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Cemetery Wildlife – December 2022

December 30, 2022December 30, 2022 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment

As I was away on holiday for most of the month, December’s column has been written by guest reporter Grace Mount, one of our local volunteers. Here is the cemetery wildlife she found, together with photographs, all taken by her. Enjoy!

December 2022

December started mild and cloudy. There were a few days that were bright and sunny but cold. There was also a far bit of precipitation. It got very cold in the second to third week of December. In places, frost did not thaw in the cemetery because of the low sun light. However, cemetery wildlife seems to have adapted to these conditions, as birds were seen tossing the leaves over to catch hidden worms and the squirrels were very active running about in the tree canopy.

December marks the end of Autumn and the beginning of Winter. The first day of Winter falling on the 21^st is known as the winter solstice which is the shortest day and the longest night.

At the beginning of the month there were still the remaining leaves on the deciduous trees, however most of these had fallen by mid December, leaving just the evergreens behind.

Flowers and Plants

Evergreen plants in the cemetery provide much needed food for the cemetery wildlife in the cold months of winter. Holly and Pyracanthas can be seen growing in the hedge row, along the edge of the cemetery on Spring Bank West. These provide small berries for the birds, such as Blackbirds and Song Thrushes.

Holly (common name) Ilex aquifolium (scientific name) has smooth glossy leaves with spiky edges. There are a handful of very beautiful Holly bushes which can be found growing along the cemetery footpaths including one which has a variegated leaf.

Holly with a variegated leaf growing in the cemetery — **Holly (Ilex aquifolium) with a variegated leaf pattern, and Holly berries (photo at beginning of report)**

Ivy (common name) or Hedera helix (scientific name) carpets the ground in places and can be seen growing up many of the trees; produces flowers in autumn which provides much needed food for Honeybees, and cover for the birds.

Ivy flowers in the cemetery — **Ivy in flower (above)**

Wildlife habitat in the form of Ivy — **Ivy climbing up a tree trunk (above and below)**

Something that was quite unusual for the time of year, which we found, was a single Snowdrop. It was growing and in flower in a spot in the Quaker burial ground. These would usually start to flower between January and March, with the daylight hours getting longer.

Snowdrop in the QBG part of the cemetery — **A single Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) in the Quaker burial ground**

Yew trees, another evergreen, can be found growing in the Quaker part of the cemetery along with laurels, again providing much needed cover for cemetery wildlife in the cold winter months.

Moss can be found growing on gravestones and fallen branches.

Moss on a fallen gravestone in the cemetery — **Some moss on a fallen grave**

Birds

For December we saw Robins pulling worms out of the ground and Blackbirds flicking leaves over in search of hidden insects. They were very active in the Quaker part of the cemetery. Magpies, Crows and Woodpigeons were also easy to spot with there being no leaves on the trees.

A Robin in the QBG — **Robin (above) and Blackbird (below)**

Mushrooms and Fungi

A selection of fungi also found in the cemetery.

Fungus — **Velvet Shank (above and both photos below)**

Conclusion

December was mild at first with a very uncomfortable cold snap in the middle becoming mild again towards the end of the month. The footpaths that had been muddy were well trodden but frozen hard on the coldest days. Despite the cold weather it seems the cemetery wildlife continues to give many delightful and unexpected surprises with beautiful fungi, traditional seasonal evergreens, out of season flowers and amusing antics from the birds and squirrels.

Grace is home educated, following her interests of nature and animal studies. She loves birds and has helped the volunteers in HGC with monitoring and recording of the nest boxes. She frequently enjoys walks through the cemetery, litter picking and taking note of the changing seasons.

Helen Bovill

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

Cemetery Wildlife – November 2022

November 28, 2022 by Helen Bovillin News, Volunteers, Wildlife

What a wet month this has been! It was still quite mild at the start, but it got colder towards the end and there was even a light frost on at least one of those days. Despite all the rain the volunteers still managed to set hundreds of wildflower plants in the grass verge along Spring Bank West. These were provided by the Council and some of the Council officers also helped us to plant them. This will hopefully help to increase the biodiversity of the cemetery wildlife. We are all looking forward to seeing the plants growing and flowering next year!

Birds

I’ve started this report with a Goldfinch because her bright colours were a welcome sight on a dull, wet day. The difference between the male and female of this species is very subtle – please see link at the end of this report containing more information.

I’ve seen plenty of Blue Tits, Great Tits and Chaffinches in the cemetery. These seem to be the commonest of the small birds – I see them every day without fail. Small groups of Chaffinches can often be seen feeding on the ground. The females are pale brown and at a glance can sometimes look like Sparrows.

I usually see at least one Robin although there are several of these highly territorial and inquisitive birds around. I also saw a small flock of Long-tailed Tits calling to each other as they foraged for insects in the trees.

I’m happy to report regular sightings of Coal Tits again. These are the same size, possibly slightly smaller, than Blue Tits.

As you can see it lacks the blue and yellow colours of the Blue Tit and instead has light brown sides. It has a white patch on top of its black head.

Nest Box Survey and Maintenance

Earlier this month we did our annual check of the nest boxes to see which ones had been used. To qualify as “used” the box had to contain a complete nest. Many of those nests were tightly packed into the nest boxes – note the slightly squared corners of this one.

We found a variety of materials had been used. The one above seems to have been made from a white man-made material (possibly some sort of stuffing) and the outside of a tennis ball (green material). But most were made of mainly natural materials such as moss and plant stems.

We also found a few of the boxes contained unhatched eggs – more than last year. I wonder if the hot summer weather encouraged the birds to try for a second or even a third brood? The cold weather would then have arrived before the eggs had time to hatch. One nest contained a dead chick that hadn’t managed to fledge and another nest contained the skeleton of what appeared to be a chick. We also found quite a lot of woodlice in the nests. All the old nests and nest material were removed from the boxes leaving them nice and clear for next year’s inhabitants.

Conclusion of Survey

We checked a total of 51 boxes and found that 31 of them had been used, giving an occupancy rate of 60.78%. It’s impossible to produce a completely scientific analysis of what constitutes a successful nest box because there are so many different factors involved. Design of box, size of entrance hole, position in the cemetery such as being near houses, near a road or footpath and so on all have to be considered.

Nevertheless a pattern has emerged over the 3 years we’ve been monitoring the nest boxes. It seems the boxes in the most central parts of the cemetery were least likely to be used; those near the footpaths had good occupancy rates. This includes the footpath nearest to Spring Bank West. This was a surprise considering how busy that road can often be. We also have a total of 13 boxes that have been used every year. But it does seem that we now have more than enough boxes for the existing bird population.

And the inhabitants of the boxes? Mainly Blue Tits, Great Tits and possibly Coal Tits. And Pigeons in the only one of the two Owl boxes we have that had been occupied this year. The other Owl box had not been used and still contained the nesting material we’d put there (as recommended) in the same condition that we left it in. Good proof that our boxes are nice and waterproof!

Trees and Plants

There were some lovely colours on the trees in the early and middle parts of the month.

The rain really brought out those colours, especially on the leaves of the Norway Maples.

There are still plenty of fruits on the Pyracantha and the Holly, and I even found some Brambles still ripening. But all are great sources of food for the cemetery wildlife to eat.

There were hardly any plants in flower this month. I did manage to find some Red Campion though.

I can usually rely on the grass verge along Spring Bank West to provide some flowers, but this month I only found a couple of Dandelions and a bit of Groundsel. The flowers of the Groundsel never open fully – instead they stay compacted in a tubular shape that’s slightly wider at the top.

But because we set so many new plants along the grass verge it should look even better than usual next Spring and Summer. I’ll be able to tell you which have flourished because I’ve been monitoring the verge for a few years now and I know what’s usually there.

Insects and Other Small Creatures

I saw one butterfly right at the start of the month, this female Large White. She looked a bit faded and her two black spots were only just visible. The male has no spots.

I still keep seeing Ladybirds in various places around the cemetery, and hoverflies and bees feeding on the Ivy flowers. Then I found these on a fallen log a few days ago and wondered what they could be.

It turns out they’re either snail or slug eggs. I think they’re most likely to be slug eggs because I couldn’t see any shell markings on their insides. I will keep checking them though, provided they don’t get eaten by the cemetery wildlife!

Mushrooms

November has been a good month for mushrooms and fungi, including Velvet Shank and Jelly Ear. But as usual I haven’t been able to identify all of them for certain. I also noticed some Silverleaf Fungus starting to appear again on the same fallen log as in previous years.

Conclusion

November has been a very wet month but it hasn’t prevented the volunteers from carrying out the jobs we usually do at this time of the year. This includes placing poppies on the headstones of the war dead. And for the first time, both of our commemorative bird boxes (one for WW1 and the other for WW2) have been occupied. But both of them by birds I hasten to add. It is very rewarding to see human-related objects being used by the cemetery wildlife!

Link to more information on those commemorated on the nest boxes:- https://friendsofhullgeneralcemetery.com/history/war-dead/

Link to information on the differences between male and female Goldfinches:- https://birdfact.com/articles/female-european-goldfinches

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife October 2022

October 29, 2022October 29, 2022 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments

October has been a typical mid-Autumn month, with a mixture of rain, cool dull days and warmer than average sunny days. The cemetery and grass verge are green and healthy, and there are plenty of berries and fungi to provide sustenance for the cemetery wildlife. The Summer drought seems to be a distant memory.

Trees and Shrubs

Many of the trees and shrubs are now bearing fruit.

There is plenty of Pyracantha growing along the back of the grass verge. It looks particularly vibrant at the moment and makes up for the lack of colourful flowers elsewhere.

Pyracantha on edge of cemetery — **Pyracantha**

There are some fruits on one of the Yew trees growing at the front of the grass verge. But these fruits are actually known as arils rather than berries because the seed is not fully enclosed. Were you to look inside the red casing you would see the seed at the back of it. My description of them in last month’s report is therefore incorrect!

I’ve also seen berries on some of the Holly bushes growing in various places inside the cemetery and a few of the bramble bushes still have fruit ripening on them.

The ground is becoming covered in the fruits of many of the cemetery’s trees, including the Lime. This particular one caught my attention because of the large knobbly growths on its trunk. These are known as burrs. I’ve inserted a link at the end of this report containing more information about what causes them.

The trees and shrubs are also starting to show some lovely autumnal colours, including this Forsythia growing at the side of the entrance gates. This is the shrub that provides a glorious array of yellow flowers in the springtime.

Forsythia at the cemetery gates — **Forsythia with Greenbottle and Ladybird**

Flowers

I didn’t find many flowers this month. Not the traditional-looking ones anyway. There is still some Ragwort growing on the grass verge, together with a few Dandelions and some Smooth Sow-thistle.

Ragwort on the grass verge beside the cemetery — **Ragwort (above)**

Smooth Sow-thistle growing near the cemetery — **Smooth Sow-thistle (above)**

However, there is an abundance of flowers on the Ivy plants that are growing skywards all around the cemetery. They provide a great source of food for the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife. On a sunny day they are abuzz with the sound of Bees and other small insects.

Dronefly on Ivy Flower — **Ivy Flower with European Dronefly**

Insects

There are still plenty of Ladybirds around – native ones as well as Harlequins. I’m still seeing Hoverflies and I even saw a few Butterflies earlier in the month.

Small White Butterfly (male) — **Small White (male) (above)**

Speckled Wood Butterfly — **Speckled Wood (above)**

Mushrooms

Remember the one I told you about last month that had fungi growing on it? This is what it looked like a couple of weeks ago!

I found a lot of small mushrooms of various types, including these Velvet Shank, some partially eaten by the cemetery wildlife.

Velvet Shank Mushrooms growing on a log in the cemetery — **Velvet Shank**

Mushrooms can be hard to identify due to their often rapidly changing appearance. I’ve therefore just summarised what I found this month without giving definitive identifications. In any case there’s always the danger of giving an identification as an edible one and then it turns out to be poisonous. However, I would not advocate any form of foraging in the cemetery – it’s only a relatively small site and the fungi should be left for the cemetery wildlife to eat. Most of these mushrooms are tiny anyway.

Birds

I have no unusual avian visitors to report this month. I’ve seen just the usual Blackbirds, Robins, Wood Pigeons, Crows and Magpies. I regularly see Goldfinches and Coal Tits now, plus the occasional Dunnock and Thrush. But the small birds that seem to be the most abundant are Chaffinches, Blue Tits and Great Tits. They’ve had a very successful year.

Conclusion

The cemetery is looking good at the moment and is always an excellent place for a leisurely stroll. But the month ended on a very wet note with lots of heavy showers and the footpaths are rather waterlogged at the moment. The best path to walk on at the moment is the southern one – that’s the one that is nearest to Spring Bank West.

And now for a question – do you prefer to see the names of the plants and animals ON the photos or UNDERNEATH them? I started showing them underneath the photos last month and just wondered what you thought of the change. I can easily revert back to putting the names on the photos if necessary!

Useful link:-

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/06/what-is-growing-on-my-tree/

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – September 2022

September 29, 2022October 3, 2022 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment

The first week of September started well, with a few heavy though not prolonged showers providing some much-needed moisture to sustain the cemetery wildlife.

September contains the first day of Autumn, regardless of what day Autumn begins, be it the 1^st (meteorological) or the 23^rd (astronomical). There were already plenty of fallen leaves carpeting the ground at the start of the month – these had already started to fall in August due to the hot dry weather of that month. This is known as a “False Autumn”, where the trees relinquish their leaves early in order to save water.

Flowers and Plants

That rain arrived not a moment too soon, and the grass verge alongside the cemetery on Spring Bank West is green again. Dandelions have reappeared together with some similar looking but smaller yellow flowers – Autumn Hawkbit and Cats-ear.

Autumn Hawkbit on the grass verge alongside the cemetery — ***Autumn Hawkbit (above)***

Cat's-ear - flower and leaf — **Cat’s-ear (above)**

The two plants look very similar, but the Hawkbit has red markings under the petals and smooth leaves. Cat’s-ear has hairy leaves. The Ragwort is also flowering again, and I found some Hedge Mustard and Wood Avens – both have tiny yellow flowers.

I didn’t find many plants in flower this month. Most of the ones I found have yellow flowers but I did find some Common Hogweed and Daisies (white flowers) and some Cyclamen.

Cyclamen growing inside the cemetery — ***Cyclamen***

I also found some Oxalis on one of the footpaths in the cemetery, but just a few leaves and no flowers.

Oxalis leaves in the cemetery — ***Oxalis***

Lots of the trees and shrubs in the cemetery now have berries on them – a great source of food for the cemetery wildlife. In the Quaker Burial Ground the Yew trees have produced lots of berries.

Walking past there towards Western Cemetery, the Broad-leaved Whitebeam at the end of the path has lots of orange berries on it.

The orange berries of the Whitebeam — **Broad-leaved Whitebeam**

The naturalised Rose bushes inside the Cemetery have some fruits or hips on them.

Rose hips - perfect for the cemetery wildlife — **Rose Hips**

The Blackthorn has some berries too, although I only found them as either singles or growing in groups of two or three.

Blackthorn or Sloe Berries in the cemetery — **Blackthorn or Sloe Berries**

Many of the Bramble plants fruited quite early but there are still some fruits at all stages of ripening on the plants, including some uneaten fruits. The seeds inside those fruits are still very useful to birds such as Bullfinches. The Dogwood bushes have plenty of black berries on them – a particular favourite of Wood Pigeons and Blackbirds it seems.

Birds

This month I’m going to feature those members of the Corvid family that can be found in the Cemetery, namely Carrion Crows and Magpies. There are several of each to be seen. Both make a particularly loud cawing noise, sometimes an indication of a predator lurking nearby.

A Carrion Crow on a branch high up in the cemetery — ***Carrion Crow (above)***

A Magpie in the cemetery — **Magpie (above)**

The Corvid family also includes Rooks, Ravens and Jays. I’ve never seen any of these in the Cemetery but a couple of Jays have been seen in the adjoining Western Cemetery by a visitor a few months ago.

The usual smaller birds are around in good numbers – Blackbirds, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins and Wrens. I also saw a Coal tit – usually I see a couple of them most days but I haven’t seen any for a few weeks, so it was nice to finally see one again. I also caught brief glimpses of a Blackcap and a Treecreeper.

Insects

And now a first for the Cemetery – a Southern Oak Bush-cricket. These are relatively new arrivals to the UK, the first records being in the south of the country in 2001. They’re expanding northwards, and this could be one of the most northerly sightings so far. They’re usually found high up in the tree canopy but also appear in lower shrubs. This one is a female.

Southern Oak Bush-cricket on a headstone in the cemetery — **Southern Oak Bush-cricket**

There are still a few Butterflies around – I saw a Red Admiral near the Cholera Monument, and a Small White along the grass verge. The species I’ve seen most often though is the Speckled Wood, often flying high up in the trees and then coming to rest on the ground.

Speckled Wood inside the cemetery — **Speckled Wood**

There are still plenty of Ladybirds around, both native and Harlequin. I found quite a lot on the sunny sides of headstones as well as on the vegetation. This 7-Spot is one of our native species.

7-Spot Ladybird on an Oak leaf in tjee cemetery — **7-Spot Ladybird on Turkey Oak Leaf**

I’m also still seeing hoverflies, including this Common Banded one.

**Common Banded Hoverfly on Autumn Hawkbit**

Mushrooms

I found this interesting mushroom growing on a grave – it’s a type of Bolete. It started off larger and paler than in the photo and now it’s shrivelled to a much smaller size. Parts have been eaten by the cemetery wildlife too.

A mushroom growing out of a grave in the cemetery — **Bolete Mushroom – side and top views**

There are quite a number of mushrooms in the cemetery at the moment. They can be quite difficult to identify accurately as their appearance can change quite quickly. This one started off smooth on top, and now it has its own fungus on it!

Mushroom with its own fungus in the cemetery — **Mushroom with fungus**

There are some tiny Inkcaps growing along some of the paths, and jelly-like fungus on some fallen trees.

Inkcap mushroom in the cemetery

Jelly-type fungus on a fallen tree in the cemetery

Conclusion

The only significant rainfall was early in the month. Since then, it has been cool and the footpaths are dry again, making an early Autumn stroll around the cemetery easy. Do pop in there and look at the cemetery wildlife – you might spot something I haven’t noticed yet!

Robin on a headstone in the cemetery

Link to further information about fungi –

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/fungi-and-lichens/

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – August 2022

August 28, 2022August 29, 2022 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment

The very warm dry weather of the last month continued throughout the first half of August and this included another heatwave. The temperatures didn’t quite reach the record ones set in July but it was still very hot and dry. As a result, the grass verge alongside Spring Bank West is looking parched and dry and not ideal for the cemetery wildlife. I found very few wildflowers growing there as most of the plants have died and no fresh ones have sprouted up to replace them.

Mushrooms

I’m starting this month’s report with fungi for a change, because on the very first day of the month I saw a small group of Hare’s foot Inkcaps (pictured above). These delicate little beauties last for less than 48 hours, so I was very lucky to catch them when I did. The ones in the photo have just started to decay, hence their curling up at the edges and starting to turn inky black. At the bottom of the photo are some new mushrooms just starting to emerge. This is how they get their name, because these new “buds” are said to resemble a hare’s foot.

I also spotted a much more robust species – the Dryad’s Saddle – earlier in the month. Its condition has now deteriorated, having been partially eaten by the cemetery wildlife. But in its prime I watched it releasing some tiny spores, like very faint smoke drifting in the air. This is the underside of one of those deteriorating mushrooms.

Butterflies and Insects

I noticed quite a few dragonflies in the air over various parts of the cemetery and also over the planted areas behind Thoresby Street school. However they were quite high up and none of them landed so I’m unable to say which species they were.

I saw several white butterflies in flight, and managed to identify at least some of them as Green-veined Whites. But the commonest and easiest to identify at this time of the year is the Speckled Wood. I saw several of these throughout the month.

I also caught brief glimpses of lots of newly-emerged Holly Blue butterflies this month. These will most probably be the second brood of the year. They fly quite high in the air, looking for a mate. Once mated they will then lay their eggs on Ivy flower buds. I also saw some Bees, Hoverflies and Ladybirds in and around the Cemetery.

Birds

I caught a couple of brief glimpses of some Bullfinches – a male and a female – but unfortunately I didn’t manage to get any photos. But a Goldfinch pair I’ve been watching throughout the month have successfully raised two young.

A Sparrowhawk was seen by one of the volunteers, and I’ve also heard at least one Tawny Owl calling on a number of occasions.

I’ve seen good numbers of Blue Tits and Great Tits, both adults and fledglings. The most common finch in the Cemetery is the Chaffinch and there are several pairs and youngsters around. There are always several Robins around, and I’ve seen young of theirs as well. There are several pairs of Blackbirds in the cemetery, also with fledglings. It’s been a good year for all these species.

Trees and Flowers

Back in March last year the volunteers planted three Silver Birch trees at the eastern end of the cemetery. I’m pleased to report two of the trees are thriving and have catkins on them. This is a monoecious species, meaning the tree contains both male and female catkins and can therefore produce its own seeds without the need for cross-pollination with another tree.

The hot dry weather has meant some of the trees have started to lose their leaves earlier than usual. Some of the medium sized trees are already bearing ripe fruit, such as the Elderberry and Dogwood. Both these types of berry are an important source of food for the cemetery wildlife, especially the birds.

As already mentioned, there are hardly any flowers growing on the grass verge other than a few Dandelions. A few plants inside the cemetery are still flowering, with the Great Willowherb adding a splash of welcome colour in the centre of the cemetery.

I also managed to find a few plants with clusters of small white flowers on them. They can be difficult to identify, all looking very similar at first glance. However, one should never assume they are just Cow Parsley, by far the most prolific of the white-flowering plants in and around the Cemetery! In any case their flowering season ended in July. This month I found Upright Hedge-parsley, Wild Carrot and Common Hogweed growing in various places.

Conclusion

August started off hot, dry and sunny with a heatwave in the middle of the month. Then it got cooler and there were a few days with intermittent rain showers. The heaviest of the rain fell in the last week but at best it simply left the footpaths rather damp. The Cemetery was not affected by the flooding that other parts of the country suffered. It’s too early to say whether or not the rainfall was sufficient to enable fresh growth, especially along the grass verge. The rain was certainly good for the cemetery wildlife though!

Snail and headstone on a rare rainy day!

An interesting article about trees:-

https://friendsofhullgeneralcemetery.com/tree-hugging/

And a useful site for wildflower identification:-

https://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – July 2022

July 28, 2022 by Helen Bovillin General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment

July has been another dry month, with hardly any rain. In the middle of the month there were some extremely high temperatures, reaching the mid-30s on some days and breaking the record set in 1990 for the hottest ever day in Hull. Potentially challenging conditions for the cemetery wildlife!

Plants

As a result of the hot and dry conditions some of the plants, especially along the grass verge, are not looking very good. I hope at least some of the new ones the volunteers planted last month will survive, but it has been an uphill struggle trying to keep them watered. There is no running water supply in this cemetery – the nearest supply is in the adjoining Western Cemetery but at the Chanterlands Avenue end.

Some of the trees are looking slightly autumnal as a result of this weather.

But there is some traditional summer colour in the Quaker Burial Ground, such as the Meadow Cranesbill at the start of this report, and some Crocosmia. I realise this isn’t a wild flower, but it has been there for many years and deserves a mention. Even flowers and shrubs that are not native wild ones still have value to the cemetery wildlife.

Birds

An evening walk in the cemetery just before sunset is a great place to cool down and enjoy nature. The birds are still singing including this Song Thrush perched right at the top of its tree. A regular visitor to the cemetery has seen Tawny Owls and an Owlet on several occasions. It’s very reassuring to know that although the nest box had not been used by the Owls this year, they are still visiting the cemetery.

Blackbirds are another species that sing loudly in the evening. Quite often the evening chorus is just as loud and beautiful as the dawn chorus.

There are lots of the smaller birds around, including plenty of fledgelings. Blue Tits, Great Tits and Robins all have successfully raised their young. Wood Pigeons are still mating high up in the trees. They nest until October and can have young in the nest a lot longer than the smaller birds because they are not dependent on insects as a food supply. They make their own type of “milk” in their crop to feed their young.

Other birds seen regularly this month were Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Dunnocks and Stock Doves.

Butterflies

I’ve seen plenty of white butterflies in the cemetery, flying fast and quite low to the ground as they look for suitable places to lay their eggs. This Large White stopped just long enough to lay a couple of eggs and then she was off in search of other suitable sites to lay the rest of them.

I also saw a Meadow Brown flying along the grass verge, stopping just long enough for me to confirm what it was. This is the first time I’ve seen one in this location, but it doesn’t mean this species has never been seen in the cemetery.

I’ve also seen Speckled Woods this month but generally it has been rather quiet for butterflies.

Conclusion

This is a shorter report than usual because the lack of rain has meant less growth of new plants and less species of insect around. Let’s hope August sees a decent amount of rain to stir the dormant seeds in the ground and produce fresh growth for the late summer cemetery wildlife! Cemetery Wildlife – June 2022

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – June 2022

June 27, 2022 by Helen Bovillin News, Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment

There has been some fine sunny weather this month. Whilst not quite hot enough to describe as a heatwave, the temperature did reach over 25 degrees on a few days. This has left the footpaths and the grass verge very dry as there has not been any significant rainfall this month. Many of the Spring plants have now stopped flowering, leaving lots of seeds for the cemetery wildlife to eat.

Insects

I saw my first Red Admirals of the season in the cemetery. The one above was in a sunny area near the volunteers’ cabin. There were also some Speckled Woods around, and I saw a Large White on the Spring Bank West grass verge.

June can be rather a quiet month for Butterflies. The ones that emerged earlier in the year will have mated, laid their eggs and then died. The period between that and the emergence of the next generation from July onwards is known as the ‘’June gap’’. I’ve certainly found this to be the case, not just in the Cemetery but in other areas as well.

However, there were still plenty of other flying insects around.

I also found an insect I hadn’t seen before – a Plant Bug, which is the size of a Ladybird. It doesn’t seem to have a specific common name, so I’ve included its scientific name on the photo. This one is a female – the males are usually a lot darker. They’re fairly new to this country, being first identified in 1996.

I also found a different type of Ladybird – this Cream-spot one. It’s a native British species, identified by its maroon-brown colour and the 14 cream spots on it.

Plants

Some Poppies are now flowering in the grassy area in the centre of the Cemetery. Alongside the Red Campions and Buttercups, they add a nice splash of colour to all the lush greenery.

The cemetery can sometimes look a bit tired at this time of year. This is because the Spring flowering plants have now started to die back and in particular the Wild Garlic, Cow Parsley and Hogweed. The grass verge can also look a little tired too. But other plants have now started to flower such as the Creeping Thistle you can see on the White Butterfly and the Bee photos. There is also White Clover, Common Mallow and Ragwort growing in this area.

To give this area a boost, the Council provided the volunteers with a good selection of native wildflowers to set along here and this has now been done. Due to the lack of rain I’ve had to go back and water them a few times on each of the hotter days. I hope we get a decent amount of rainfall sooner rather than later!

Birds

The birds have been very active this month. I’ve seen them gathering nesting material and also collecting food for their hungry chicks. Some of the birds are very vocal too, especially the Song Thrushes, Blackcaps, Wrens and Robins. An early morning walk is highly recommended – go nice and early and you can often have the whole place to yourself, with just the birds and other cemetery wildlife for company.

The dense foliage on all the trees makes the birds rather difficult to photograph. They are very much a case of heard but not seen. Well, maybe just a brief glimpse!

I haven’t seen any unusual birds this month, just the regular Blue Tits, Great Tits, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Crows, Magpies, Wood Pigeons and Stock Doves in addition to the ones mentioned earlier. Chaffinches are another common species in the cemetery.

Fungi

There hasn’t been much to report recently, but I did find a Dryad’s Saddle later on in the month. It wasn’t as large as some of the specimens I saw last year but it was still a nice surprise to see it. Note the hole – obviously this is a good source of food for the cemetery wildlife, although I’m not sure which species.

Conclusion

June has been a warm, dry and sunny month, creating the perfect conditions for the flora and fauna in the cemetery. The birds are around in good numbers, and I’ve seen some fledglings exploring the world outside their nests.

And finally, it’s nice to see one of the fallen logs being used by creatures that won’t leave any litter scattered around it!

Cemetery wildlife – May 2022

Helen Bovill

Cemetery wildlife – May 2022

May 24, 2022 by Helen Bovillin Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment

CEMETERY WILDLIFE – MAY 2022

Weather-wise May has been a month of contrasts, with plenty of warm sunny days and some cooler days too. But in the last half of the month, we had quite a few rainy days. The rain wasn’t particularly heavy or persistent but there was enough of it to leave a few small puddles behind. This will have been a most welcome sight to the cemetery wildlife, especially the birds and mammals.

Cemetery Wildlife April 2022

Trees and Plants

The leaves on the trees are now fully open. The last to undergo this process is the Ash – at the beginning of the month the flowers appeared and the leaves started to open. The leaves are now fully open and those flowers have started to develop into seeds, known as keys.

The above photo was taken at the beginning of the month.

The Laburnum the volunteers planted in the Quaker Burial Ground last year is thriving, and it produced lots of flowers, starting at the beginning of the month.

May is the best month to see the swathes of Wild Garlic growing throughout the cemetery. It is also known as Ramsons and looks and smells wonderful!

The Bluebells looked at their best this month. The vast majority of them are the non-native, Spanish variety planted many years ago and appear in pink and white varieties too.

There is also lots of Cow Parsley growing in the cemetery and on the grass verge. Some Hogweed has started to appear too. I was surprised to find an Oilseed Rape plant growing next to a tree on the grass verge!

I’ve noticed plenty of Garlic Mustard growing in the cemetery and on the grass verge – a lot more than last year. This is good news for the Orange-tip butterfly as this is one of its main larval food plants.

The Red Campion is now flowering – there is more of it than last year, on the grass verge and inside the cemetery in the grassy central area. Herb Robert is in flower too along the southern footpath.

There are not so many Dandelions in flower at the moment but there are plenty of other yellow wildflowers to be seen, including Buttercups, Smooth Sow-thistle, Hawks-beard, Wood Avens and Hedge Mustard.

Insects

It’s nice to be writing about something different because here’s an insect I saw for the first time ever, and it was the cemetery too! It’s a Scarce Fungus Weevil or Cramp-ball Fungus Weevil and I saw four of them.

You might recall back in December last year I wrote about this strange-looking fungus, called King Alfred’s Cakes or Cramp Balls, which at the time were quite solid. The Weevil lays its eggs inside the fungus and some of the fungi are now quite hollow from having been eaten by the larvae.

There are lots of Ladybirds around – native species and Harlequins too. There are plenty of Bees around, and hoverflies. I also saw another Bee-fly.

There are still Orange-tip butterflies in flight along the grass verge and inside the cemetery. It’s been a very good year for these butterflies, not just here but in other parts of the county according to other people I’ve spoken to.

I’ve also seen Holly Blues, Speckled Woods, Green-veined Whites and Small Whites. The white butterflies are very difficult to identify in flight but when they come to rest it’s much easier to confirm what they are.

Birds

Staying with the cemetery wildlife of the air, I got up very early on the first Sunday of the month for International Dawn Chorus Day. There were so many birds singing, including Robins, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Thrushes, Wrens, Dunnocks and Blackcaps. But as the leaves on the trees were almost fully open by then, it was very much a case of heard but (rarely) seen! These are the best photos I could manage –

I also caught a brief glimpse of a Fox during my Dawn Chorus walk – it darted across the footpath ahead of me but was gone before I could get my camera out.

Later in the month I saw a female Blackcap in the same area as a male I saw a couple of times. I hope they’re a pair and will successfully raise some young.

The Chiffchaffs were still singing during the first half of the month but I haven’t heard any recently. I’ve also seen Long-tailed Tits and Goldfinches, and I caught a very brief glimpse of a Goldcrest.

There are plenty of the larger birds around, such as Carrion Crows, Magpies and Wood Pigeons. I’ve seen four Stock Doves now – this is a species that used to be a rare sight in the cemetery a few years ago but now I see them every day.

Conclusion

Just like last month, May has also been a month of abundance in terms of plant growth. The leaves on the trees are fully open, providing a cool canopy to walk under on a hot sunny day. And despite the rain the footpaths are still easy to walk on, but are a lot softer as I write this. The perfect conditions for a relaxing stroll to admire our wonderful cemetery wildlife!

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife April 2022

April 26, 2022 by Helen Bovillin Volunteers3 Comments

CEMETERY WILDLIFE APRIL 2022

We have not had many of those famous April showers! The total rainfall has been much lower than average for the month and the footpaths are therefore dry and easy to walk on. There have been plenty of warm sunny days and the leaves on the trees have started to open. That fresh, bright pale green so characteristic of Spring is everywhere now.

Trees and Plants

The English Oak trees planted by the volunteers last year are doing well, especially the larger of the two.

Alongside the green foliage of most of the trees is the copper colouring of the new leaves on the large Beech tree in the centre of the cemetery. This tree is also known locally as the “Money Tree” and can be seen in my first photo.

Lower down, the Quince is flowering and nearby is some Yellow Archangel, which seems to do quite well in the shade.

The Lesser Celandines growing on the grass verge have almost finished flowering but they are still going strong inside the cemetery. The tiny blue flowers of the Forget-me-nots and Speedwell can now be seen if you look carefully amongst the other foliage.

Along the grass verge there is an abundance of Dandelions providing nectar for the Bees, Butterflies and other small insects. The similar-looking Hawks-beard can also be seen.

I also found some Ribwort Plantain – the first time I’d noticed any along here.

The Bluebells are now starting to flower but I will say more about them next month. It was good to see plenty of Garlic Mustard in flower – another valuable food source for Butterflies, especially the Orange-tip.

Butterflies and insects

This month I saw quite a few Small and Large White butterflies, and also Comma and Brimstone. I saw my first Orange-tips of the year this month. I also caught a few brief glimpses of my first Green-veined White of the year.

The underside of the Orange-tip’s wings looks green but this is an optical illusion caused by the black and yellow patterning.

This month also saw the first Holly Blues and Speckled Woods of the year appearing in good numbers along the verge and also inside the cemetery.

Holly Blues usually rest with their wings not fully open. These photos don’t really do them justice as they’re a much brighter blue than this but blink and you’ll miss them because they’re tiny and fast-flying. Males and females have similar underwings.

Other insects in abundance were Bees, Ladybirds and various flies including the Bee-fly.

Birds

There are still some berries on the Ivy, providing food for Wood Pigeons, Blackcaps and Blackbirds.

The birds are still busy gathering nesting material. I’ve seen quite a bit of activity around some of the bird boxes with Blue Tits in particular flying in and out of them. The larger birds will make nests of their own in the trees and bushes.

The Chiffchaffs have now arrived but are usually high up in the trees and not very easy to photograph. Their call is loud and distinctive though!

Conclusion

April has been a month of abundance, with an explosion of colour and growth in most of the plants. The number and variety of Butterflies I’ve seen is very encouraging – I’ve seen a total of 10 different species so far this year. Now is the perfect time for a stroll in the cemetery to enjoy the sights and sounds of the cemetery wildlife. You might also enjoy the many monuments too – it seems like the wildlife does! Cemetery Wildlife March 2022

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife March 2022

March 28, 2022 by Helen Bovillin General, Volunteers, Wildlife2 Comments

Where do I begin? March has been a great month for the many and varied members of the cemetery wildlife family!

This first month of the new season started off with a few rainy days but then the sun came out. Most of the days have been very sunny with the occasionally frosty start, but daytime temperatures have been higher than average for this time of year.

This warm sunshine is just what the hibernating cemetery wildlife needed and I saw the first butterfly of the year – the above Small Tortoiseshell – on 10 March.

Insects

It’s nice to be writing about insects again! A week after I saw the Small Tortoiseshell, I saw Commas and Brimstones and I got a brief glimpse of a Peacock. These were on the grass verge alongside the cemetery, but I also saw some of them inside the main part of the cemetery.

These four species of butterfly spend Winter as adults and can sometimes have slightly damaged wings by the time they emerge. This isn’t surprising considering the number of storms they’ve had to survive this year. But I did also see some very smart, new-looking individuals too.

I saw two Brimstones and both were males. Their wings are bright yellow but they always rest with their wings closed so you only see that bright yellow in flight. The females emerge slightly later than the males and are a pale green, almost white.

During the last weekend I saw my first white butterflies of the season. I saw a very active Small White on the grass verge. It only stopped very briefly and when I studied my photo, I found it was a male.

Then in the edible garden area behind Thoresby Primary School I saw a Large White. I realise this isn’t a part of the cemetery but think for the purposes of this report it can be included. After all, if your main entry into the cemetery takes you past this area then your cemetery wildlife experience begins here.

Both these species spend their winters as a pupa – a good indication that the weather is now warm enough for the butterflies to complete their final transition into full adults.

So that’s six different species of butterfly in just one month and in a relatively small area. Quite impressive!

There have been plenty of Bees around. The queens have emerged from their Winter hibernation and are starting to look for places to start a new colony.

These are the main species I’ve seen so far – Buff-tailed, White-tailed and Red-tailed Bumblebees, and Common Carder Bees. I also saw a Tawny Mining Bee towards the end of the month.

I also saw some Bee-flies. Their fluffy little bodies make them look remarkably like small bees. If you’re lucky to see one of these flies resting on a flower or a leaf look at the wings, held open at right angles to the body. Bees rest with their wings over their bodies.

Another insect I was delighted to see was this Hawthorn Shield Bug, on a Common Dog Violet leaf.

There are lots of Ladybirds of various kinds around too. Note the 7-Spot one on the right of the Commas photo for example. This is one of the twelve species native to the UK, and there are also Harlequin Ladybirds around too.

Plants and Flowers

After a slow start the Lesser Celandines are now flowering in abundance and the grass verge at the side of the cemetery is looking beautiful. They are also flowering inside the cemetery. These small yellow flowers can have between 8 and 13 petals, and they feature on several of the photos in this report. The other yellow flowers in the photos are Dandelions.

The Blackthorn trees around the cemetery are now in full flower and some of the leaf buds have started to open. Fresh green shoots are starting to appear on some of the other trees as well.

But when you look at the ground the signs of Spring are all around in the smaller flowers now starting to open. Red Dead-nettle and Wood Anemones are currently in flower on the grass verge.

Inside the cemetery small patches of Common Dog Violets can now be seen, and I even found a few Periwinkles in flower.

Birds

The birds are in full song at the moment, with the Robins being one of the loudest.

The gathering of nest material has begun in earnest and I’ve seen several Blue Tits exploring the nest boxes.

Last year the volunteers sunk a shallow dish into the ground in the Quaker Burial Ground as there is no natural supply of water in the cemetery. Other than the pools that form in wet weather of course! The Blackbirds seem especially fond of it. It’s topped up regularly in dry weather but is kept shallow for the safety of all visitors.

As far as the larger birds are concerned, there are Magpies, Carrion Crows, Stock Doves and Wood Pigeons in the cemetery. They can be seen foraging among the many ground covering plants including Wild Garlic, the leaves of which are shown here.

Some of the volunteers had a close encounter with a Sparrowhawk, flying close over their heads and into the far corner of the cemetery. It was too fast for a photo though! I also caught a brief glimpse of a female Blackcap earlier in the month. There are also Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Long-tailed Tits and Dunnocks around.

Conclusion

March has been a great month for the cemetery wildlife, with lots of sunshine and warmth. But I couldn’t end this report without mentioning the Daffodils which are now open throughout the cemetery. They are looking particularly spectacular along the grass verge, and should continue to look good well into April.

Cemetery Wildlife February 2022

Helen Bovill