Tag: butterflies

Cemetery Wildlife – July 2022

by Helen Bovillin General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – July 2022

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.

Horse Chestnut

 

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.

Crocosmia

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.

Song Thrush

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.

Blackbird

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.

Wood Pigeon Egg

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.

Large White

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

Cemetery Wildlife – June 2022

by Helen Bovillin News, Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – June 2022

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. Speckled Wood

Large White Male

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.

White-tailed Bumblebee

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.

Plant Bug

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.

Cream-Spot Ladybird

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.

Poppy

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.

Common Mallow

Ragwort

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.

Male Chaffinch

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.

Dryad's Saddle

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!

Squirrels

 Cemetery wildlife – May 2022

Cemetery wildlife – May 2022

by Helen Bovillin Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment on Cemetery wildlife – May 2022

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.

Ash

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.

Laburnum

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!

wild garlic

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.

Bluebells

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!

Oil-Seed Rape

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.

Red Campion

 

Herb Robert

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.

Scarce Fungus Weevil

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.

Harlequin Ladybird

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.

Orange-Tip (male)

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.

Green-Veined Male and Female

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 –

Wren

Dunnock (2)

Male Blackcap

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.

Stock Doves on Turkey Oak

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!

 

Cemetery Wildlife April 2022

by Helen Bovillin Volunteers3 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife April 2022

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.

English Oak (2)

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.

Quince

Yellow Archangel

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.

Forget-me-not

Speedwell

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.

Hawksbeard

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

Ribwort Plaintain

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.

Garlic mustard

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.

Orange Tip

Male Orange Tip

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.

Speckled Wood (2)

Holly Blues

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.

Bee-Fly

Birds

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

Male Blackbird

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.

Female Blackbird

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!

Chiffchaff

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

Stock Dove

 

 

Cemetery Wildlife March 2022

by Helen Bovillin General, Volunteers, Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife March 2022

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.

Commas

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.

Small White

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.

Large White

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.

Bees

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.

Bee-Fly

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

Hawthorn Shield Bug

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.

Red Dead-nettle

Wood Anemone

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

Common Dog-Violet

Periwinkle

Birds

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

Robin

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.

Blackbird bathing

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.

Wood Pigeon

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

Daffodils

 

 

 

Cemetery Wildlife January 2022

by Helen Bovillin Volunteers3 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife January 2022

Cemetery Wildlife January 2022 Cemetery Wildlife December

The year started with a very mild and sunny New Year’s Day – quite possibly the warmest on record for Hull.  There was only a small amount of rain and some fog at the start of the month.  It turned colder in the middle of the month and there was some frost, but it was generally very sunny and dry during the middle two weeks.  The month ended on a duller but still dry note, helping the footpaths to become easier to walk on.

I noticed how the sunlight was able to penetrate right into the heart of the cemetery.  It was actually getting more sunlight than the grass verge due to the position of the sun in the sky, having to rise above the tops of the houses on Spring Bank West.

Plants

I found a Lesser Celandine in flower on New Year’s Day, plus a few Brambles with flowers on them!  Later in the month a few more Lesser Celandines were in flower, and I also found a Dandelion and some Groundsel on the grass verge.

Lesser Celadine

There are lots of Snowdrops now starting to appear, helped no doubt by the fine sunshine, and they seem to be about a week earlier than last year.  Very tiny buds are starting to appear on some of the trees, and there are a few catkins on one of the Hazels.

Hazel Catkins

Insects

I noticed a few small insects in the air, and I also saw a Marmalade Hoverfly. Not surprisingly I didn’t see any butterflies, but I did see a report (from a reliable source) of a Small Tortoiseshell being seen in another part of Hull.

Dandelion with Marmalade Hoverfly  

Birds

It’s been a quiet month for bird sightings in that there have not been any unusual or rare visitors to report.  There are still plenty of the regular resident species around, such as Blue Tits, Great Tits and the much less abundant Coal Tit.

Coal Tit

I managed to catch a glimpse of a Treecreeper.  It started low down on the trunk of the tree and then quickly worked its way upwards, circling around the tree as it climbed.  They feed on insects found under the bark.

Tree Creeper

A walk through the cemetery wouldn’t be complete without seeing one of our most easily recognised birds, the Blackbird.  There are several of them around, raking through the leaves looking for food.  The females are dark brown with a darker bill.

Blackbird

Much of the cemetery wildlife can be seen on the ground, including Wood Pigeons. There are lots of them searching for food amongst the leaves and shrubs.  They can also be seen in the trees, eating Ivy berries.

The resident Robins are now in full song, marking out their territories and trying to attract a mate.  They’re very early risers, often starting to sing a couple of hours before sunrise.

Robin

Also seen this month – Chaffinches, Dunnocks, Stock Doves and Wrens.

Fungi

There are still fungi to be found in the Cemetery even in January.  The small and colourful Velvet Shank can even withstand freezing temperatures.

Velvet Shank

I also found some similar sized mushrooms growing on a fallen log and I believe these are known as Turkey Tail.  Mushrooms can often be quite difficult to identify as their appearance can vary enormously over their sometimes quite short life spans.

Turkey Tail fungus

When we look at mushrooms we only see the fruiting body of the organism.  The rest is hidden below the surface of whatever it’s growing on.  Some are so small it’s easy to miss them.  The Coral Spot is tiny but its bright colour makes it easy to see.

Coral Spot fungus

From the tiny to the large, I found a mushroom the size of the palm of my hand mid-January.  This is a type of Blewit.

Large Blewitt

I can’t say for definite if it was a Field Blewit or a Wood Blewit due to its poor condition but it was still a nice find.

Conclusion

January was a dry month with extremes of temperature ranging from extremely mild to the frosts you’d expect at this time of year.  There was plenty of cemetery wildlife around as usual of course.  But I couldn’t help but look back to this time last year though, when many of the volunteers and visitors to the cemetery enjoyed some excellent views of a Buzzard.  I wonder what our surprise wildlife of 2022 will be? Will it be a bird or an animal or even an insect? We have another 11 months to find out!

 

 

 

Cemetery Wildlife October

by Helen Bovillin General, Volunteers, Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife October

The “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” is how John Keats described Autumn in his famous 1820 ode to this season.  The cemetery has not seen any mists this month but there has been the usual Autumnal mix of rain and cold days and sunshine and warm days.Cemetery Wildlife September

Plants

Many of the plants are now bearing that fruitfulness, including the Guelder Rose shown at the start of this report.  This is the season when it now becomes obvious why the Snowberry is so named, and its white berries are a good source of food for the cemetery wildlife.  Please note however that they are poisonous to humans!

Snowberry

The Pyracantha bushes are now full of their distinctive reddish-orange berries and they look particularly striking along the grass verge on Spring Bank West.  They are an excellent source of food for the many birds living in and around the cemetery.

Pyracantha

Last month seems to have been the best one for Elderberries and Brambles, with very few ripe fruits left on the bushes.  But there are still a few Brambles left, some of which are not quite ripe enough for the cemetery wildlife to eat.

Brambles

The Blackthorn bushes still have a few of their dark purple Sloe berries on them, although only in small numbers as you can see here.

Blackthorn

The Yew trees still have some of their small red berries on them.  The Berberis bushes growing in various places have started to show some nice autumn colour on their leaves.  They have small oval dark berries growing along the branches.

There are not many traditional-looking flowers to be seen this month other than a few Dandelions on the grass verge and small patch of Feverfew.

Feverfew

But the most abundant flowers to be seen this month are on the Ivy.  Initially the flower heads don’t look much like a traditional flower.  But when you look at them in closer detail you can see all the usual elements you’d expect to see in a flower, but just positioned differently.  If in the course of writing future editions of this column I have a “slow news month” then I may use that opportunity to talk about Ivy in greater detail.

Ivy

Butterflies and other insects

The only Butterflies I saw this month were a few Speckled Wood in the central grassy area of the cemetery during a warm spell earlier in the month.

Speckled Wood

There is an abundance of Ladybirds though – they can be seen just about everywhere.  Some are the native British ones and some, like the one on the Feverfew photo, are non-native Harlequins.

Birds

Nesting season is now over.  Some dry sunny days in the middle of October provided the ideal conditions for the volunteers to check the nest boxes to see which ones had been used.  This is the second year of doing this so it was interesting to compare this year’s findings with last year’s.

A total of 41 boxes were checked and 26 of them had been used, giving an occupancy rate of 63.41%.  (Last year a total of 40 boxes were checked and 24 had been used, giving an occupancy rate of 60%).

These figures suggest that this year was more successful than last year.  But three of the original boxes were either no longer present or were not located.  There are also 5 new boxes that were put in place too late to be included in last year’s check.

I could split the above figures according to nest box design and even down to the size of the hole in the front of the box.  This would generate more statistics, some of them quite impressive, but this is intended to be just a brief overview of the volunteers’ work relating to the cemetery wildlife.

Nest hygiene

For reasons of hygiene nest boxes are always cleaned out and left empty ready for the birds to start all over again in the Spring.  This is in accordance with guidelines from the relevant wildlife organisations.  The nests we found were like miniature works of art, carefully built from dried hogweed stems, twigs, feathers and leaves.  Most if not all of the nests contained moss which the birds can easily find on the trees and headstones.

Box 5 - 25 mm

Box 12 - 32 mm

I can’t say for definite who the occupants of the nests were but the first one was from a nest box with a 25mm hole.  This would suggest it had been occupied by either a Blue Tit or a Coal Tit.

Blue Tit

The second nest looks a lot cosier, doesn’t it?  The white material appears to be artificial filling of some kind and I think the small amounts of red material are wool are from the Poppies that are attached to the small wooden crosses dotted around the cemetery.  These are to commemorate the graves of soldiers from WWI and WWII.

I can’t say for definite which species of bird built this nest.  But it came from a box with a 32mm hole which would allow for a slightly larger bird such as a Great Tit or even a Nuthatch.  It was occupied last year too.

As mentioned earlier, the checking of the nests is not quite complete and needs a bit more work.  A few additions and clarifications to our existing data could make future checking easier and the results more meaningful.  Perhaps this time next year, after 3 years of checking the boxes, we will be able to publish a full report of our findings on the website.

Conclusion

October has been a quiet but colourful month for the cemetery wildlife, and the birds are becoming easier to see as the leaves start to fall.  The daylight hours may be less but there is still plenty of time for a leisurely stroll.  I’m sure you’ll manage to see at least one of these endearing little characters during your time here!

Robin

Grey Squirrel

 

 

Cemetery Wildlife September

by Helen Bovillin General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife September

As Summer Ends and Autumn begins we are now at that time of year when the days are roughly the same length as the nights. Cemetery Wildlife – August Well, for a couple of weeks anyway.  At the time of writing it looks like this September is set to be the warmest one on record.  For a few days we had temperatures in the mid to high 20s and it has been very dry with rain falling on only a couple of days.  This has created perfect conditions for a leisurely stroll to appreciate the cemetery wildlife.

Birds

Not much to report this month – the birds are still around but proving hard to capture on film.  The ones born this year are slowly starting to develop their adult plumage, such as this Chaffinch.

Juvenile Chaffinch (male)

You can see the steely blue crescent starting to appear around the head, indicating that this one is a male.

The volunteers sunk a shallow dish into the ground in the Quaker Burial Ground recently and the birds seem to appreciate this. No doubt other wildlife such as Squirrels and Foxes will appreciate it too.

Blackbirds

On a couple of days towards the end of the month I heard a Tawny Owl calling at sunset and this is very encouraging as the call seemed to be coming from the direction of the Owl boxes.

And finally, I was surprised to see a couple of Parakeets flying overhead while I was walking along Princes Avenue!  They were quite high up but from their call I could tell they were Ring-necked Parakeets.  It was disappointing to realise they were not headed for the Cemetery but probably for Pearson Park or East Park, where they have occasionally been sighted.

Butterflies and other insects

There are still some butterflies around including this Red Admiral on the grass verge along Spring Bank West.  It is a shame that it landed on a piece of litter but this butterfly looked too perfect not to take a quick photo!

Red Admiral

There were also some Small Whites along the verge, and a Holly Blue feeding on a Thistle.

Small White (male)

Holly Blue

But the butterfly most often seen inside the cemetery is the Speckled Wood.  They seem to be the easiest ones to photograph because they rest mainly on leaves and remain still long enough to get a good photo.

Speckled Wood

This was taken in the recently trimmed meadow area in the centre of the Cemetery.  The volunteers took care not to cut down the Teasel and as soon as the area around it was cleared the plant was buzzing with insects.

Teasel with Hoverflies

It is also that time of year when there are plenty of spiders around.  One of the most common ones is the Cross or Garden Spider.  It is a member of the Orb-weaving family and has a distinctive cross marking on its abdomen.  Many can be found in our gardens and parks as well as in the cemetery.  Look out for them and if you’re lucky you might get to see one creating its web.  It’s a fascinating process.

Spiders pair

This one has its prey neatly trussed up ready for consumption at a later date. The photo on the left shows a different spider of the same species, resting on our gardening equipment.

Also seen in the meadow area was this attractive White-lipped Snail.

White Lipped Snail

Plants

There are very few plants in flower at the moment.  A few Hogweed are still in flower, but most have now gone to seed – a good food source for the cemetery wildlife.

Hogweed

Other flowers seen this month are Feverfew, Thistle and Smooth Sow-thistle.  There is also some Cyclamen in flower near the Cholera Monument, although this is not a wild flower.

Smooth Sow Thistle

Cyclamen

Many of the plants have now started to produce berries and I hope to write in more detail about this next month.

Mushrooms

I have not found anything new this month, other than the usual very tiny Fairy Inkcaps growing in groups on the ground.

Conclusion

The cemetery is a great place to see and hear wildlife.  It is a great place to remember and appreciate the lives of the people who are buried here.  It is also a great place to appreciate the artistic beauty of the headstones and memorials.

Also it is a great place for photography.  As we head into Autumn the changing colours of the leaves and the increasing levels of light create the perfect setting for taking photos of the cemetery wildlife. Why not give it a go and share your photos on our very popular and vibrant Facebook page?

Wonderful Wildlife

by Helen Bovillin General, Volunteers, Wildlife1 Comment on Wonderful Wildlife

Wonderful Wildlife in May

This is the month when a big transformation takes place.  We don’t have to do anything though – just stroll around and enjoy the wonderful wildlife in May!

May started with plenty of sunny weather although it was colder than usual for this time of the year.  Towards the end of the month there was plenty of steady and much-needed rain and that transformation is almost complete.  April’s small green shoots are well on the way to becoming fully-fledged leaves. Wonderful Wildlife

Birds

The big news is that the Tawny Owls have raised two babies (known as Owlets, pictured above)!  I only saw them both together on three consecutive days at the beginning of the month and they proved very popular with visitors to the cemetery.  The last day I saw them one was perched at the entrance to the nest box and the other was sitting on the roof.  I saw them stretching their well-developed wings ready for fledging and I hope they have now done this successfully.

There is at least one family of recently-fledged Long-tailed Tits in the cemetery as I recently saw an empty nest in the centre of some Brambles. I caught up with this family just outside the boundary in Western Cemetery and counted at least ten of them in a Cherry tree.

Long-Tailed Tits

Butterflies and other insects

Four species of white butterfly were seen in the cemetery with Large White, Small White, Green-veined White and Orange-tip flying in decent numbers whenever the sun was out.  This was the dominant butterfly colour in May.  Several Speckled Wood and one or two Peacock, Brimstone and Holly Blue were also seen.

Orange-Tip female

                                                

Ladybirds have now emerged from hibernation and are plentiful and varied.  The UK actually has a dozen or so native species with the 7-Spot being the most common.  You should therefore never assume a strange-looking Ladybird is a non-native Harlequin!

                                             

 

Flowers

The Bluebells were in full bloom growing in beautiful carpets throughout the cemetery. Many of them are the cultivated Spanish variety, having quite upright stems and conical bell-shaped flowers.  They have blue pollen and no scent.

Bluebells in the Cemetery

Native Bluebells on the other hand have curved, drooping stems and narrower bell-shaped flowers with rolled back tips.  They are also scented.  Only Bluebells that have ALL these characteristics are true native ones.  Those with only some are hybrids of the native and Spanish varieties.  The ones in the Orange-tip photo are most probably native ones although it wasn’t possible to smell them to confirm this!

The Wild Garlic (also known as Ramsons) is now in full flower in several places and you can catch its distinctive smell as you walk by.  These along with many other plants seen this Spring have flowered slightly later than usual.

                      Wild Garlic field

                                Close up of Ransom flowerhead

Another white flower that can now be seen inside the cemetery and on the Spring Bank West verge is Cow Parsley.  Its lush growth lines the footpaths and covers the areas further back in the centre.  It provides a valuable source of nectar for butterflies and many other small insects.  Most visitors to the cemetery in May, even after an absence of only a week or so, will notice the transformation straight away.  This is completely natural and does not make the area ‘’overgrown’’.  The sight lasts for a few weeks and then the plants start to die back, leaving seed heads that provide more food for the birds.

Cow Parsley

A similar-looking plant is the native Hogweed.  It is sturdier and slightly taller than Cow Parsley and has large flat leaves.  It also has large clusters of white flowers although the buds are dark pink on the outside.

Hogweed

There are still a few Celandines in flower.  Quite remarkable considering the first flowers appeared back in January!  Buttercups are now in flower and there is Hawks-beard and Common Vetch on the Spring Bank West verge.

Several plants have tiny flowers and many of these tend to get overlooked or simply dismissed as weeds. But once you know their names they stop being weeds and become wildflowers.  Some of those smaller ones that can be seen at the moment are Hedge Mustard (not to be confused with Garlic Mustard, which I talked about last month),  Shepherds-purse and Herb-Robert.

                                                  Herb Robert

Mushrooms

A new sub-heading to reflect some excellent specimens that were found this month!  Mushrooms and fungi can be seen at any time of the year on fallen logs and on living trees.

Dryad's Saddle fungi

Mushrooms can be quite difficult to identify and can vary quite a lot between specimens. Some, like this Glistening Inkcap, deliquesce very quickly – these two photos were taken just 24 hours apart.

                                            Fungi

 

May has been a month of changeable weather and rapid transformation.  The wonderful wildlife that lives in the cemetery has continued to thrive and new lives are being nurtured in peace and security all over the site.  I hope to talk about these in the next newsletter.