Tag: birds

Cemetery Wildlife November 2024

by Helen Bovillin Volunteers, Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife November 2024

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.

Bramble leaves covered in frost

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 26th.  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.

Two photos of leaves on the ground, one showing the coppery colour of the Beech and the other showing the yellow colour of the Hornbeam
Beech (left) and Hornbeam (right)

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!

 

Cemetery Wildlife – October 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – October 2024

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)
White Campion
White Campion

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

Cemetery Wildlife – September 2024

by Helen Bovillin Volunteers1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – September 2024

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.

Four photos of plants with red berries on them
Top – European Barberry (left); Japanese Skimmia (right). Bottom – Firethorn (left); Yew (right).

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:-

Four photos showing plants in the cemetery with black berries on them.
Top – Brambles or Blackberries (left); Dogwood (right). Bottom – Elderberries (left); Cherry Laurel (right).

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.

The daisy-like flowers of Feverfew
Feverfew

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.

Three photos of plants with pink flowers on them
Top – Red Campion. Bottom – Ivy-leaved Cyclamen (left); Creeping Thistle (right). 

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.

Fungus growing in the cemetery

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!

A wasp on a fallen log
Wasp

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.

Four photos of butterflies in the cemetery - Comma, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Holly Blue
Top – Comma in the Quaker Burial Ground (left); Speckled Wood near the Larkin bench (right). Bottom – Red Admiral on the Cholera Monument (left); Holly Blue along the Spring Bank West verge (right).

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.

A fallen tree at the western end of the 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)

Cemetery Wildlife – August 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife4 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – August 2024

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.

Two Migrant Hawker dragonflies resting on dried leaves and branches in the cemetery
Migrant Hawkers – male (top); female (below)

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.

A white eggshell lying 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.

A brown and white striped feather on the ground in the cemetery

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.

Coal Tit on a branch
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.

Tansy
Tansy (above)
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.

Two photos showing the top and side view of a yellow flower with long thin green leaves

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.

A fallen Horse Chesnut fruit with the outer casing partially opened and the unripe fruit inside

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 

Cemetery Wildlife – July 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – July 2024

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.

A Fox in the cemetery

a Fox in the cemetery

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)

Cemetery Wildlife – June 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife3 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – June 2024

 

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.

Two photos showing the pink flowers of Musk Mallow and Common Mallow
Musk Mallow (left) and Common Mallow (right)

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.

Three photos showing thick-legged flower beetles on flowers
Thick legged flower beetles on (1) Corky-fruited Water-Dropwort; (2) Dandelion; and (3) Thistle

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!

 

CEMETERY WILDLIFE – MAY 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife

There was a real mixed bag of weather for the cemetery wildlife to contend with in May.  And whilst I wouldn’t count myself as wildlife, the warm weather in the middle of the month resulted in my having to deal with dozens of biting insects as I worked in the cemetery!  Puddles and fallen branches were common sights as the month ended on a very wet and windy note.

Birds

Large Birds

The highlight of the month was the return of Tawny owls to one of the owl boxes at the western end of the cemetery.  I saw two different adult birds – I only realised this when I studied my photos and noticed subtle differences between owls I saw at different times.  And then a couple of weeks later I saw two large fluffy chicks (also known as owlets) perched outside the box (see photo above).

A tawny owl sitting at the entrance to a nest box in the cemetery
Tawny Owl

The last time I saw Owls and owlets was in May 2021, but that year I saw the owlets in the first week of the month.  This year I saw them in the last week of the month.  I’ve put a link to my 2021 report at the end of this report.

I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker on a couple of occasions.  I saw plenty of Wood Pigeons, and amongst them a pair of Stock Doves.

A wood pigeon on the ground with the sun shining on it
Wood Pigeon (above)
Two stock doves feeding on the ground in the cemetery
Stock Doves

Small birds

I saw a male Bullfinch on several occasions and a female one just a couple of times.  However, as all the trees now have fully opened leaves it’s harder to get photos of the smaller birds.

A male bullfinch sitting in a tree in the cemetery
Bullfinch (male)

I was also delighted to see a pair of Blackcaps.

A Blackcap perched on the stem of a hogweed plant
Blackcap (male)

Some of the early nesting birds have now successfully raised some youngsters, and I saw fledgling Robins, Blackbirds and Chaffinches.

A young blackbird perched on a branch
Blackbird (above). It looks very similar to a young Robin, but due to its size I can confirm it’s definitely a Blackbird.
A young chaffinch calling for its parents to feed it
Young Chaffinch begging for food

I also saw a very active pair of Coal Tits several times during my walks around the Cemetery, plus plenty of Great Tits and Blue Tits.  I think it’s safe to say that the avian branch of the cemetery wildlife is having a good year so far.

Insects

Butterflies

I saw my first Red Admiral of the year, in the Quaker Burial Ground.  It’s the only one I’ve seen so far this year.

Red Admiral butterfly resting on a leaf
Red Admiral

This brought the cemetery total to 11 different species of butterfly, which is what I expected based on previous years. However, this month has not been a very good one for them, and I only saw butterflies in ones and twos.  The other species I saw this month were Brimstone, Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Small White, Large White, Speckled Wood and Holly Blue.

A Large White butterfly feeding on cow parsley
Large White (male) (above)
A Speckled Wood butterfly perched high on a leaf in the Quaker Burial Ground
Speckled Wood (above). Note the damaged wing.
A Holly Blue Butterfly resting on a nettle leaf in the cemetery
Holly Blue (male) seen near the Cholera Monument.

Other Insects

I saw lots of ladybirds of various species, and plenty of bees, flies and hoverflies.  I saw this Narcissus Bulb fly on the grass verge alongside the cemetery – the first one I’d seen.

A Narcissus Bulb fly, looking like a small bee, sitting on a leaf
Narcissus bulb fly

The insect branch of the cemetery wildlife is always surprising me.  When I was taking part in the City Nature Challenge for iNaturalist last month, I looked at what other people had found in Hull.  I came across the very interestingly-named Batman hoverfly on the list.  Then a few days ago I saw one for myself, feeding on Hogweed on the grass verge.  Unfortunately, the Batman logo-shaped mark at the top of the thorax that gives the hoverfly its common name isn’t very clear. I’ve added a link at the end of this report to a site that gives more information about hoverflies.

A Batman Hoverfly feeding on hogweed flowers
Batman Hoverfly. The eyes are close together, indicating this is a male.

But an insect I often see is the Thick-legged flower beetle and these colourful little insects are a favourite of mine.  And unmistakable once you’ve seen one!

Thick-legged flower beetle on a buttercup
Thick-legged Flower Beetle. Only the male has those large thighs.

Flowers

I was very happy to see a few flowers on the old Horse Chestnut tree.  This is probably one of the original trees planted when the cemetery was being laid out prior to its opening in 1847.  As far as tree flowers go, I think this is one of the prettiest to be found on our native trees.

The creamy white flowers of an old Horse Chestnut Tree in the cemetery
Horse Chestnut

I saw carpets of Wild Garlic, also known as Ramsons, throughout the cemetery although they reached their peak early in the month.  The rain and wind has flattened most of them now.

A carpet of white Wild Garlic flowers in the cemetery sunshine
Wild Garlic

There are plenty of Oxeye daisies growing on the grass verge alongside the cemetery.  They seem very attractive to the smallest branch of the cemetery wildlife, including this tiny fly.  I haven’t been able to precisely identify it, other than it being a Phania of some sort.

An Oxeye daisy with a tiny fly on it
Oxeye Daisy and fly

Other white flowers I saw this month were Common Chickweed, clover and Campion.  I also saw several Red Campion plants growing along the grass verge, and some Knapweed.  There are also some Dog-roses growing in the cemetery itself.

The pink flowers of the Red Campion
Red Campion (above)
The pink flowers of the Knapweed plant
Knapweed (above)
A pale pink Dog-rose with raindrops on it in the cemetery
Dog-rose

The thistles all over the grass verge have grown rather tall during the month, and a few are now in flower.  But not all of them are pink.  I noticed one with yellow flowers, and this is a Prickly Sowthistle.  I also saw some Smooth Sowthistle growing in the same area.

Two photos showing the yellow flowers of the Prickly Sowthistle and the Smooth Sowthistle
Prickly Sowthistle (left) and Smooth Sowthistle (right)

Conclusion

The cemetery wildlife continues to thrive.  New life is all around, including this squirrel.  It seems to be a youngster as I’d never seen it before this month.  Its extra red hairs, especially on its tail, makes it stand out from the rest of the cemetery’s squirrel population. The photo doesn’t quite do it justice, however, as that red colouration is much more noticeable in real life!

A grey squirrel with extra red coloration sitting in a tree
Your Squirrel of the month. See you same time next month!

Wonderful Wildlife – Friends Of Hull General Cemetery

ID Guide Hoverflies – British Naturalists’ Association (bna-naturalists.org)

Cemetery Wildlife – April 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – April 2024

It might seem strange to be starting this report with a photo that was so obviously NOT taken in the cemetery.  After all, this is about the cemetery wildlife!  However, I’m pretty certain that this Mallard and her nine ducklings had just come out of the cemetery and were heading down Princes Avenue and towards Pearson Park, which is less than half a mile from the cemetery.  There was no doubt in my mind that this was where she was heading.

If I’d been at that point on Spring Bank West just a minute earlier then I’m sure I would have seen them coming out of the cemetery.  One of our volunteers told me he’s occasionally seen a Mallard in there.  Also, a few years ago a regular cemetery user showed me some footage he’d taken of a Mallard leading some ducklings through the cemetery.  I knew this was genuine because I recognised one of the headstones in the video.

Obviously I wasn’t going to just walk past – I decided to escort them to the park, making sure I kept a respectful distance to avoid scaring them.

3 photos of a mallard walking up the street with 9 ducklings
Heading up the road – along Princes Avenue and then crossing Welbeck Street.

I kept them on the footpath until she decided to cross the road.  I held up the traffic on one side of the road; a kind passer-by held up the traffic on the other side.  Both the drivers that had to stop were smiling and one had his phone out, recording the event.

I followed her into Pearson Park – she seemed to know the way.

3 photos of a mallard and her 9 ducklings in the park
The Mallard family reaches Pearson Park. She seems to know the way to the pond. 

I then watched as she coaxed all nine ducklings into the water.

A mallard and her 9 ducklings entering a pond
Made it! 

Birds

After this unexpected encounter I decided to find out a bit more about Mallards, this common duck most of us see in our local parks and take very much for granted.  Although they occasionally nest in trees, they usually nest on the ground, in dense foliage to keep hidden from predators.  She would have laid her eggs over a period of a few days, and then once she’d finished, she would then have started to incubate them.  Incubation takes around 4 weeks, so she could have been there in the cemetery for well over a month, quietly concealed from predators who could have taken her eggs.

The ducklings all hatch within a few minutes of each other and are mobile within a few hours of hatching.  These would have been less than 24 hours old, and ready to take to the water.  But the cemetery has no natural source of water so they couldn’t stay there any longer.

I saw plenty of our usual birds in the cemetery in April – Blue, Great and Coal tits, Bullfinches, Chaffinches and Goldfinches, Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Carrion Crows, Wood Pigeons and Stock Doves.  Our seasonal visitors, the Chiffchaffs, were in fine and distinctive voice all month.  I was very pleased to see a Mistle Thrush – I usually just see Song Thrushes in the cemetery.

Here are just a few members of the avian branch of the cemetery wildlife as they go about their daily lives.

A mistle thrush high up in a tree
Mistle Thrush (above)
6 photos showing blackbird, magpie, robin, chiffchaff, chaffinch and wren in the cemetery
Top from left to right: Blackbird, Magpie and Robin.  Bottom from left to right – Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Wren. 

I saw several of them gathering nesting material, and I noticed some of the smaller birds checking out the nest boxes.  I haven’t seen any fledgelings yet.

Insects

Butterflies

April was a very good month for butterflies, provided the days were sunny, reasonably warm and not too windy.  I saw my first Speckled Woods, Large Whites, Small Whites and Green-veined Whites of the year – it’s always a delight to see this most colourful branch of the cemetery wildlife.  Last to make an appearance, on the last day of the month, were the Orange Tips.

A speckled wood butterfly in the cemetery
Speckled wood (above)
Two photos of large white butterflies in the cemetery
Large White – female (left); male (right)

The Small White is slightly smaller and has less black markings on the edge of the upper wings. The male has one spot on each wing.

Two photos of Small White butterflies on dandelions in the cemetery
Small White – female (left); male (right) (above)
Two Green-veined White butterflies mating on a cow parsley leaf
Green-veined Whites mating (above). The male is at the top. 
An Orange Tip butterfly on a garlic mustard flower in the cemetery
Orange Tip (female) on a garlic mustard flower, their favoured food plant. The alternating black and white bars along the edge of the wings, and the distinctive mottled effect underneath the wings, set this apart from other white butterflies.  Only the male has orange wing tips. 

All the butterflies I’d seen for the first time in February and March also made several appearances during the month.  One thing I found most surprising was the fact that although I saw my first male Brimstone of the year in mid-March, it wasn’t until mid-April that I saw my first female.  However, females do emerge slightly later than the males but not usually that much later. I saw a total of ten different species of butterfly in the cemetery or on the Spring Bank West verge this month.

Two brimstone butterflies in flight
Brimstones (above). The female is on the left and the male on the right. 
Four photos of Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma butterflies in the cemetery
Top – Holly Blue (left); Small Tortoiseshell (right). Bottom – Peacock (left); Comma (right).

Bees, Flies and Bugs

I took part in the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge this month.  Running for 4 days from 26 to 29 April, its aim was to encourage the observing and recording of nature throughout the UK.  Hull took part for the first time last year and it was such a success that the city took part again this year.

Although I visited several parts of the city to see and record as many species as possible, the vast majority of my observations were of the Hull General cemetery wildlife. It made me look even more closely at all our insects, and I saw my first-ever Sun fly.

A Sun Fly on a dandelion
Sun Fly

That distinctive striped head made it stand out from all the other hoverflies I saw in April.  I also saw several types of bee including Red, Buff and White-tailed Bumblebees, Mining Bees and Honey Bees.

Tawny Mining bee on a leaf
Tawny Mining Bee (above)
A honey bee on a dandelion in the cemetery
Western Honey Bee

I also saw an abundance of Ladybirds – native British ones as well as Harlequins.

7-spot ladybirds mating
7-spot Ladybirds

I also saw a Green Shield Bug.

A Green Shield bug on a leaf
Green Shield Bug

Plants

The iNaturalist challenge also included plants, and I enjoyed looking more closely at some of the many plants, large and small, that we have in the cemetery.  Here are some of them – the Bluebells are at their peak just now.

Dove's-foot Crane's-bill growing near a headstone in the cemetery
Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill (above)
Quince growing in the cemetery
Quince (above)
Bluebells growing near a grave in the cemetery
Bluebells (above). These are Spanish ones rather than the native British ones.
Cowslips growing near the entrance to the cemetery
Cowslips growing just inside the cemetery gates.

During the 4 days of the iNaturalist challenge, I saw nearly 100 different species of flora and fauna in the cemetery, and it could easily have been more as I missed some obvious ones.  Everything was eligible, even the humble dandelion!  And Hull as a city did extremely well in the overall scores at the end of the event.  Please see the link at the end of my report for more information.

Conclusion

April was a month of mixed fortunes, weather-wise.  There were some warm, sunny days but a much colder than average spell at the end of the month.  There were rainy days and some extremely windy ones, resulting in some large branches falling across the footpaths.  But the cemetery wildlife was thriving this month, and the very last day was very warm – warmer than average for the month.

A squirrel perched on a headstone in the cemetery
Squirrel of the month. See you next time!

Link to iNaturalist’s City Nature Challenge –

City Nature Challenge 2024: UK Leaderboard · iNaturalist United Kingdom

Cemetery Wildlife – March 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – March 2024

For me, nothing signals the start of spring more than the sound of a Chiffchaff singing, so let’s start this month with a song!  There’s a link at the end of this report with some more information and a sample of one singing.  The cemetery wildlife had a mixed bag of weather to contend with in March, but when the sun came out there was plenty to sing about.  There was rain on quite a few days, but no really heavy showers.  However, even a modest fall was enough to create puddles on and around the footpaths due to the ground still being saturated from all the winter rain.

Birds

I watched the above Chiffchaff high up in the trees.  Occasionally it would swoop lower, catch something in mid-air, and then fly back up.  They do eat flies, but whatever it was catching was far too small for me to see at such a distance.

I noticed one of the local Chaffinches making good use of one of those muddy puddles.

A male chaffinch bathing in a puddle in the cemetery
Chaffinch (male)

I kept regularly seeing male and female Bullfinches in the cemetery this month.  This is not something I would have expected to be saying a year ago, when they were quite a rare sight here.

I regularly see small groups of Goldfinches and hear them chattering to each other as they flit from tree to tree.

A goldfinch high in a tree in the cemetery
Goldfinch, fluffed up to keep warm on a cold windy day!

I saw plenty of members of the tit family in the cemetery including Great Tits, a couple of Coal Tits, Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits.

Avian cemetery wildlife - two photos, one showing a Long-tailed tit and the other showing a blue tit
Long-tailed Tit (left) and Blue Tit (right)

Wrens and Robins were in fine voice as the breeding season got underway.

A wren singing in a tree in the cemetery
Wren (above)
A singing robin perched on a fence post
Robin in the Quaker Burial Ground. The pastel colours in the background are a mural on a wall near Thoresby Street school.

I also caught a brief glimpse of a Treecreeper, quickly winding its way up a tree.  And I had some distant views of a Great Spotted Woodpecker.  But the most surprising sight this month was a Siskin.  They’re the same size as Goldfinches, and it was with a small group of them.  They’re normally seen in small flocks, making me think it might have got separated from its own flock and ended up with some Goldfinches.

Insects

Butterflies

The most colourful branch of the cemetery wildlife kept me delighted every sunny day this month.  I saw my first Peacock of the year, mid-month, on the verge alongside the cemetery on Spring Bank West.

Two photos, each showing a Peacock butterfly on celandines and leaves
Peacocks

Peacocks spend winter as adults, so they can sometimes be a little battered when they first venture out.   In the first photo you can see the edges of the lower wings have parts missing.  For comparison, the one on the right, which I saw at the end of the month, is in much better condition.

I also saw my first Brimstone of the year, again on the verge alongside the cemetery.  This was also during the middle of the month.  I saw them a few times after that.  They also spend winter as adults.

A male Brimstone butterfly on a daffodil
Brimstone (male)

The biggest surprise was seeing my first Holly Blue of the year, again on the Spring Bank West verge.  This was on 26th March, the earliest one I’ve ever seen.  These butterflies spend winter as pupae.

Two photos of a Holly Blue butterfly - one with wings open, the other with wings closed, feeding on acelandine
The same Holly Blue (male) showing wings open and closed

I also saw a lone Small Tortoiseshell on a few days.

A small tortoiseshell butterfly resting on a spotted laurel leaf
Small Tortoiseshell on Spotted Laurel

But the species I saw most often in March was the Comma. I saw at least one, sometimes two or three, every sunny day I walked past the verge.

An orange Comma butterfly on dandelion
Comma

Other insects

I saw my first Bee-fly of the year on the Spring Bank West verge.  I watched it feeding on a daffodil before coming to a rest on a dead leaf.  Although the daffodils here are cultivated flowers, planted several years ago by volunteers, they still provide a good source of food for the cemetery wildlife.

A Bee-fly on a dead leaf
Bee-fly. Note the pollen on the lower part of its front legs.

I also saw a Birch shield bug, this time inside the cemetery.  This species is noticeably smaller than the similar-looking Hawthorn shield bug.

Birch Shield bug on a freshly opened leaf
Birch Shield Bug

I saw lots of other flies, hoverflies and bumblebees on the wing along the verge, including these Buff-tailed bumblebees.

Two buff-tailed bumblebees - one on a dandelion, the other in flight
Buff-tailed bumblebees. Note the mites on the side of the head of the one on the dandelion.

There was an abundance of ladybirds everywhere I looked – native ones such as the Seven-spot, plus harlequin ones.  Look out for some of them on this next set of photos!

Plants

There was an explosion of colour in March.  The verge really came into its own with a carpet of bright yellow celandines and dandelions for the early insects to feed upon.  Yellow was still the predominant flower colour, especially true of the Forsythia growing near the cemetery gates.  I saw how it changed from a mass of just yellow flowers at the start of the month to a mixture of flowers and fresh, bright green leaves at the end of the month. Berberis and Mahonia are now starting to flower.

Four photos showing yellow flowers as food for the cemetery wildlife - berberis, daffodil,mahonia and forsythia.
Top – Berberis (left) & Daffodil (right).  Bottom – Mahonia (left) & Forsythia (right).

I was pleased to see the first Cowslips of the year, and also Yellow Archangel.  And so often overlooked is Groundsel, its flowers looking more like buds than fully developed blooms.

Three photos of yellow flowers - Yellow Archangel, Groundsel and Cowslip
Yellow Archangel (top); Groundsel (left) and Cowslip (right).

I was relieved the Wood Anemones had survived the wet winter.  I don’t recall seeing their buds – only the fully opened flowers.  And the Cow Parsley is just starting to flower – another source of nectar for the cemetery wildlife.

Two photos, one showing Wood Anemones and the other showing Cow Parsley
Wood Anemones (left) and Cow Parsley (right).

After all this yellow and white, it was nice to find some other coloured flowers.  The first ones I saw were on some Pulmonaria growing in the Quaker Burial Ground.  This is a cultivated plant rather than a wild one, but it still provides a good source of nectar, especially for bees.  I found Periwinkle in several places throughout the cemetery, just starting to flower.

But the plant I was most surprised to find was Greek Anemone.  It’s not native to the UK but can become naturalised.  This is what must have happened here, as I found it in two random, partially shaded places.

Three photos of blue flowers in the cemetery - Pulmonaria, Greek Anemone and Periwinkle
Top – Pulmonaria (left) & Greek Anemone (right). Bottom – Periwinkle.

I found some Red Dead-nettle growing on the verge, and some Herb Robert inside the cemetery.

Two photos showing pink flowers - Red dead-nettle and Herb Robert.
Red Dead-nettle (left) and Herb Robert (right).

Conclusion

The transition from winter to spring saw a real growth spurt in the cemetery’s flora, helped no doubt by the mix of rain and warm sunshine.  I saw lots of green shoots and buds on many of the trees.  This has provided some fresh greens for the cemetery wildlife to eat.

A Horse chestnut leaf bud against a blue sky
Horse Chestnut

I didn’t find any fungus of note this month.  I heard a fox on a couple of evenings but didn’t manage to see one – they are very elusive as they go about their daily (and nightly) business.  So it’s down to the Squirrels to represent the cemetery’s mammals this month as usual.

A squirrel sitting on a graveside kerb in the cemetery
Squirrel of the month. See you next time!

Link to Chiffchaff information –

Chiffchaff Bird Facts | Phylloscopus Collybita (rspb.org.uk)

Cemetery Wildlife – February 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – February 2024

 

It might seem odd to start the report for a winter month with a butterfly, but this is indicative of the variety of weather we had in February.  There were a few days of heavy rain and the ground soon became saturated again.  Then there were some milder, sunny days towards the end of the month and this is when I saw my first butterfly of the year – the above Comma, on the grass verge alongside the cemetery on Spring Bank West.  I saw it on 20 February.  The insect branch of the cemetery wildlife has now started to wake up.

Insects

That was one of two Commas I saw that day, together with this Small Tortoiseshell.

An orange and black Small Tortoiseshell butterfly on a dock leaf
Small Tortoiseshell

Both species spend winter in their adult form, hibernating in various places.  The UK has five species of butterfly that hibernate in their adult form, the other three being Brimstone, Peacock and Red Admiral.  I’ve seen all those species in and alongside the cemetery and will report on them as soon as I see them.

As a result of overwintering in this form for several months, the first butterflies that emerge can sometimes look a bit faded or battered.  Both have small sections missing from their wings, and some scratch marks on them.  But overwintering in this form gives them a flying start over other species when it comes to getting on with the serious business of eating and then mating.

Please see the link at the end of my report for more information on butterfly hibernation.

I also saw my first bumblebee of the year, again on the grass verge.  It was too quick for me to get a photo, but it looked like a buff-tailed one.  I saw several ladybirds – native 7-spot ones and some harlequin ones.  I also saw various types of hoverflies including Marmalade hoverflies and this Common drone fly.

A drone fly on a dandelion in the cemetery
Common drone fly

Plants

Daffodils are now starting to flower all around the cemetery.  Although these were planted by volunteers several years ago and are not wildflowers, they’re still worthy of a mention because they provide a good source of nectar for pollinating insects.  They seem to flower earlier each year – this photo was taken on 2 February.

Two daffodils in the cemetery, with a small marmalade hoverfly just showing inside one of the flowers
Daffodils

As you can see, there is a small hoverfly just visible in the one on the left, although both flowers had a hoverfly inside them.

But the wildflower I’m always happiest to see is the Lesser Celandine and after a slow start in January, they are now in flower all over the cemetery and along the grass verge. They look simply glorious and provide an important source of nectar for those early butterflies.

Two photos, each showing two bright yellow lesser celandine flowers
Lesser Celandines in 3D. The leaf with the hole in it is Garlic Mustard

The number of petals varies from flower to flower.  When researching how many they should have, a figure of 8-12 seemed to be the consensus.  But the flower at the top has 13 petals and the one below has 15!

I’ve presented this photo in 3D because it makes it a lot easier for me to count petals and identify which flower belongs to which leaf and so on.  If you’re one of those people that managed to master the art of viewing those “Magic Eye” pictures that were popular in the 1990s then you should be able to see the 3D effect too.

I was also very happy to see buds on one of the small Quince bushes inside the cemetery.

The pale red flowers of the quince with droplets of rainwater on them
Quince

The Forsythia growing at the side of the cemetery gates is now in flower, but this is just the beginning.  It will look even better by mid-March when all the flowers are open but just before the leaves have started to emerge.

The bright yellow flowers of the Forsythia with a small 7-spot ladybird on the branch
Forsythia with 7-spot ladybird

Another shrub where the flowers appear before the leaves is Blackthorn.  I was away on holiday for a week in mid-February, and was amazed to see how many flowers were open when I checked on my return.  There hadn’t been any open at the start of the month.  May used to be the month when I’d notice a big difference after a week away; this seems to be happening earlier now.

The white flowers of the blackthorn tree inside the cemetery
Blackthorn growing alongside the north path

The Common Dog-violets that had just started to flower in January are now in full bloom.

Tiny purple common dog-violets growing on a grave in the cemetery
Common Dog-violets

There are still plenty of snowdrops of various types in flower, but I noticed that most are past their best now.  Many had been nibbled by the cemetery wildlife.

Double snowdrops on a grass verge
Double snowdrops

Birds

The avian branch of the cemetery wildlife is flourishing, and all my walks around the cemetery were accompanied by birdsong.  The birds I saw most often were Blue Tits – they seem to be the commonest species in the cemetery.

Two blue tits in a tree in the cemetery
Blue Tits

I also saw plenty of Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits, but only a couple of Coal Tits.

I caught several glimpses of Bullfinches in the cemetery and at one point saw two females.  Added to the two males I saw in January that makes four different birds in total.

A female Bullfinch perched in a tree in the cemetery
Bullfinch (female)

I saw small flocks of Goldfinches in the cemetery, and plenty of Chaffinches too.

Female Chaffinch perched on a branch
Chaffinch (female)

I was delighted to see a Great Spotted Woodpecker high up in the trees.  I’ve only ever managed to catch the occasional glimpse of one over many years, so this was a rare treat.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker perched up high in a tree
Great Spotted Woodpecker – the red on top of the head is just visible, indicating that this is a male

I saw lots of Wood Pigeons and a few Stock Doves, Blackbirds, Carrion Crows and Magpies. I also saw a Song Thrush, foraging for berries amongst the ivy.

The back view of a Song Thrush perched amongst some ivy
Song Thrush

So far this year I’ve seen a total of 18 different species of bird in the cemetery, and I have high hopes that this will have risen to well over 20 by the end of the year.

Fungi

Just a quick mention of the most mysterious branch of the cemetery wildlife.  At the start of the year, and before the nesting season begins, the volunteers clear ivy and other plants from the headstones and a small area around them.  They found several fallen branches with jelly fungus on them including this fine specimen, yet to be eaten by the cemetery wildlife.  I must add that these branches were either left in situ or carefully moved to a safe place nearby.

A jelly fungus on a rotting branch inside the cemetery
Jelly Fungus

This is the general type I saw most often in February – I didn’t notice any of the upright ones such as Inkcaps.

Conclusion

February was a month of mixed weather but nothing too extreme, and this allowed the cemetery wildlife to flourish.  With lots of bright yellow flowers everywhere and the occasional burst of warm sunshine to awaken early butterflies, it felt more like spring than winter.

A grey squirrel in a tree, with blue sky in the background
Squirrel of the month. See you next time!

How to spot hibernating butterflies | National Trust