free to download onto any mobile device and is really easy to use. Your observations will help build a picture of what is in our favourite cemetery and who knows – you might find something rare or unusual there!
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.
Astilbe
