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Cemetery Wildlife – October 2024

October 31, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments

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)**

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

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 – September 2024

September 29, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Volunteers

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.

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:-

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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)

Helen Bovill

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

Cemetery Wildlife – July 2024

July 25, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment

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.

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)

Helen Bovill

CEMETERY WILDLIFE – MAY 2024

May 31, 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.

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)

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – March 2024

March 30, 2024 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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)

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 – November 2023

November 30, 2023 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife4 Comments

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!**

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – October 2023

October 31, 2023 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife2 Comments

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.

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)**

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!

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

Helen Bovill

Cemetery Wildlife – August 2023

August 31, 2023 by Helen Bovillin Wildlife1 Comment

August was a cool and wet month with lots of rain, some of it very heavy, in the first week. There were some warm sunny days too, but nothing even remotely resembling a heatwave. Some of the paths inside the cemetery are therefore still muddy. It was very windy on several days, resulting in some fallen branches although none had caused any damage. With no extremes of temperature to adversely affect the cemetery wildlife, it continues to thrive.

Insects

Butterflies

The good news is that I observed butterfly species number 12 in the cemetery this month – a Gatekeeper. I’ve never seen one in the cemetery before. This one was on the grass verge along Spring Bank West, and is pictured above, on Ragwort. They can be seen in the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s wildlife garden in Pearson Park, which is less than half a mile away from the cemetery, so that could be where it came from.

It has been a very quiet month for butterflies. The only other ones I’ve seen are Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small White, Green-veined White and Holly Blue. I didn’t see any of them in large numbers, just singly or in twos or threes.

A female small white butterfly resting on a dandelion — **Small White (female) (above)**

Two Green-veined White butterflies on green foliage — Green-veined White Butterflies. Note how the female (resting on the leaf) has her abdomen raised – this is to warn the approaching male that she does not want to mate. In fact it looks like she was in the process of egg laying before the male approached her.

Holly Blue butterfly laying eggs on an Ivy flower bud — **Holly Blue laying eggs on an Ivy flower bud**

Other Insects

The main types I’ve seen this month have been Ladybirds, Bees and Hoverflies. The most striking of them was this Hornet-mimic Hoverfly. It’s noticeably larger than the other ones that are around at the moment, and is harmless to humans. The yellow band between the eyes indicates that this one is female.

Hornet-mimic Hoverfly on a Dandelion — **Hornet-mimic Hoverfly (female)**

Plants

Small

Most of the Thistles that had taken hold of the grass verge have now died back, so it looks a bit tired at the moment. However some Dandelions and other similar yellow flowers, often difficult to identify with certainty, have now started to come through. There is still some Knapweed for the cemetery wildlife to feed on, including this White-tailed Bumblebee.

White-tailed Bumblebee on Knapweed in the cemetery — **Knapweed and White-tailed Bumblebee**

The Teasels planted in various locations in the cemetery have now started to flower. However, they can sometimes be difficult to spot because the wind and wet weather has caused them to lean over. But again, they are great for the cemetery wildlife and there was also a small bug of some sort on this one which I didn’t get time to identify. This is because a Bee landed on the flower, thus displacing it.

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee on a Teasel flowerhead in the cemetery — **Teasel and Buff-tailed Bumblebee**

I’ve been keeping an eye on the Toadflax that was planted on the grass verge last year. It started to flower last month but is looking at its best this month. I was delighted to find this Sloe Bug, also known as a Hairy Shield Bug, on the flowerhead.

Toadflax with a Hairy Shield Bug on the flowerhead — **Toadflax and Sloe Bug or Hairy Shield Bug**

Elsewhere along the Spring Bank West verge I found White Campions, Feverfew and a new one I hadn’t noticed before – Black Medick.

A white campion flower on the grass verge alongside the cemetery — **White Campion (above)**

The Daisy-like flowers of Feverfew growing in the cemetery — **Feverfew (above)**

The tiny yellow flower of the Black Medick, with clover-like green leaves — **Black Medick**

The Crocosmia growing in the Quaker Burial Ground was looking at its best earlier in August, adding some welcome colour to that rather dark part of the cemetery.

In another dark part of the cemetery, away from the footpaths, I found some Cuckoopint, also known as Lords-and-Ladies. The seeds should end up red, but this small group of plants never seems to thrive and they usually die off before the seeds reach maturity.

The seeds of the Cuckoopint plant, with a few of the top ones just starting to ripen — **Cuckoopint or Lords-and-Ladies**

Trees and Fungi

The windy weather has dislodged a lot of the fruits from the cemetery’s trees and they make for a lush green carpet on the ground.

Hornbeam tree and fruit in the cemetery — **Hornbeam and fruit (inset)**

Whilst not being plants of course, I’ve included fungi under this heading because many of them grow on trees, both living and dead. I didn’t find much in the way of fungi in the cemetery this month but I did find this small group of what appears to be some sort of Honey fungus.

Honey Fungus growing on a fallen log in the cemetery — **Honey Fungus**

Birds

Young birds are still fledging, including this Goldfinch, pictured with one of its parents.

Two photos showing a young Goldfinch and an adult Goldfinch on a tree in the cemetery — **Goldfinches – fledgling (left); adult (right)**

The Chaffinches, Blue Tits and Great Tits seem to have had a very successful year with lots of youngsters around. The adults are looking a little worse for wear, so it was nice to see a smart-looking Great Tit in full breeding plumage.

An adult Great Tit in full breeding plumage — **Great Tit**

When I’m walking in the cemetery I often hear loud crashing noises coming from high up in the trees. I look up and see these – Wood Pigeons.

Wood Pigeon high up in a tree in the cemetery — **Wood Pigeon**

Early in the month I heard the sound of at least two Sparrowhawks calling in the trees, but I wasn’t able to get a photo of them. As birds of prey are usually silent, I assume these were youngsters, calling to a parent for food. Other birds I’ve seen this month include Coal Tit, Wren, Robin, Stock Dove, Crow, Magpie and Blackbird. I didn’t see any Dunnocks or Long-tailed Tits though, or any sign of the Bullfinches I saw regularly earlier in the summer.

A young Blackbird on a branch — **Young Blackbird**

Conclusion

Another great month for the cemetery wildlife with plenty to see all around the site. Some of the bramble bushes around the cemetery are already bearing lots of ripe fruits, signaling that Autumn is not too far away.

A Squirrel feeding in the cemetery — **Your Squirrel for August. See you next month!**

Helen Bovill