Tag: insects

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 – 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 – October 2023

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – October 2023

October was a typically autumnal month, with some misty mornings leading to sunny days.  It was quite mild at times, but it was rain that dominated the month with some quite heavy and prolonged showers, especially towards the end of the month.  As a result of this higher than average rainfall, all the footpaths in the cemetery are very muddy.  At least the cemetery wildlife wasn’t short of drinking water! 

Plants 

Small Flowering

Many of the cemetery’s plants have now died back, including the Hogweed shown above. It’s good that some of the seed heads remain upright even after all the seeds have been eaten because they make a great focal point for us photographers!  However, I also found one still in flower.

The white flowers of Hogweed inside the cemetery
Hogweed

Elsewhere in the cemetery I found lots of Ivy still in flower and attracting plenty of small bees and hoverflies.

Ivy flower in the cemetery
Ivy

The main place for flowering plants is the grass verge along Spring Bank West.  As I mentioned in last month’s report, the Council cut part of it during the hot weather early in September.  Then we had lots of rain and the verge looks green and lush as a result.  Unfortunately this has allowed lots of thistles to start regrowing, but the verge is due for one final cut of the season, hopefully soon.

Despite this I found several plants still flowering, including Tansy, Feverfew and Smooth Sow-thistle.

Bright yellow Tansy flowers on the grass verge alongside the cemetery
Tansy (above)
The daisy-like flowers of Feverfew
Feverfew (above)
Freshly opened Smooth Sow-thistle flowers
Smooth Sow-thistle

That small patch of Ragwort I mentioned last month is still in flower.  I’ve also found White Campion, Wild Basil, Toadflax, Dandelions and Musk Mallow still flowering.

An opening bud of a pink Musk Mallow flower
Musk Mallow

Trees and larger shrubs

The heavy rainfall on the trees has saturated the bark, making it appear very dark.

An old Horse Chestnut tree in the cemetery, with bark darkened by heavy rainfall
Horse Chestnut

It isn’t just the flowers that add colour to the cemetery – the leaves on the trees look equally colourful, especially on the Forsythia growing near the cemetery gates.  It gives us masses of bright yellow flowers in the Spring, and then this in the Autumn.

The bright autumnal colours of Forsythia leaves
Forsythia

The Dogwood growing inside the cemetery is very colourful too.

The autumnal colours of Dogwood, with raindrops
Dogwood

The leaves on some of the trees have started to turn autumnal, but it looks like their main colour will come through in November.

The berries on the trees also add splashes of colour all over the site, and provide food for the cemetery wildlife, especially the birds.

The bright red berries of Pyracantha near one of the cemetery monuments
Pyracantha

Birds

The usual small birds were around in good numbers, including Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Robins, Wrens, Great Tits and Goldfinches.

A Great Tit in the cemetery
Great Tit (above)
Goldfinch perched on a branch
Goldfinch

Walking through the cemetery one day, I heard a cooing sound that differed from the Wood Pigeon and Stock Dove ones I usually hear.  When I looked up I saw a pair of Collared Doves perched on the roof of a nearby house.  Unfortunately they were not in the cemetery itself so don’t count towards this year’s list of bird species seen in the cemetery.  I’m hoping to see them again, but inside the cemetery.

Insects

I saw plenty of small bees and hoverflies this month.  One sunny day I was walking along the grass verge and noticed that practically all of the Dandelions and other similar yellow flowers had a small insect on them.  This includes Ladybirds, both Harlequin and native.

A Marmalade Hoverfly on a Dandelion
Marmalade Hoverfly (above)
Ladybird on a bright yellow flower
Harlequin Ladybird

I didn’t see any butterflies in October, and neither did any of the other volunteers.  This is unusual, because I’ve seen at least one Speckled Wood in the previous two Octobers.

Fungi

Just a couple to record this time – a Jelly Ear and one that looks very like the Dryad’s Saddle ones I’ve seen on a few occasions in the past.

Jelly Ear Fungus growing on a rotting fallen branch
Jelly Ear (above)
A partially eaten large brown fungus - Dryad's Saddle
Dryad’s Saddle

Conclusion

October was a very wet month.  The muddy conditions have made walking in certain parts of the cemetery quite a challenge, especially where people have ridden bikes along the paths, exacerbating the problems.  With rain forecast for the start of November, the paths aren’t going to be drying out anytime soon.  Despite all this, the cemetery wildlife seems to be thriving.

But I’d like to end this report with an appeal to all the animal lovers out there – once Halloween is over, please don’t leave your leftover pumpkins in the cemetery.  They’re not good for wildlife to eat, especially hedgehogs.  Whilst some animals may have a quick nibble of the pumpkin, the majority of it will remain, turning into a rotting mess that the litter picking volunteers then have to remove. The link below gives more information about what to do with your unwanted pumpkins.

Thank you on behalf of the cemetery wildlife, and I’ll be back next month!

A Grey Squirrel perched high on a wet tree branch

https://www.forestryengland.uk/news/dumping-pumpkins-the-woods-bad-wildlife-says-forestry-england-expert

 

Cemetery Wildlife – June 2023

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife4 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – June 2023

June started off dry and warm, with some very hot spells of over 25 C on several days.  There was some rain towards the end of the month, a few of the showers being quite heavy.  This provided the plants with enough water to keep them alive and avoid them shrivelling and dying in the heat.  This June has been one of the hottest on record according to the weather reports in the media.  The dry, shaded pathways in the cemetery provided some cooler and welcome relief from the heat of Spring Bank West for the human visitors, and the cemetery wildlife seemed to be carrying on as normal.

Birds

A male Bullfinch sitting on a branch in the cemetery
Bullfinch (male)

I mentioned seeing Bullfinches in my report last month.  I’m delighted to say that I saw both the male and female on several occasions throughout the month, sometimes together and sometimes separate.  I saw the male more often than the female, suggesting she might have been sitting on some eggs, or brooding some chicks.  When she’s doing this, the male gathers seeds in a pouch in the bottom of his mouth and carries them back to the nest to feed her.  The photo at the top of the report is the female – her subdued colours help to camouflage her when she’s on the nest.  It turned out that I was right about them being a breeding pair because I did catch a brief glimpse of a young fledgling, possibly two.  They lack any of the parent’s colours, being mainly brown.

There are other fledglings around too, including Blackbirds, Chaffinches and Great Tits.

A fledgling Great Tit on a branch in the cemetery
Great Tit

You can tell this is a young bird because the yellow gape at the side of the beak is still visible.  Also the feathers are a very pale lemon yellow, and its legs are pale blue. The adult bird’s legs tend to be a darker grey colour.

I caught a brief glimpse of a Sparrowhawk chasing a Wood Pigeon and another brief glimpse of a male Blackcap. However, I didn’t see any other unusual or rarer birds than the species I usually see in the cemetery.  I still heard the occasional Chiffchaff calling, and other birds were calling and singing too, but nowhere near as loud and as frequent as last month.  The nesting season is well underway, making the need to sing to attract a mate and mark out territory less important.

Insects

Butterflies

It’s been a very quiet month for butterflies, and the only species I saw were Holly Blue, Large White, Small White and Speckled Wood. I also caught a brief glimpse of a bright orange one but it was a fast flier that didn’t land so I couldn’t confirm its identity although it was most probably a Comma.

Speckled Wood butterfly on a teasel
Speckled Wood resting on a Teasel – at one point I saw 6 of them circling high up in the trees

This lack of butterflies is known as the “June gap” because the ones that emerged earlier in the year will have mated, laid their eggs and then died.  There is then a period between that and the emergence of the next generation from July onwards.  And here is a perfect example of that principle – I found this Large White caterpillar in the same area (possibly even on the same plant) where I saw eggs being laid last month.  Here’s my photo from last month’s report –

A Large White butterfly laying eggs on Hedge Mustard
Large White laying eggs on Hedge Mustard – taken 25 May

And here’s a caterpillar I found this month –

A Large White caterpillar on a well-eaten hedge mustard plant
Large White Caterpillar – taken 25 June

I very rarely notice caterpillars as they are so well camouflaged.  This is the final stage or instar of its life as a caterpillar.  It seems to have eaten most of the Hedge Mustard plant it’s on and is now making its way down the stem to find a place to pupate.  It will emerge as an adult butterfly sometime in July.

Other Insects

However, there were still plenty of other insects around.  The best find for me was this – a Thick-Legged Flower Beetle.  I’ve seen these before in other locations but never here.  This was on the grass verge alongside the cemetery and it’s on an Oxeye Daisy.  However, the flower has been nibbled quite extensively by the cemetery wildlife.  I saw a few of these beetles throughout the month – this one’s a male.  The female is slightly smaller and lacks those thick thighs.

A thick-legged flower beetle on a well eaten oxeye daisy
Thick-Legged Flower Beetle (male) on Oxeye Daisy

There were lots of Ladybirds at all stages of their life cycle just about everywhere I looked this month.  This is a very freshly emerged one with its spots barely visible – they’ll develop over a period of a few hours or so.

A newly emerged Ladybird on a thistle leaf
Newly emerged Ladybird 

There were plenty of Bees of various kinds buzzing around the flowers, and Hoverflies too.

Fox-and-cubs plant with a Marmalade hoverfly approaching it
Marmalade Hoverfly approaching Fox-and-Cubs

Plants

Native Wildflowers Planted by the Volunteers

The “no mow” grass verge on Spring Bank West on the southern boundary of the cemetery had become rather choked with Cow Parsley and Thistles recently.  However, these have now started to die back, allowing some more of the plants set by the volunteers last year to come through and flower.  These include some Fox-and-Cubs as shown on the previous photo.  They get their name from the flowers being the same colour as a fox, with the dark buds representing the cubs.  An alternative name for this plant is Orange Hawkbit.

These wildflower plants, all in keeping with the nature of the site, were provided by Hull City Council and comprised several different types including the Oxeye Daisies already mentioned, Red Campion, Clustered Bellflower, Common Knapweed, White Campion and Musk Mallow.  As I’m familiar with the plants that flower along here, it’s easy to spot the new ones that pop up for the first time.

Fox-and-cubs plant with a Marmalade hoverfly approaching it
Top – Clustered Bellflower and Common Knapweed; Bottom – White Campion and Musk Mallow

I’m also assuming that another one of the plants we set was this – a Wild Carrot – as I haven’t noticed any here previously.  It’s easy to distinguish from Cow Parsley because it has very thin, feathery leaves directly underneath the flower heads.  In addition, there is a tiny dark brownish-purple flower right in the middle of the flowerhead, as shown in the close-up.

Wild Carrot - side and top views
Wild Carrot – side view and close-up

We’ve also planted some Teasels in a couple of locations inside the cemetery.  Again, it’s an approved wildflower that’s in keeping with the nature of the site.  It’s semi-carnivorous because rainwater is collected at the base of the leaves, trapping and drowning flies and other small insects.  The plant thus gets a supply of rainwater, and nutrients from the bodies of the insects.  It looks like a Hoverfly of some sort will be providing the nutrients here.

Teasel with a pool of water containing a dead insect
Teasel and drowned insect

Other Plants

The Meadow Cranesbill growing in the Quaker Burial Ground always looks colourful at this time of the year.

Meadow Cranesbill growing in the Quaker Burial Ground
Meadow Cranesbill

The Astilbe growing inside the Quaker Burial Ground came into flower earlier in June.  Whilst not a wild plant, it’s been growing here for many years and deserves a mention because its delicate flowery fronds provide a good source of nectar for the tiny branch of the cemetery wildlife.

Astilbe with insects on its flowersAstilbe

Elsewhere in the cemetery I found this Red Valerian. Some areas inside the cemetery are looking a bit tired as the spring plants start to wilt and die, so this added some welcome colour.

Valerian growing wild in the cemetery
Red Valerian

The leaves on all the trees are now fully open and most of them have finished flowering.  However, one of the last trees to flower is the Common Lime.

The flowers of the Common Lime Tree
Common Lime

Conclusion

June has been a good month in the cemetery for both wildlife and humans alike.  There generally aren’t enough mammals in either numbers or variety of species to warrant a heading of their own, but as I always see at least one or two Squirrels whenever I visit the cemetery I shall end this report, and possibly all future reports, with a “Squirrel of the month”.  This time it takes the form of an engraving on the Blundell monument, recently restored by the volunteers and looking rather elegant in the morning sunshine!

The Blundell monument with a Squirrel forming part of the engraved detail

 

Cemetery Wildlife – May 2023

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – May 2023

May got off to a wet start, but there was plenty of warm sunshine throughout the month.  I was away on holiday for 11 days in the middle of the month and when I got back home, I couldn’t believe the amount of growth there had been while I was away!  The leaves on the trees are almost fully open, flowers are blooming everywhere and the cemetery wildlife is making the most of this late Spring abundance.  The month ended on a cool but dry note.

Plants and flowers

The Bluebells were nearly at their peak when the above photo was taken. The vast majority of them are not the native British Bluebells but a Spanish variety.  Most are blue of course, but I did see a few pink ones and quite a few white ones too. The stems have a more upright appearance whereas the native British ones have a more downward curving stem.  Their flowering reached its peak in the middle of the month.

White Bluebells, sometimes known as Snowbells
Bluebells

Another seasonally abundant plant in the cemetery is the Wild Garlic which is also known as Ramsons.  It started to flower a bit later than usual but by the end of the month it had reached its peak.

Wild Garlic growing in the cemetery near some headstones
Wild Garlic starting to open (inset); in full bloom (main photo)

Some more of the wildflower plants the volunteers set along the Spring Bank West verge last Autumn are now in flower, including Oxeye Daisies, Red Campion and Ribwort Plantain.

A collage of three photos showing Oxeye Daisy, Red Campion and Ribwort Plantain
Oxeye Daisy (top left); Red Campion (bottom left); Ribwort Plantain (right)

There is a lot of Cow Parsley growing along the verge.  I also saw some more yellow flowers in the same family as Dandelions including Smooth Sow Thistle. There are many similar-looking yellow flowers growing in and around the cemetery, so it isn’t always easy to say what some of them are. But I think one of the plants is Hawk’s-beard.

The yellow flowers of Smooth Sow-thistle on the grass verge alongside the cemetery
Smooth Sow Thistle (above)
White and yellow flowers
Hawk’s-beard

I found another yellow flower in the cemetery – this Greater Celandine.  It’s much taller than the Lesser Celandine, of which there are still a few to be seen in the cemetery.

Greater Celandine growing in the cemetery
Greater Celandine

The Hedge Mustard is now flowering.  This plant has a tiny yellow flower and is easy to miss, but the cemetery wildlife seems to like it as I often found butterflies on it.

The tiny yellow flowers of the Hedge Mustard plant which are great for the cemetery wildlife
Hedge Mustard

It’s nice to see other colours appearing in amongst all the white and yellow such as the Periwinkle, and a few of the plants are still in flower.  There are a lot more Germander Speedwell growing in the cemetery this year and their vivid little blue flowers are easy to spot among the greenery.  But the plant with the tiniest flowers must surely be the Ivy-leaved Speedwell.  There is a lot of it growing in various places but you might not have noticed the flowers because they’re such a pale colour and they’re only about 4 mm wide.

A blue Periwinkle flower and green foliage
Periwinkle (above)
The mall blue flowers of Germander Speedwell
Germander Speedwell (above)
The tiny blue flowers of the Ivy-leaved Speedwell
Ivy-leaved Speedwell

I also found some Rock Crane’s-bill growing in the Cemetery, and some Herb Robert.  These splashes of pink contrast nicely with the greenery.

Rock Crane's-bill in the cemetery
Rock Crane’s-bill (above)Herb Robert growing in the Cemetery

Herb Robert

Insects

I haven’t seen any new species of butterfly this month.  Those that I did see on several occasions were the Orange-tip, Green-veined White, Small White, Large White and Holly Blue on the grass verge. And I could almost guarantee seeing a Speckled Wood in the Quaker Burial Ground every sunny day this month!

A male Large White butterfly on a Dandelion
Large White (male) (above)
A Large White butterfly laying eggs on Hedge Mustard
Large White laying eggs on Hedge Mustard (above)
Holly Blue butterfly (female) on a leaf
Holly Blue (female)

I was very pleased to see this – a Common Green Shield Bug – early in the month.  There are several species of Shield Bug native to the UK and they get their name from a shield-shaped mark on their backs, although it’s not particularly visible in this photo.

A Common Green Shield Bug on a Dandelion
Common Green Shield Bug

The grass verge was buzzing with hoverflies and several species of bee this month, including this Red Mason Bee.

A Red Mason Bee on a Dandelion
Red Mason Bee (with Ant) 

Birds

I saw the usual species I’d expect to see throughout the month, such as Magpies, Carrion Crows, Wood Pigeons, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Wrens, Blackbirds and Robins. I occasionally saw Dunnocks, Long-tailed Tits and Stock Doves but I didn’t see any Coal Tits this month.  In fact it’s been a while since I last saw one.

A male Blackbird sitting on a headstone towards the western end of the cemetery
Blackbird (male) (above)
A singing Robin perched on top of a noticeboard in the cemetery
Robin

I also heard Chiffchaffs calling from high up in the trees, hidden by the leaves.  I also saw what I think was a Sparrowhawk perched atop the tower of Thoresby Street school but this was just as the sun was setting and it was mostly in silhouette.  Later in the month I got a brief glimpse of a male Blackcap but my most thrilling sighting was of a male Bullfinch one day, and then a couple of days later I saw a male and a female together.  Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get any photos.

Conclusion

I’ve concentrated on the flowers and insects this month because there was so much variety to be seen.  I also took part in the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge for Hull at the start of the month.  Some of the photos I took for that project are included here.  Each submission to the website/app is called an observation, and I made most of these observations in the Cemetery or on the grass verge. Here’s a link to the results for Hull:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=152160&subview=table&view=observers

The back of a Squirrel in the cemetery
“I’m behind you” – a Squirrel to end the report!   

Cemetery Wildlife – March 2023

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – March 2023

March got off to a very cold and wet start, with several days of sub-zero temperatures and some sleet and snow showers.  The snow didn’t settle though, and was gone within a few hours of it originally falling.  It didn’t seem to have any adverse effects on the cemetery wildlife though, which was as active as ever.  The birds, including the male Chaffinch pictured above, just seemed to take it in their stride.

It does seem odd to be reporting on snow the month after I wrote about seeing our first butterflies though!  But mid-month saw some mild sunny days and this was enough to tempt the butterflies out again, plus some other delightful little insects.  There were still plenty of showers though, and the month ended on a mild but wet note.

Birds

I am always amazed at the beautiful bright colours of our British birds, including this Blue Tit and Robin in the snow.  Whenever I see birds and animals in the snow, I often wonder if they are seeing it for the first time in their short lives, and what they must think of it.

A Blue Tit on a snowy branch in the cemetery
Blue Tit (above)
A Robin on a snowy branch in the cemetery
Robin

I regularly see Goldfinches in the cemetery.  These small finches, which are not much larger than a Blue Tit, make soft chirps to each other as they fly.

Goldfinch on a branch in the cemetery
Goldfinch

There are several Wrens in the cemetery, but they usually fly past in a blur of light chestnut-coloured feathers and rarely stay still for very long.

Wren perched on a branch
Wren

I also saw some small groups of Long-tailed Tits in the cemetery amongst the patches of brambles. They also chirp to each other as they fly – I always hear them before I see them.

I heard my first Chiffchaff of the year in the later part of the month.  Its cheerful and distinctive call is a sure sign that Spring has arrived.  I didn’t manage to get a photo though – they tend to stay very high up in the trees, and don’t remain still for very long.

Insects

There has been an explosion of activity and colour in the grass verge alongside the cemetery this month.  The flowers opened and the small branch of the cemetery wildlife came out to feed on the nectar.

Butterflies

I’ve seen more butterflies than last month, including Small Tortoiseshells and Commas on a few occasions.

Comma on Celandines on the grass verge near the cemetery
Comma on Lesser Celandines

I saw my first White butterfly of the year but I only got a quick view.  It could have been either a Small, Large or Green-veined White as they all tend to appear at the same time of the year, usually early April.

I also saw my first Red Admiral of the year just a few days before posting this report.

Red Admiral butterfly on a Dandelion on the cemetery verge
Red Admiral

I also saw my first Brimstones of the year – the first was in the middle of the month and the second was today.  Both were very active males, but this one finally came to rest on a leaf, laying flat against it rather than perching upright.

A male Brimstone Butterfly resting on a dried out leaf
Brimstone (male)

That’s five different species of butterfly I’ve seen this month, although they have not been present in large numbers. This is due to the many cold, dull and rainy days we have had, plus wind too – not ideal for butterflies.

Other Insects

I saw a bug of a type I’d never seen before – a Juniper Shield Bug.  It was on one of the Daffodils that form the main display near the footpath leading from Spring Bank West to Thoresby Street school.  They are a species found mainly in the south of the UK, but they do seem to be spreading further north now.

Juniper Shield Bug on a Daffodil
Juniper Shield Bug

I saw lots of hoverflies and several species of Bee, including many large queens looking for suitable places to start a nest. I also saw some of the smaller species such as Common Carder Bee and this Hairy-footed Flower Bee.

Hairy-footed Flower Bee on a Dandelion
Hairy-footed Flower Bee

I also just managed to get a quick photo of a Tawny Mining Bee before it took off for pastures, or most probably flowers, new.

 

Common Carder Bee flying away from a Dandelion
 Tawny Mining Bee in flight

I also saw lots of Ladybirds, including our native Seven-spot and some of the non-native Harlequins. I’ve also seen the first Bee-flies of the year, but I’ll talk about them next month.

Plants

It doesn’t seem long ago that I was struggling to find any plants that were in flower.  Now there are so many that I don’t have space to include photos of them all.

Cultivated Flowers

Although this report is about the cemetery wildlife, some of the cultivated plants are providing a good source of nectar for the insects and are worthy of a mention.  This Pulmonaria growing in the Quaker Burial Ground is one such source.

Pulmonaria growing in the Quaker Burial Ground - a good source of food for the cemetery wildlife
Pulmonaria

There are also a few Crocus plants growing in the Cemetery, and lots of different varieties of Daffodil – again, a good source of nectar for the insects.

Purple Crocus in the cemetery
Crocus (above)
Daffodils in the snow, with a headstone in the background
Daffodils

Wild Flowers

We are now starting to see lots of Dandelions in flower.  But the most plentiful of the wildflowers at this time of year is the Lesser Celandine, responsible for much of that explosion of colour I mentioned earlier.  And very resistant to frost and snow.

A Celandine with a light dusting of snow on it
Lesser Celandine

The Snowdrops have almost finished for the year – these were photographed at the beginning of the month.

Snowdrops with a light dusting of snow on them in the cemetery
Snowdrops

There are two small clusters of Wood Anemones growing in the grass verge, in the same place as previous years.

Wood Anemone growing in the grass verge near the cemetery
Wood Anemone

There is also some Red Dead-nettle growing in the part of the grass verge nearer to Western Cemetery.

Red Dead-nettle just starting to flower
Red Dead-nettle

Many of the cemetery’s trees are now in flower, some in the form of catkins and some in the form of a more conventional flower shape.  The Blackthorns in the cemetery that only had flowers on them last month now have leaves on them too – that fresh, bright green colour you see at this time of the year.

Blackthorn growing in the cemetery, with leaves and flowers
Blackthorn

Conclusion

March has been dominated by cold, wet and windy days but despite these conditions the cemetery wildlife does not seem to have been adversely affected.  The grass verge is a lush green and yellow oasis for the insects, and is simply beautiful just to look at during a walk along Spring Bank West.

Coming Up

Next month sees an exciting nature-related event coming to Hull – The City Nature Challenge 2023, which takes place between 28 April and 1 May.  It’s being run by iNaturalist, the app where you can record your wildlife sightings on to a national database.  Hull is one of 22 UK cities or wider urban areas chosen to take part this year.

Some of you might already have this app on your phones – if so, why not visit the cemetery during this period and record any cemetery wildlife you find there?   If you don’t have the app, why not try it?  It’s free to download onto any mobile device and is really easy to use.  Your observations will help build a picture of what is in our favourite cemetery and who knows – you might find something rare or unusual there!

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023-hull