squirrels Archives - Friends Of Hull General Cemetery

Cemetery Wildlife – August 2024

August 31, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife4 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.**

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

Helen Bovill

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

Cemetery Wildlife – February 2024

February 29, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments

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

Insects

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Plants

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Double snowdrops on a grass verge — **Double snowdrops**

Birds

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

Two blue tits in a tree in the cemetery — **Blue Tits**

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

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

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

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

Female Chaffinch perched on a branch — **Chaffinch (female)**

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

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

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

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

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

Fungi

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

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

How to spot hibernating butterflies | National Trust

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – January 2024

January 29, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment

The year started off with a beautifully sunny day and temperatures of just a few degrees. Then there was a day of heavy rain. Then we had some dry, cool days, allowing the footpaths around the cemetery to slowly begin to dry out. In the middle of the month Hull had about a week of very cold, frosty days with sub-zero temperatures. This was followed by two named storms in quick succession. I’m happy to report the high winds didn’t cause any major damage to any of the trees in the cemetery. But generally, it has been quite a dry January. The cemetery wildlife has been as active as ever with good numbers of birds around.

Birds

Small Birds

The featured photo this month shows two Robins that I saw on one of my many walks around the cemetery. They’re very territorial birds but these two seemed to be tolerant of each other. This suggests they’re probably a couple, paired up and looking for a suitable nesting site.

I was delighted to get a few brief glimpses of a Goldcrest, searching for tiny insects in the Ivy. The cemetery provides excellent habitat for them, but they’re very difficult to see.

A Goldcrest amongst the Ivy — **Goldcrest (male)**

They’re very similar to the much rarer Firecrest – please see the link at the end of the report for more information.

I saw the 3 Bullfinches I mentioned last month on numerous occasions. I still find it a delight to see that distinctive shade of salmon pink up in the trees.

Two male bullfinches high up in the trees in the cemetery — **Bullfinches (both male)**

I’ve also seen lots of Chaffinches in the cemetery, and Goldfinches too, often in small, highly vocal flocks.

A back view of a Goldfinch perched on a branch in the cemetery — **Goldfinch**

I saw a Dunnock, and plenty of Great Tits and Blue Tits this month. Blue Tits seem to be the most numerous of the cemetery’s bird species. And high up in the trees I sometimes caught brief glimpses of a fast-moving flock of Long-tailed Tits. One day some of them came lower down and one landed in a tree quite close to where I was standing.

A Long-tailed tit perched on a branch in the sunshine — **Long-tailed Tit**

The avian branch of the cemetery wildlife seems to be thriving at the moment and I’m sure the close proximity to houses on the northern boundary has helped them. Several of their gardens, I’m sure, will have bird feeders and sources of water in them. Shelter too. The RSPB’s “Big Garden Birdwatch” took place during the last weekend of the month and this might well have motivated people to put out food and water to attract them.

Larger Birds

I saw Blackbirds, Carrion Crows and Magpies as usual this month, and caught a brief glimpse of a thrush. It was too quick for me to tell which species it was – Song or Mistle – though. I saw two Stock Doves this month.

Stock Dove in a tree in the cemetery — **Stock Dove – one of a pair seen regularly in the area near the Cholera Monument**

However, they’re not an abundant species – the main species of larger bird is the Wood Pigeon and I saw several of these all over the cemetery. They’re bigger than Stock Doves and have a white patch at each side of the neck and different coloured eyes.

A wood pigeon on a gravestone in the cemetery — **Wood Pigeon**

I often see them on the ground and perching on the headstones. But if you hear a loud flapping noise high up in the trees, look up and you’ll probably see one, reaching for the berries of the most abundant plant in the cemetery.

Plants

Plants – fruit

That most abundant plant is Ivy and its berries are now ripe and ready for the cemetery wildlife to eat! This plant is very beneficial to wildlife, providing food and shelter. Where it acts as ground cover it helps keep the area free of frost, making foraging easier.

I noticed some of the Pyracantha bushes still had berries on them, and the Holly and Berberis too. In addition I found a Rowan (also known as Mountain Ash) with some berries on it.

One of the rowan trees in the cemetery, with red berries on it — **Rowan or Mountain Ash**

Plants – flowering

The council finally cut the grass verge along Spring Bank West during the first part of the month. This took place just in time to avoid damaging any of the newly emerging plants. It looks like it was given a high cut, leaving some of the lower greenery intact.

Frosty leaves on the grass verge — **Three seasons in one – autumn decay, spring growth and winter frost**

Soon after the cut, I couldn’t find any flowers along the verge so I ventured inside the cemetery to see what I could find. There was nothing lower down, and it was too early for Blackthorn, but I found some catkins on one of the cemetery’s hazel trees.

Catkins - the flowers of the hazel tree — **Hazel**

Then towards the end of the month clusters of snowdrops started to emerge and flower all over the cemetery. I found at least two different types this month. Note how both have been nibbled by the cemetery wildlife.

A group of snowdrops with single petals — **Snowdrops – single petals (above)**

A group of snowdrops with double petals — **Snowdrops – double petals**

I walked past the grass verge most days, but it wasn’t until the last weekend of the month that I found some flowers growing again, a couple of weeks after it had been cut.

A dandelion growing low amongst the grass — **Dandelion, with a very short stem**

I was also delighted to see my first fully-opened Lesser Celandines of the year, and my first Marmalade Hoverfly of the year on one of the flowers!

A Marmalade Hoverfly on the yellow flower of a Lesser celandine — **Lesser Celandine with Marmalade Hoverfly (female)**

Then back inside the cemetery, I found a common dog-violet in flower. I don’t recall seeing one flowering so early in previous years.

The small purple flower of the common dog-violet growing near a gravestone in the cemetery — **Common dog-violet**

Conclusion

January has been quite a varied month, weather-wise. Even after a day of persistent rain at the end of the month, the footpaths are still easier to walk on than they were last month. The Council provided us with some chippings from some branches they removed from one of the trees overhanging the footpath and road on Spring Bank West. We used these to repair a small area of the southern footpath.

I found a few types of fungi in the cemetery but nothing I hadn’t seen in previous months. Early in the month I was delighted to catch a brief glimpse of a fox one morning. But I’ll end this report, as usual, with the main representative of the mammalian branch of the cemetery wildlife.

Three squirrels sitting on some of the flat headstones in the cemetery — **On the headstones near the northern path to Western cemetery. See you next time!**

The difference between Goldcrest and Firecrest –

British Garden Birds – Goldcrest (garden-birds.co.uk)

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – December 2023

December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment

The month started off very cold and frosty, and there was even a light dusting of snow one day. The cemetery always looks lovely when covered in snow, but it wasn’t deep enough for the spectacular look that used to be a regular sight every winter. Nevertheless I managed a quick visit before the snow thawed, and found some fox footprints at the eastern end. Proper cemetery wildlife rather than just that of a dog, although the two can look similar!

Fox footprints in the cemetery snow — **Fox footprints**

It was also a very wet month, with some heavy rainfall leaving wet puddles everywhere. After one night of particularly heavy rain a hole opened up in the ground near one of the graves, exposing some of its foundations. The month ended with some mild but very windy weather, bringing down plenty of small branches and also a couple of larger ones.

Birds

It’s a lot easier to spot the avian branch of the cemetery wildlife at this time of the year, with many of the trees being bereft of their leaves. I was delighted to see bullfinches on a number of occasions and counted a total of three – two males and one female. I watched one of the males flying down low, grabbing something in his beak and then flying back up to a higher branch. It turned out he was eating wood avens seeds, a small plant that grows all over the cemetery and has tiny yellow flowers in the spring. After a few hours of working in the cemetery or just walking around with my camera, I always end up with some of these seeds attached to my clothes. But they are obviously appreciated by these stunning birds!

Two photos, one showing a male bullfinch and the other showing a female bullfinch, in the cemetery trees — **Bullfinches – male (left) and female (right)**

There are three different species in the cemetery that have large areas of feathers in shades of pink/red – bullfinch, chaffinch and robin. But as you can see there are subtle differences to those shades.

A male chaffinch on a branch in the cemetery — **Chaffinch (male, above)**

A robin on a headstone in the Quaker Burial Ground — **Robin in the Quaker Burial Ground**

Goldfinches also have red feathers, albeit just a small area around the face, and which is absent in juvenile birds.

A goldfinch on a branch in the cemetery — **Goldfinch**

I see these most days now, and counted a small flock of six at one point. The collective name for goldfinches is a charm, and they certainly are charming little birds.

I also saw a slightly larger flock of long-tailed tits, high up in the trees.

A long-tailed tit perched high up in a tree in the cemetery — **Long-tailed tit**

Nest box survey

The volunteers did this during the middle of the month – a little later than usual due to the wet weather. It’s a job best done when it isn’t raining. This is the fourth year we’ve been doing these surveys.

We should have a total of 57 boxes in the cemetery but we were only able to locate and check 50 of them. 26 of them showed signs of having been used at some point during the year. This gave us an occupancy rate of 52%. I’ve counted the two owl boxes at the western end of the cemetery as having been used due to them containing nest material, although there was no evidence to suggest they’d been used by owls. They had most probably been used by either wood pigeons or stock doves. And as we were checking one of the boxes, a squirrel shot out of it, followed by another one and then at least two more! None were babies but were probably juveniles born in the summer. I’m sure our activities hadn’t adversely affected them – just look at my last photo!

A collection of leaves and twigs removed from one of the owl nest boxes — **The contents of one of the owl boxes**

This occupancy rate is lower than the 61% of last year’s survey. I noticed in last year’s survey that several of the original boxes had been used every year but this year 5 of those boxes had not been used for the first time. The majority of our boxes have been in place since 2019 and are now around 5 years old, so it could be that they’re starting to deteriorate and are less attractive to the birds. However, the main species that use the boxes are blue tits and great tits, yet I haven’t noticed a decline in their numbers.

Plants

I don’t have much to report this month as very few of our plants are in flower. The musk mallow, one of the wildflowers we planted in November 2022, and which started flowering in June this year, is still flowering. I had feared it might have been killed by last month’s frost but it survived. It’s a welcome addition to the Spring Bank West grass verge and it will be interesting to see how much longer it continues to produce flowers.

The pink flowers of the Musk Mallow — **Musk mallow**

I saw a few dandelions flowering in the grass verge alongside Spring Bank West. At the end of the month I noticed that the lesser celandines had started to grow. I even found a few buds on some of them, and an almost-open flower.

An almost-open lesser celandine flower — **Lesser celandine**

There is a large Forsythia growing at the side of the main entrance, and I found buds on that too.

A small yellow forsythia flower and buds near the cemetery gates — **Forsythia flower. The green shoots are also flower buds – the leaves appear after the plant has flowered**

One of the snowdrops the volunteers planted in the Quaker Burial Ground a couple of years ago is now in flower. But last year they had started flowering well before Christmas.

A lone snowdrop in the Quaker burial ground section of the cemetery, with the houses on Spring Bank West in the background — **Snowdrop (photo taken 30 December)**

Elsewhere in and around the cemetery there are still plenty of berries for the cemetery wildlife to eat. The lead photo shows a male blackbird eating some of the berries on a variegated holly tree. That tree is in the central part of the cemetery. I took this next photo on a frosty morning at the start of the month.

The red berries of the pyracantha with a light covering of frost — **Pyracantha berries**

Fungi and Lichen

I found a few types of fungi including some jelly ones, and this large bracket earlier in the month. I checked it a couple of weeks later and it hadn’t been affected by the snow.

A large bracket fungus growing on a tree in the cemetery, with a light dusting of snow — **Bracket Fungus**

I also found a nice example of turkey tail fungus on a tree near the centre of the cemetery. Parts of it showed evidence of having been nibbled by the cemetery wildlife.

Turkey tail fungus growing on a tree branch in the cemetery — **Turkey tail**

December’s high winds left the ground littered with fallen branches. This gave me the opportunity to examine, close-up, the lichen covering many of those small and medium-sized branches. I don’t think I’ve mentioned lichen before, which is the result of a partnership between fungus and algae. The most common one in the cemetery is this – the common orange or yellow scale lichen. Please see the link at the end of this report for more information on this fascinating organism.

Yellow lichen on a fallen branch in the cemetery — **Common orange or yellow scale lichen**

Conclusion

Winter has now arrived, but there are many signs of autumn still present. On one of the milder days I noticed the sunlight catching a cluster of small insects in flight, probably flies of some sort. At the end of the month some of the late winter flowers had already started to appear, and the month ended on a mild rainy note. The ground is still very wet and the footpaths muddy, making the conditions less than ideal for humans. However, the cemetery wildlife has not been affected, and there is plenty of food and water to sustain it as we head into January.

Two squirrels at the entrance to one of the cemetery's owl nest boxes — **Two squirrels for you this month, at the entrance to the owl nest box I mentioned earlier. See you in 2024!**

Some more information on lichen –

What is Lichen? 7 Lichens Found on Trees – Woodland Trust

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – September 2023

September 29, 2023 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife

September started off unusually hot. Temperatures reached the high 20s, possibly even 30, in the first week, qualifying as a heatwave. An unexpected end to the summer here! The trees still had all their leaves though, giving plenty of shade to cool down the cemetery wildlife. As a result, the ground remained damp throughout this period. Autumn officially started in the last half of the month, and it started with quite a few rainy days. Some of the rainfall was quite heavy and the paths are rather muddy again. High winds brought down a few medium-sized branches but no major damage was caused.

Birds

I started this report with one of the two Coal Tits I’ve been seeing regularly this month. These little birds are very slightly smaller than Blue Tits but their colouring is quite different.

Blue Tit on Elderberries, with one in its beak — **Blue Tit and Elderberries**

There is plenty of food for the birds now because of the berries on many of the trees and shrubs. The Elderberry bushes with their fruitful abundance are particularly popular as you can see from the photo above. I saw other species that are light enough to perch on their thin stems too, such as Chaffinches and Blackcaps.

A female Blackcap and a male Chaffinch perched in an Elderberry tree — **Blackcap (female, left) and Chaffinch (male, right)**

Blackbirds like the Elderberries too!

A Blackbird perched in an Elderberry tree — **Blackbird – the brown head indicates this is a young male, still to get his full Winter plumage**

Other birds I’ve seen this month are Goldfinches, Wrens, Great Tits, Robins, Wood Pigeons, Crows, Magpies and Dunnocks. I haven’t had any more sightings of the Bullfinches I saw a couple of months ago. A visitor to the cemetery told me he’d heard a Tawny Owl calling in the area near the Owl boxes. Our end of year survey of the bird boxes should reveal whether or not they’ve nested in the cemetery this year.

Plants

The Pyracantha bushes are now laden with berries, adding some welcome colour and providing food for the cemetery wildlife.

Red Pyracantha berries on the verge alongside the cemetery — **Pyracantha**

A one metre strip of grass along the verge on Spring Bank West was cut by the Council earlier in the month during the hot weather. The rain that arrived mid-month helped the regrowth, and there are now a few Dandelions flowering. The Musk Mallow has survived the cut, and a small clump of Ragwort is still in flower.

The yellow flowers of the Ragwort, on the grass verge alongside the cemetery — **Ragwort**

The Ivy is now in flower, but generally there were not many flowers to be seen in September. I did see a few flowers on one of the bramble bushes, and on this Ribwort Plantain.

The white flowers of the Ribwort Plantain on the grass verge alongside the cemetery — **Ribwort Plantain**

It’s easy to miss these flowers, which look quite different to other more traditionally shaped ones. I also found some Cyclamen growing in the cemetery near the Cholera Monument.

Pink flowers of Cyclamen, growing in the cemetery — **Cyclamen**

The main things to be found on the plants at the moment are berries as already mentioned, and seeds such as on this Dock.

The dried brown seeds of the Dock plant — **Dock seeds**

Insects and other small creatures

I’ll start with Butterflies, as they’re still around in September but in much smaller numbers. I’ve seen Small White, Large White, Red Admiral and Speckled Wood. I can always rely on the latter for a photo, and they often fly on overcast days as well as sunny ones.

A Speckled Wood butterfly on a Hogweed seed head — **Speckled Wood on a Hogweed seed head**

I’ve also caught brief glimpses of the occasional Dragonfly around the cemetery, but none have landed anywhere so identification wasn’t possible. It’s surprising to see them here, especially as there is no pond or other source of water in the cemetery. The abundance of vegetation and damp areas most probably explains their presence.

There are still plenty of hoverflies and bees around, making the most of the flowers on the Ivy. Large queen bees are feeding up on the nectar to sustain themselves during their winter hibernation.

A Queen Buff-Tailed Bumblebee nectaring on Ivy flowers — **Queen Buff-Tailed Bumblebee nectaring on Ivy flowers**

Snails are not insects of course – they’re molluscs – but I thought this White-lipped one was worthy of inclusion because of its attractive shell. It seems to be one of our regular species and stands out nicely on dried plant stems.

A White-lipped Snail crawling up a dried plant stem — **White-lipped Snail**

Conclusion

It’s been a quiet month, with nothing unusual to report as far as the cemetery wildlife is concerned. I occasionally hear a fox calling later in the evenings, and they do live in the cemetery. They seem very wary and secretive though. However, a regular volunteer had a good view of a fox early one evening.

When you spend a lot of the time in the cemetery, either volunteering or just enjoying a leisurely stroll, you get to see certain individual animals that stand out from the rest. Here’s one such animal – I call this squirrel Nick because of those distinctive tears or nicks in both ears. Whether these were present at birth or if they’re the result of a disagreement with another squirrel I don’t know. But here he (or she) is!

A Grey Squirrel climbing up a tree in the cemetery — **That’s all folks. See you next month!**

Helen Bovill