Tag: trees

Cemetery Wildlife November 2024

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

By Helen Bovill, volunteer, 30 November 2024

Weather-wise, November had it all, starting off with a bright sunny day.  More than a week of cool, dry dullness followed, the lack of wind keeping the weather unchanged. There was a moderate amount of rain which was good for the cemetery wildlife.  One day I saw a Wood Pigeon drinking from a small puddle on the top of a headstone.

Towards the end of the month there were a few frosty days but only the very lightest of snow flurries which didn’t settle.  It sometimes feels like the cemetery has its own microclimate because whilst there was a heavy frost on the exposed verge alongside Spring Bank West, I found very little frost inside the cemetery, it being much more sheltered by all its magnificent tall trees.

Bramble leaves covered in frost

Birds

Autumn is when there is an influx of migratory birds from mainland Europe and beyond.  This doesn’t just include rare or uncommon species but common ones too such as Robins and Blackbirds.   The one pictured above could well be one such visitor, as I saw more Blackbirds than usual this month.

I saw a good number of the smaller birds too, such as Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Robins, Chaffinches and Goldfinches.

A male and a female chaffinch perched on branches in the cemetery
Chaffinches – female (left); male (right)

They were still active despite the rain, and much easier to spot with most of the leaves now fallen from the deciduous trees.

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

Other birds were active too – I even saw a pair of Wood Pigeons mating, high up in a tree.  It seems rather late in the season do be doing that, but pigeons feed their young by producing a type of milk in their crop.  This allows their breeding season to be longer than that of the other birds.

Insects

I was very surprised to see a Red Admiral quite late in the month – on the 26th.  It was on a cool but sunny day that followed a few very cold frosty ones. This is probably the latest in the year I’ve ever seen a butterfly anywhere in the UK.  Although quite worn and with several parts of its wings missing, it was still managing to fly.

a Red Admiral butterfly resting on a golden leaf on the ground inside the cemetery
Red Admiral

I also saw this tiny moth – an Ashy Button.  It was around the size of my little fingernail.

A tiny pale grey Ashy Button moth, resting on autumn leaves
Ashy Button

There were still a few ladybirds, bees, flies and hoverflies around.

A Sun Fly hoverfly feeding on a dandelion
Sun Fly, also known as The Footballer due to its pattern of stripes

 Plants

Fruits and Flowers

I didn’t find many plants in flower at all this month, just a few Dandelions and some Feverfew.  And the Ivy too of course.

The small daisy-like flowers of Feverfew growing on the verge alongside the cemetery
Feverfew

I also noticed a flower on the Himalayan Honeysuckle.

The dark red flower of Himalayan Honeysuckle
Himalayan Honeysuckle

There was still some fruit for the cemetery wildlife to eat.  I found brambles still to fully ripen, rose hips, and berries on the holly, just in time for Christmas.

Bramble fruits at varying stages of ripeness
Brambles (above)
Rose hips with raindrops on them in the cemetery
Rose hips (above)
Holly with berries, some of them not fully ripe
Holly (above). I don’t think I’ve ever noticed partially ripe berries before.

Also worth noting is the appearance of one or two Lesser Celandine leaves, poking through the fallen leaves in a couple of places in the cemetery.

A small new green leaf of the Lesser Celandine amongst autumn leaves
Lesser Celandine

Earlier on in the month the Council gave the verge alongside the cemetery its end of season cut, although they only cut the outer couple of metres or so and didn’t remove what they’d cut.  The rest further back had been left.  The volunteers started cutting back some of the brambles that had started to encroach into the area where the daffodils usually flower.

Trees

Last month I said I would talk in greater detail about our trees in autumn.  Most of their leaves have now fallen, leaving carpets of various colours all over the cemetery.  This gave me a good opportunity to study them up close in greater detail.  It’s hard to study them when they’re so high up!

The leaf colours vary enormously – the White Poplar is a good example of this.

Two photos of two White Poplar leaves, one showing the tops and the other showing the undersides of them
White Poplar. The pale colour of the underside (left photo) shows why the tree is so named.

Leaf shape is often a good way of identifying trees.  At first glance Sycamores and Maples look the same, but their leaves are different.

Two photos of fallen leaves, one showing a sycamore leaf and the other showing a Norway Maple leaf
Sycamore (left) and Norway Maple (right). Note the different shapes, and the small toothed edges of the Sycamore that are absent in the Maple.

The only Oaks in the cemetery are Turkey Oaks, and their leaves turn a variety of colours in the autumn.

Fallen Turkey Oak leaves covered in frost on the cemetery verge
Turkey oak

The leaves of the Beech tree, especially in autumn, are quite distinctive with their coppery colour and wavy but untoothed edges.  By contrast the Hornbeam has toothed leaf edges.

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

You’ll note that some of the leaves are resting atop headstones.  Many fall on the headstones anyway of course, but these were placed here by myself to make photography a little easier!

Elms have toothed edges too, and a distinctive leaf edge that is longer at one side than the other. They are difficult to identify but this is probably an English or a Field Elm (Complex Ulmus minor).

The green leaf of an Elm, resting on a headstone in the cemetery
Elm (above).
The green leaf of the Small-leaved Lime on the ground in the cemetery
Small-leaved lime

I noticed how the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife seems to have nibbled many of the fallen leaves, and I found some tiny insects on their undersides but was unable to get a clear photograph of them.

Fungi

I have nothing new to report, other than a couple of small clumps of Candlesnuff fungus growing on tree stumps.

The white fingers of the Candlesnuff fungus growing on a tree stump
Candlesnuff fungus

Conclusion 

I observed lots of cemetery wildlife during November’s changeable weather.  Doing this was as enjoyable as ever, even in the rain.  This was the last full month of autumn and it ended on a rather damp note.

A Grey Squirrel amongst fallen beech leaves
Your squirrel of the month. See you next time, when it will be winter!

 

Cemetery Wildlife – October 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – October 2024

The first full month of autumn contained some mild sunny weather, with temperatures reaching the high teens on several days.  October is the month of Hull Fair, and anyone who has lived in Hull for most of their lives will be familiar with the term “Hull Fair weather”.  This dates back many years and refers to the cold, wet and windy weather that often used to affect the week of the fair.  Nowadays more and more Hull Fair weeks are mild and sunny. Many fairgoers use the Cemetery as a short cut from the Dukeries to Spring Bank West and then to the fair. I hope they appreciate the beauty of the cemetery wildlife on their way there.

Insects

I was hoping to see some butterflies, and saw a Speckled Wood at the beginning of the month. Then much later in the month I saw two of them, plus one Comma.  These are pictured above – the Comma is on the left.  Both these species overwinter as adults, and the mild sunny days seem to have kept them active.

I saw lots of Ladybirds this month, all of them Harlequins as far as I could tell.  Several of them landed on my clothes and in my hair while I was trying to photograph just one of them!

A harlequin ladybird on a holly leaf in the cemetery
Harlequin Ladybird on Holly

The rest of the insects I saw in October were mainly wasps, a few hoverflies and several flies of various types.

Bluebottle fly on the leaf of a Lime tree inside the cemetery
Bluebottle on Lime

Birds

It was a quiet month for the avian branch of the cemetery wildlife.  I saw most of the expected small birds but in ones and twos rather than in larger numbers.  These were Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks and Blackbirds.  There was still no sign of the Bullfinches that were a regular sight in the spring and early summer.

A male Blackbird foraging on the ground in the Quaker Burial Ground
Blackbird (male)

Of the larger birds, I saw just Wood Pigeons, Carrion Crows and Magpies.  I didn’t see any Stock Doves this month.

A Carrion Crow perched in a tree in the western end of the cemetery
Carrion Crow

Plants and Trees

I spent a considerable amount of time looking for flowers this month, but found much less than I did this time last year. The most flowers I found were on the Ivy.  The flowers and fruits of this widespread plant provide food for much of the cemetery wildlife.

Ivy flowers on a plant growing upwards
Ivy

I managed to find a few Dandelions in flower, and also one White Campion.

A Dandelion growing on the verge alongside the cemetery
Dandelion (above)
White Campion
White Campion

Wood Avens is a plant that can be found just about everywhere in the cemetery. It spreads with ease by its seeds, which can easily get stuck on clothing and animal fur.  I managed to find one plant still in flower.

Tiny yellow Wood Avens flowers
Wood Avens

As you can see, it appears to have been nibbled by the cemetery wildlife.

The trees continue to look very autumnal, including this Rowan and a large Beech tree in the centre of the cemetery. But I’ll say more about the different trees and their autumn leaves in next month’s report.

The orange and yellow colours of autumn on Rowan leaves
Rowan (above)
A large Beech Tree in the centre of the cemetery, with some of its fallen leaves on top of a nearby gravestone
Beech – this one is also known locally as the “Money Tree” due to the lines of coins embedded in its trunk. The leaves at the bottom of the photo have landed on a nearby gravestone. 

Fungi

I found a species I’d never seen before – the Flame Shield.  They were growing inside the trunk of an old but still living Horse Chestnut tree.

Two orange Flame Shield mushrooms growing inside the exposed, rotting trunk of a tree
Flame Shield

I also found some Candlesnuff fungus, growing on a tree stump, and some Coral Spot on a nearby fallen branch.

The small white upright strands of Candlesnuff fungus growing on a rotting tree stump
Candlesnuff fungus (above) 
Tiny orange dots of Coral Spot fungus growing on a fallen branch in the cemetery
Coral Spot fungus

I also found a group of small mushrooms.  They were larger than the Fairy Inkcaps I occasionally see, so these are possibly Common Inkcaps.

A small cluster of inkcap mushrooms on the ground in the cemetery
Inkcap mushrooms

Conclusion

In addition to the weather already mentioned, there was some rain in the last half of the month.  This has left some parts of the footpaths muddy with small puddles in them, but nowhere near as bad as it was last October. The month ended with a week of dry, mild and sometimes sunny weather, so the footpaths have started to dry out and are now easy to walk on again.

A squirrel pauses at the foot of a tree, near a large bracket fungus
Your squirrel of the month. These furry little acrobats are certainly the “fun guys” of the cemetery!

And Finally …..

I’m delighted to say that Hull General Cemetery now has its own dedicated page or project on the iNaturalist website.  It was kindly set up for me by Andy Steele of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.  Whenever anyone adds anything they’ve seen in the cemetery to iNaturalist, either from their smartphones or computers, it’s automatically added to the cemetery page.  I’ve added a link below – as you might have guessed, I’m helenbhull.  You can now see not just the cemetery wildlife I’ve found but what other people have found too.  Please enjoy looking at this fascinating site!

Search Projects · iNaturalist United Kingdom

Cemetery Wildlife – September 2024

by Helen Bovillin Volunteers1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – September 2024

Autumn Fruits Special

This month marked the end of summer and the start of autumn.  The weather was very mild, dry and sunny for the first three weeks of the month.  Many of the shrubs and trees are now bearing fruit and providing plenty of food for the cemetery wildlife.  To mark such abundance, this month’s report is an autumn fruits special.

Plants, Trees and Shrubs

Fruit

The Dog Rose near the Cholera Monument is now bearing fruit, known as hips (pictured above).

I found a small group of European Barberry plants not far from the main gates.  Their small red berries add a nice splash of colour to the greenery.  I found lots of orange and red berries on the Firethorn bushes growing along the south path and also at the back of the Spring Bank West verge.  Firethorn is also known as Pyracantha.

The Japanese Skimmia now has a few red berries on it.  I noticed that some had already been eaten by the cemetery wildlife.  The Yew tree in the Quaker Burial Ground has berries on it, many of which had fallen to the ground.  I couldn’t see any on the tree because of the darkness of the leaves and the lack of light.

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

The majority of the fruits in the cemetery fall into two colour sets – red/orange, and black/purple.  Here is a selection of fruits from the latter category:-

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

Brambles and Elder grow throughout the cemetery and are a particularly good source of food for the cemetery wildlife.  I noticed Blackbirds in particular eating the elderberries.

There is a patch of Cuckoopint or Lords-and-Ladies growing in a central part of the cemetery.  I’ve never seen the plants reach their fruiting stage in an upright position though.  They usually seem to wither and end up flat on the ground.  I don’t know if this is because they get trampled by visitors to the cemetery or if they’re just not strong enough to remain upright.

Orange and green berries on cuckoopint or Lords-and-Ladies
Cuckoopint or Lords-and-Ladies

I found lots of acorns on the ground from one of the Turkey Oaks along the south path.  They seem to have fallen prematurely in the recent high winds, as none of them looked ripe.

An unripe Turkey Oak Acorn on a a headstone in the cemetery
Turkey Oak

Flowers

A small patch of Feverfew is still in flower on the Spring Bank West Verge.

The daisy-like flowers of Feverfew
Feverfew

But in general, I didn’t find many plants in flower this month.  I found a few flowers on some of the brambles, and the Ivy is now in flower.  It’s easy to walk past without seeing their flowers because they look so different to other flowers.  At the moment they’re providing food for insects; later their berries will feed a lot of the cemetery’s birds.

An Ivy flower with a Marmalade hoverfly feeding on it
Ivy flower with Marmalade Hoverfly

The Red Campion and Creeping Thistle is still flowering.  The only new flower I found this month was Ivy-leaved Cyclamen.

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

Fungi

Continuing with the fruity theme, whenever you see any type of fungi what you’re looking at is the organism’s fruiting body.  The main part of a fungus is made up of lots of fine threads, growing under the surface and therefore hidden from view.  Please see the link at the end of this report for more information.

The largest fungus I found was one I wasn’t able to identify for certain.  It could be either a Birch Polypore or a Dryad’s saddle.

Fungus growing in the cemetery

It looks like the cemetery wildlife found it before I did!

Quite a lot of the fallen logs have smaller fungi and lichens growing on them which can also be difficult to identify.  But one I was able to identify was Witches’ Butter.

Witches' butter fungus growing on a fallen log in the cemetery
Witches’ butter

Birds

I noticed quite a few fledglings in the cemetery this month – Robins, Goldfinches, Blue and Great Tits, and Chaffinches.  Some of these were towards the end of the month.  It looks like the generally warmer weather has allowed some of the cemetery’s birds to raise a second brood later in the season.

Two young Chaffinches
Young Chaffinches. (Young Goldfinches look very similar, but have distinctive yellow wing feathers.)

I was hoping I might see some baby Bullfinches, but I haven’t seen any Bullfinches this month.  The adult birds that I used to see regularly just don’t seem to be around anymore.

Insects

There were still some bees, hoverflies, ladybirds and other small insects around.  I saw dragonflies on a couple of occasions.

Common Darter dragonfly on dried Dock seeds
Common Darter on the seed head of a Dock plant (above)
An orange and black spotted Harlequin Ladybird
Harlequin Ladybird

I started to notice wasps in and around the cemetery this month.  It occurred to me that I never stop to look at this common species so this time I did!

A wasp on a fallen log
Wasp

I don’t often see moths in the cemetery, but this month I saw a tiny Plume moth of some sort.  It didn’t stay still for very long though, and landed amongst some nettles.

Butterflies

I saw at least five different species of butterfly this month, but in singles rather than in any sort of numbers.  There are 3 species of white butterfly I’d expect to see in the cemetery at this time of the year – Small White, Large White and Green-veined White.  I caught occasional glances of a white butterfly or two but I wasn’t able to confirm the species. I did see Comma, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Holly Blue though.

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

Conclusion

After a mild and dry start, September ended with some colder weather, and a couple of wet and very windy days.  Fortunately, the rain wasn’t heavy and prolonged enough to turn the footpaths muddy.  The avian branch of the cemetery wildlife seemed to cope with the wind, and I watched as the smaller birds seemed to time their short flights to fit in with the lulls between gusts.  However, the wind brought down a medium sized tree at the western end of the cemetery, blocking the northern footpath leading into Western Cemetery.

A fallen tree at the western end of the cemetery

And finally ……

A squirrel with a horse chestnut fruit in its mouth
A perfect (albeit blurry) example of how there is food for everyone in Hull General Cemetery. See you next month!

Link to Fungi information –

How are fruit bodies made :: British Mycological Society (britmycolsoc.org.uk)

Cemetery Wildlife – August 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife4 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – August 2024

August has been the driest month of the year so far.  Our part of the country had only around 20% of its expected rainfall, leaving the footpaths dry all month.  This meant less available water for the cemetery wildlife, as there is no water supply on site.  In the absence of puddles, I’ve been maintaining a small shallow dish of water in the Quaker Burial Ground.  As the cemetery has several houses that back onto it, I hope they contain bird baths and other water features to supplement this.  There were plenty of warm sunny days in August, but no heatwave.

Insects

I had a few brief glimpses of dragonflies in the first part of the month.  I finally managed to photograph them one sunny afternoon later in the month. I was delighted to see two different species – firstly a Common Darter, pictured above.  At the same time and in the same part of the cemetery I also saw some Migrant Hawkers.  I saw one land on a high, dead branch, then noticed some more on that same branch.  At one point I counted a total of five of them, wings open, catching the sun, together with a second Common Darter.

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

It’s great to be able to add these to the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife.  For more information about dragonflies, please see the link at the end of this report.

I saw another butterfly species this month – the Gatekeeper.  I actually saw two, both female, on Ragwort on the grass verge alongside the cemetery.  This is the second year I’ve seen them here, and it brings the yearly butterfly species total to twelve.

Two photos of an orange and brown female Gatekeeper butterfly, one showing the wings open and the other showing the wings closed
Gatekeeper (female) – one of two I saw on the grass verge one morning

The only other butterflies I saw this month were Holly Blue, Large White and Speckled Wood.  The Speckled Woods were the most abundant, but it shows what a quiet summer it’s been for butterflies when seeing four of them at once counts as a high amount.

Holly Blue butterfly on yellow Ragwort flowers
Holly Blue butterfly on Ragwort (above)
A Large White Butterfly on a leaf
Large White (male) (above)
A Speckled Wood butterfly on a leaf in the Quaker Burial Ground part of the cemetery
Speckled Wood, one of four I saw in the Quaker Burial Ground

I saw plenty of small bees and other tiny insects this month (several of which bit me during my days working in the cemetery!).  I didn’t see many hoverflies or ladybirds this month.

A 7-spot Ladybird on a leaf in the cemetery
7-Spot Ladybird with irregular markings

Birds

Many of the birds have been busy raising their young, and I saw a number of fresh eggshells on the ground in the cemetery.

A white eggshell lying on the ground in the cemetery

Whilst I can’t say for definite which bird laid this particular egg, the colour and size would suggest a Wood Pigeon or possibly a Stock Dove.  Both species live in the cemetery.

I also found a feather on the ground.

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

I’ve been unable to find out which bird it belonged to.  My guess is possibly either a Tawny Owl or a Sparrowhawk, both of which have been seen in the cemetery.  However, it could also be from a Buzzard – this species was a spectacular visitor to the cemetery a few years ago.  I hope this is just the result of preening rather than an attack of some sort.

The smallest avian branch of the cemetery wildlife has proved rather difficult to photograph this month.  There have been plenty of Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Robins around, but I did manage this quick snap of a Coal Tit.

Coal Tit on a branch
Coal Tit

I also saw Wrens, Goldfinches and Blackbirds but I didn’t see any Bullfinches in August.  It’s the first month this year when I haven’t seen any.

Plants

I didn’t find many plants in flower this month and the dry weather hasn’t helped them.

There is a lot of dry and dead vegetation in and around the cemetery.  However, the Tansy and Musk Mallow growing on the grass verge is still in flower.

Tansy
Tansy (above)
The pink flowers of Musk Mallow
Musk Mallow

I also found this small yellow flower growing on the verge. It is possibly Smooth Hawksbeard, although there are so many very similar looking plants that it is difficult to say for certain.

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

There was not therefore much pollen and nectar for the cemetery wildlife that relies on it for food.  But for the other cemetery wildlife there is plenty of fruit available in the form of brambles and elderberries.

There have been a few windy days this month, and some of the horse chestnut trees have lost their fruit prematurely.

A spider's web, shining in the sun, on a Horse Chestnut Tree
Mature Horse Chestnut tree (above) and fallen fruit (below). Note that most of the seed, commonly known as a conker, is yet to ripen.

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

Conclusion

August was a typical summer month, with lots of dry and fine weather.  But dare I say that the cemetery is already starting to look rather autumnal, with light falls of brown and orange leaves now carpeting the floor?  Plus of course the fruits I mentioned earlier, but I’ll say more about them next month.

A Squirrel high up in a tree in the cemetery
Your Squirrel of the month. See you next time!

Link to more information about dragonflies :-

British Dragonflies: Larvae, Wings and Lifecycle – Woodland Trust 

Cemetery Wildlife – July 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – July 2024

Considering July is in the middle of summer, the weather has not fully reflected that.  There have been several cool, dull and rainy days, especially at the start of the month.  So we still had some muddy footpaths, even in July.  Only a few odd days here and there were hot and sunny, and the insect branch of the cemetery wildlife has not been as abundant as expected.

Insects

Butterflies

I saw worryingly few butterflies this month, so I was very happy to see a Comma (pictured above) on one of those hot sunny days.  I also saw Speckled Woods in several different places in the cemetery.  This one was in the Quaker Burial Ground. This is the only species where I saw more than one at the same time – I counted four of them that day.

A brown Speckled Wood butterfly on the thin green leaves of Crocosmia
Speckled Wood

The only other butterflies I saw in July were Large White and Holly Blue.  This makes a total of four different species, compared to the seven different species I saw in July 2023.  Members of other butterfly watching forums around the country have reported a similar lack of butterflies in general, so it isn’t just the cemetery that’s affected.

Butterfly Conservation is currently carrying out its annual Big Butterfly Count.  It ends on 4 August so if you’d like to take part, there’s a link at the end of this report.

Other Insects

I saw this hoverfly – a Globetail of some sort.  This one is a female, as there’s a gap between the eyes at the top of the head.  Only the male has the distinctive globular tail.  I’d never noticed these before, but they are rather small and easy to miss.

A Small Globetail hoverfly on a yellow flower in the cemetery
Globetail hoverfly (female)

I actually saw more different species of hoverflies than butterflies this month.

Four photos showing different species of hoverfly in the cemetery
Top – Marmalade Hoverfly (left); Common Flower Fly (right). Bottom – Sun Fly (also known as the Footballer Hoverfly, left); Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (right).

The Tansy is now in flower on the grass verge alongside the cemetery on Spring Bank West, and on it I saw this tiny bee.  It could be a type of cellophane bee – they’re very difficult to identify.

I also saw a dragonfly in the cemetery one morning.  It was quite distant and didn’t stop for me to identify it properly or get a photo.  It looked quite large though.

A small bee on some yellow Tansy flowers
Cellophane Bee on Tansy

But generally I saw very few bees this month and very few ladybirds and other small insects.

Plants 

Small

As is typical in Summer, a lot of the taller spring plants such as Hogweed and Cow Parsley have now died back.  The cemetery can look rather tired in places, but this is quite normal.  It has generated plenty of seeds for the cemetery wildlife to eat, so there is always a positive way of looking at this!  The dried stems, left untouched on the ground, make excellent nest material too, forming the basis of many of the nests we check during our annual bird box survey.

Dried up Hogweed seed head in the cemetery
Hogweed

I noticed a few more Ragwort plants in flower on the verge alongside the cemetery.  It’s a very good food source for the tiny branch of the cemetery wildlife – I found several Thick-legged flower beetles on this plant.  The Wild Basil is also in flower on the verge.

The yellow flowers of the Ragwort
Ragwort (above)
The pink flowers of Wild Basil
Wild Basil

I’m always looking for plants I haven’t noticed before, and I found some Figwort at the eastern end of the cemetery.

Figwort growing at the eastern end of the cemetery
Figwort

Growing nearby was Enchanter’s-Nightshade – I saw quite a lot of this throughout the cemetery.  It’s a plant that grows well in shade.

The tiny white flowers of Enchanter's-Nightshade
Enchanter’s-Nightshade

Willowherb is a very common species of wildflower and will grow just about anywhere.  I found two species in the cemetery this month – Broad-leaved Willowherb and Great Willowherb.

Two photos showing Broad-leaved Willowherb and Great Willowherb
Broad-leaved Willowherb (left) and Great Willowherb (right)

There’s a patch of Cuckoo-Pint in the cemetery, and I found most of the leaves had died back, leaving these unripe berries.  They should turn orange or red eventually.  This plant has many common names, such as Lords-and-Ladies.

The green, unripe seeds of the Cuckoo-pint plant growing in the cemetery
Cuckoo-pint or Lords and Ladies

Trees

I also noticed two of the cemetery’s Horse Chestnut trees have some unripe fruits on them.  This doesn’t seem to happen every year, so hopefully they will ripen and we’ll have some “conkers” in autumn!

Two Horse Chestnut fruits, or "conkers"
Horse Chestnut

And at the bottom of one of the other trees in the cemetery, I found this small cluster of Fairy Inkcap mushrooms.  Another source of food for the cemetery wildlife.

A cluster of tiny Fairy Inkcap mushrooms at the base of a tree in the cemetery
Fairy Inkcaps

Birds

I don’t have anything unusual to report – all the regulars were present such as Blue Tits, Great Tits, a couple of Coal Tits, Robins, Wrens, Goldfinches, Blackbirds, Crows and Magpies. I also got a few quick glimpses of a male and a female Bullfinch.  There’s a good population of Chaffinches spread throughout the cemetery.  I also heard a Tawny Owl calling on several occasions.

A male Chaffinch in a tree in the cemetery
Chaffinch (male)

I also saw a Dunnock – I don’t see them every month as they blend in so well with their surroundings.

A Dunnock (similar to a Sparrow) in the cemetery
Dunnock

A Blackcap kept me entertained for a few minutes one morning – they have a beautiful (and loud) song.

A male Blackcap singing in a tree in the cemetery
Blackcap (male)

Wood Pigeons are the commonest of the larger birds.  They can be heard noisily crashing through the branches high up in the trees.

A Wood Pigeon in a tree in the cemetery
Wood Pigeon

Mammals

I don’t often mention the mammalian branch of the cemetery wildlife simply because, with the exception of the squirrels, I don’t usually see it.  So I’m happy to share these photos of a beautiful fox, courtesy of fellow volunteer Karen Towner.

This is a female, or vixen, and from the first photo it looks like she’s recently given birth.  These photos actually date back to March but I decided not to share them at the time in order to give her the chance to raise her cubs without being disturbed.  I think it’s fantastic that foxes find the cemetery a safe place to live.  We always aim to manage the cemetery for wildlife as well as heritage and this is a good indication that we are managing to do just that.

A Fox in the cemetery

a Fox in the cemetery

Conclusion

July was a quiet month in terms of the overall amount of cemetery wildlife that I saw.  It started off cool and wet.  But the month ended with some warmer, sunnier days and some almost dry footpaths. Let’s hope this continues into August.

A squirrel in a tree
Your squirrel of the month. See you next time!

Link to Butterfly count:

Big Butterfly Count (butterfly-conservation.org)

CEMETERY WILDLIFE – 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 – March 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – March 2024

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

Birds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Insects

Butterflies

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

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

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

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

A male Brimstone butterfly on a daffodil
Brimstone (male)

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

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

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

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

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

An orange Comma butterfly on dandelion
Comma

Other insects

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

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

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

Birch Shield bug on a freshly opened leaf
Birch Shield Bug

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

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

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

Plants

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

A Horse chestnut leaf bud against a blue sky
Horse Chestnut

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

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

Link to Chiffchaff information –

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

Cemetery Wildlife – January 2024

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment on Cemetery Wildlife – January 2024

 

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.

Ripe ivy berries
Ivy berries

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)

 

 

Cemetery Wildlife – November 2023

by Helen Bovillin Wildlife4 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – November 2023

November was very wet and windy, with so much rain that the footpaths throughout the cemetery have remained muddy all month.  A lot of the time it was quite mild, but the month ended with two cold, sub-zero frosty days.  One of those might have included a light dusting of snow overnight, but the next morning it just looked like a very heavy frost. On the final day of the month there were some light falls of hail and snow.  The ground didn’t freeze though, so the cemetery wildlife had no trouble finding food and water.

Birds

There were decent numbers of the regular small birds around.  It seems to have been a good year for them, especially the chaffinches, great tits and blue tits.

A great tit looking for insects on the bark of a tree branch
Great tit looking for insects behind the bark. Note the jelly fungi towards the bottom of the branch.

I also started seeing a pair of coal tits almost every day.  It’s great to see them back in the cemetery.  They’re just slightly smaller than blue tits.

Two photos, one showing a blue tit and the other showing a coal tit
Blue tit (left) and coal tit

I’ve also seen Goldfinches regularly too.  This is a bird than can occur in large flocks, but the most I’ve seen together in the cemetery has been four or five.

A goldfinch perched on a branch in the cemetery
Goldfinch. The males and females are difficult to tell apart – the difference lies in the amount of red above the eye. As the red extends a way back, this is probably a male. 

I’ve also seen quite a few wrens in the cemetery.  These tiny birds move so quickly, and usually disappear into the ivy on the trees, that they can be quite a challenge to photograph.  And sometimes I only hear them, as they have quite a loud and distinctive call.

A wren on a log
Wren in the Quaker Burial Ground

An even louder bird is the carrion crow.  But they’re usually very easy to spot!

A carrion crow high up in the branches
Carrion Crow

Whilst I don’t have anything rare or unusual to report, I did catch a very brief glimpse of a pair of bullfinches.  I also caught a quick glimpse of a goldcrest.

Plants

There were very few plants in flower this month. The most distinctive of those in flower was the musk mallow, growing on the grass verge alongside Spring Bank West.  New flowers were still opening late in the month, although the frost might now have finished them off.

Two photos showing the pink flowers of the musk mallow - one before the frost and the other after it
Musk mallow before and after a heavy frost

A few dandelions were in flower but they might fare a bit better in the frost.

A frost-covered partially opened dandelion
Dandelion after a heavy frost

Trees

It has been quite windy this month and a number of branches, some of them quite large, have fallen from the trees.  But no significant trees were damaged.  Most of the deciduous trees are starting to look very bare now.  However, the leaves that have managed to cling on despite those high winds have now turned to lovely autumnal shades of yellow and orange.

The autumn colours of a beech sapling in the cemetery
Beech sapling (above)
The bright autumn colours of an ash tree in the cemetery
Ash

Fungi

I didn’t find much in the way of mushrooms and other fungi this month which was a bit surprising when I look back on what I saw in the November of previous years.  I didn’t see any of the velvet shank I normally see growing on a particular fallen log. But I saw some candlesnuff and some coral spot, both growing on rotting wood.

Candlesnuff fungus growing on a rotting log
Candlesnuff fungus (above)
Coral spot fungus on a fallen branch in the cemetery
Coral spot

Insects

The smallest branch of the cemetery wildlife has been very quiet this month.  I’ve seen a few flies, hoverflies and ladybirds, but no butterflies.

Conclusion

The last full month of autumn has been a very wet one.  As we head into winter there is still plenty of autumnal colour left, but plenty of greenery too.  We are hoping the Council will give the grass verge alongside Spring Bank West one last cut for the season. This is because lots of new thistles have already started to grow there and these could stifle the growth of the spring flowers that are essential sources of nectar for early insects such as butterflies, some of which can appear as early as February.

A squirrel in a tree, looking directly at the camera
Your squirrel of the month. See you next time!

 

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