Tag: wildlife

Cemetery Wildlife October

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

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

Plants

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

Snowberry

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

Pyracantha

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

Brambles

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

Blackthorn

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

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

Feverfew

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

Ivy

Butterflies and other insects

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

Speckled Wood

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

Birds

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

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

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

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

Nest hygiene

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

Box 5 - 25 mm

Box 12 - 32 mm

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

Blue Tit

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

Robin

Grey Squirrel

 

 

Cemetery Wildlife September

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

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

Birds

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

Juvenile Chaffinch (male)

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

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

Blackbirds

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

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

Butterflies and other insects

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

Red Admiral

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

Small White (male)

Holly Blue

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

Speckled Wood

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

Teasel with Hoverflies

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

Spiders pair

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

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

White Lipped Snail

Plants

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

Hogweed

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

Smooth Sow Thistle

Cyclamen

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

Mushrooms

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

Conclusion

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

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

APPRA

by Pete Lowdenin General, News, Volunteers

The Avenues and Pearson Park Resident’s Association, or APPRA as its more commonly called, published an article about the work of the Friends of Hull General Cemetery this quarter. I’m posting it as I think it may as well be covered here. I wrote it some tine ago. I hope you find it interesting.

appra

Tree hugging

by Pete Lowdenin General, Volunteers, Walks, Wildlife

Tree hugging gets a bad name. It’s used as pejorative term to denote people who are not on speaking terms with reality. As my mother would have said, ‘away with the fairies’. This was usually when she was talking about me.

Moving on.

However, in some cases, it can be a useful tool to estimate the age of a tree. The item below is taken from a book, ‘Hidden Histories: A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape’ by Mary-Ann Ochota. It was published in 2016. It’s worth buying.

As Mary-Ann says in her introduction,

‘When you look at the British landscape, you don’t just see the new, the now: you also see the traces of what came before – in the shape of a field, the wall of a cottage, a standing stone or churchyard.’

In essence, history is all around us and its up to us to read it. In terms of the cemetery the easy bits to read are the headstones.

Tree hugging

Other things are a little more tricky. And here we come to the trees. Some of the trees in the cemetery are probably remnants of the original plantings when the cemetery was laid out in 1847. Now that’s close on 200 years old. That’s a decent age. Only long lived species will have survived that length of time. So Oaks, Limes, Ash, Horse Chestnut and maybe Whitebeams are the likely survivors of the original planting.

The ubiquitous Sycamore that swamps the cemetery now is almost certainly not an original planting. Indeed it’s doubtful it was planted at all but invaded from outside. The Silver Birches that were originally planted will have died by now as their life spans are almost comparable to humans. The Yew in the Quaker Burial Ground would not have been planted until 1855 at the earliest. So that one’s easy to date.

But here’s a fun way to gauge the age of some of the trees in the cemetery.

How old is that tree

As Mary-Ann says, this could be fun, especially with children. Once the foliage dies down and it gets easier to get to some of the trees, why not try it?  Half term might be a good time.

Here’s a handy chart to help you with an Oak. You won’t be far off with other trees using this guide. Good hunting.

How old is that tree 2

 

 

Cemetery Wildlife – August 2021

by Helen Bovillin General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife4 Comments on Cemetery Wildlife – August 2021

August was a quiet month, weather-wise, with no extremes of heat, cold or rain but with plenty of dull days.  Pretty much a typical summer month in these parts! Summer Wildlife

Birds

It seems to have been a good year for the cemetery’s birds, with plenty of young ones around.  All the cemetery’s Tit species have bred successfully – Long-tailed, Blue, Great and Coal (pictured above).  There are some young Blackbirds around, and I saw a young Song Thrush too – its tail feathers will appear later but it is still able to fly without them.

Juvenile Song Thrush

The best, albeit brief, sighting this month was a pair of Bullfinches but I didn’t manage to get a photograph of either of them.  The young Goldfinches of last month’s report are doing well and starting to feed independently.

There are plenty of Chaffinches around and these are easy to spot, especially the males with their pinkish-brown feathers.  The females are much duller shades of brown and can sometimes be mistaken for Sparrows.  But male and female Chaffinches have white feathers in their wings which make them easily identifiable in flight.

Male Chaffinch

Female Chaffinch

I find it fascinating that the males and females of some bird species have distinctly different plumage – for example, Chaffinches and Bullfinches.  This is known as sexual dimorphism. Their differences are quite obvious to see.  However, the differences between male and female Goldfinches are much more subtle to the point of them being almost identical.  I would not be able to say with confidence what sex the Goldfinches of last month’s report were!

Butterflies and other insects

It has been a very quiet month for butterflies.  One of my neighbours has a huge Buddleia in her garden which is normally teeming with butterflies in August.  I have only seen a couple on it so far and this lack of activity is reflected in the cemetery.  I caught brief glimpses of a few White butterflies (I was unable to tell which species) and I saw a Holly Blue flying high around some Ivy.

The most common butterfly species in the cemetery is the Speckled Wood and on sunny days there are usually a few around.  They flutter around each other in the air and then spend time basking in the sun.  This one was in the Quaker Burial Ground.

Speckled Wood

There are Ladybirds and Hoverflies around too but not in great numbers.

Marmalade Hoverfly on Wild Carrot

Flowers and other plants

The Cow Parsley and Wild Garlic has died back completely to the point where it’s hard to see where it once grew.  Any plants now in flower that look a bit like Cow Parsley will most likely either be Hogweed, which is quite a tall plant, or the lower-growing Wild Carrot.

I struggled to find anything in flower to show you this month.  The cemetery is still very green though!  I did manage to find a few Buttercups, Herb Robert, Nipplewort, Great Willowherb and Feverfew.  The berries are now starting to appear on the Snowberry bush but it is still in flower.

Nipplewort

 

Great Willowherb

 

Feverfew

 

Snowberry

My main aim is to write about the wild flowers and plants in the cemetery.  This section of the newsletter is called Cemetery Wildlife after all!  But many of the trees and shrubs growing in the cemetery are there because of what was planted in the past.  They have now become naturalised so I will not draw any distinctions between these and the wild flowers.  Regardless of whether or not they are native, they still have value to the cemetery wildlife.

The volunteers will only be planting native species in the cemetery, such as a recently planted English Oak.  Any wild flowers to be set will be native species that will blend in with their surroundings and complement what is already growing there.

The situation in the Quaker Burial Ground is slightly different because this area is owned by the Quakers under a long lease.  They have requested that the Friends of Hull General Cemetery manage this area on their behalf.  It is still in a conservation area where the same considerations apply with regard to the felling of trees and so on.  But we have been able to set some new shrubs and plants that are not necessarily native species.  However, we will also be planting some native species whenever we can.

Mushrooms

I have not seen any fresh large specimens this month, but there are still plenty of tiny mushrooms to be seen growing on the ground.  Given that the footpaths are covered in wood chippings this is not unexpected!

Mammals

I have no new Fox or Hedgehog sightings to report, but there are always some Grey Squirrels around and these can be seen almost every day.  There will always be someone who doesn’t like them of course.  But I never tire of watching them chasing each other up and around the trees, or simply posing on the ground.  And what child doesn’t love seeing them during family walks through our favourite cemetery?

The Grey Squirrel can vary in colour quite a lot – this one has a brilliant white chest and mainly grey/brown colouring.  But some Squirrels can have more gingery hairs and very pale ginger chests.

Eastern Grey squirrel

Conclusion

A rather uneventful month for the cemetery wildlife, with the dull and cooler days perhaps accounting for the low numbers of butterflies on the wing.  The grass verge on Spring Bank West still doesn’t contain many flowers and this will have affected butterfly numbers too.  But the birds are around in good numbers.  Berries are now starting to appear on the bushes so they will have plenty of food to keep them going as we head into September. Dare I say that it is starting to feel slightly Autumnal already?

FOHGC

by Pete Lowdenin Events, News, Volunteers1 Comment on FOHGC

For those of you lucky enough to live in the Avenues Ward this is old news.

However I thought I’d like to share it with a wider audience. Here’s a copy of a leaflet with the confirmation that any residual issue about the FOHGC working in the Hull General Cemetery has now been resolved.Hull City Council request to the FOHGC

The Council and FOHGC look forward to working in partnership with each other for the foreseeable future. Together we hope to reclaim the site for the community, the wildlife and the history nerd.

We would like to thank the Councillors and the Council Officers for having listened to the arguments, both for and against, on this issue. Having done so they found in favour of the FOHGC. We are happy that they feel they can trust the FOHC and wanted the FOHGC to be their partner in this endeavour.

We would also like to thank the many people who contacted the Councillors and Officers expressing their support for us. To coin a phrase from a somewhat tarnished politician, ‘We are all in it together.’

Let’s all now move forward together.

Here’s the leaflet

Council leaflet

The Quaker burial ground

by Bill Longbonein Events, History, News, Volunteers, Walks1 Comment on The Quaker burial ground

Activities in Hull General Cemetery during August.

Most of the work in the cemetery during August was taken up with upgrading of the Quaker Burial Ground. This work was undertaken on behalf of the Quaker’s Committee.

The Matthew Good Foundation kindly donated £1,000.This was used for the purchase of trees, plants and materials to carry out the work.

The broken perimeter hedge/fence was repaired and new defensive planting installed. This was done to form just 2 entrances/exits. The privet was given a light trim.

Quaker stones in QBG

A kerb and limestone chippings were placed around the 7 stones that originated in the Hodgson St and Owstwick Burial Grounds. This provides a great focal point for these historically important stones. The Quaker’s are looking to provide an information board to explain the origin of the stones. There already is a board explaining the presence of the Quaker burial ground.

The dilapidated headstone of  Joseph Heward, the first Quaker burial in the cemetery, was re-laid and straightened. Several other fallen kerb stones were straightened. Moss was carefully removed from the lettering on the headstones to enable them to be more easily read.

bench in QBG

A ‘Rest and Contemplation’ bench was erected in the SW corner. This was formed from a large sycamore branch that fell near the cholera monument a year or so ago.

Other fallen branches were chipped and laid as a path leading from the 2 entrances to the new bench.

New planting

The laurel bushes were pruned back to give a more formal appearance. Several shrubs and plants were planted to complement the existing plants. These including Fatsia Japonica, Choisya, Euonymus, Agapanthus and ornamental grasses.

A thousand spring bulbs have been ordered for planting in Autumn.  These include wild garlic, English bluebells, snowdrops, crocus and daffodils. Hopefully these will provide a riot of colour in the spring.

A specimen laburnum was also planted to provide early summer colour after the bulbs have finished their display.

A shallow watering dish was placed in a shady area of the burial ground. This will provide a water source for birds and small mammals.

A short, on-site, talk about the Quakers in Hull and the work of the Friends of Hull General Cemetery, was given by the Quakers on the afternoon of Saturday 21st August.

The volunteers gave a guided tour around the cemetery to the U3A, AWAKE history group during August, generating £36.00 in donations.

News

by Pete Lowdenin Events, General, News

Here is an update to the news from last month.

Firstly an apology. I wonder how many times I’ve started this item with that phrase. Answers on a postcard please.

Anyway, due to a mix-up, I will not be giving talks on Hull General Cemetery for this year’s Heritage Open Days. I would also like to state that the mix-up was not my fault.

Suffice to say that I noticed that the talks were not in the brochure. I pointed this out and after much apologising by the organisers I was asked if I still wanted to give the talks although they were not in the brochure

I decided not to as it would be confusing to people. The talks will take place next year. To be quite frank I have too much on and not giving these talks was a boon. News

Wrecking Ball, Whitefriargate

I will be giving a talk on the Spanish Flu in Hull 1918-19 on Wednesday, September 15th.

The venue is now The Wrecking Ball. I’m informed that it has no disabled access sadly. I’m also unaware of any booking facility nor how many the people the venue can hold. Many of the regular venues that are usually used for HODS have been found wanting in some way or another. Hopefully by next year those issues should be resolved.

To be able to hold a HODS this year has been an arduous process undertaken, at least in Hull, by just two people. John Netherwood and his wife Christine.

After last year’s events had to be cancelled, and with the uncertainty this year, I think we are lucky that it is going ahead.

Taken from Punch - A recent picture of a family enjoying hgc

Guided Walks

I will also be taking guided walks around Hull General Cemetery. These will take place on Saturday the 11th and the 18th. Both walks will meet at Princes Avenue corner.

The first walk begins at 11.00 a.m. whilst the second walk will begin at 1.30.

Stout footwear is recommended and each walk takes roughly two hours.

I’m hopefully to be accompanied by another of the FOHGC volunteers, Helen Bovill, who will point out the environmental aspects of the site.

I know there’ll be more news later, especially about the work in the Quaker’s site. However that will be written up later.

Thanks

http://www. hullandbeverleyheritagestore.co.uk

News

by Pete Lowdenin Events, General, News, Volunteers, Wildlife3 Comments on News

Last month a meeting took place between the Councillors, a number of Council Officers and the FOHGC. Andrew Wilson, Parks and Open Spaces Manager chaired the meeting This meeting was called to resolve some of the issues that are facing the Hull General Cemetery at this time. Hull City Council request to the FOHGC

Friends of Hull General Cemetery Statement

Following a recent meeting with representatives of Hull City Council (the Council), the Council confirmed that the Friends of Hull General Cemetery (the Friends) are the designated partners of the Council for the management of Hull General Cemetery (the Cemetery).  The Cemetery’s description as a “Semi natural green space incorporating historical assets, located within a conservation area” has been agreed with the Council.

The Friends will liaise with the Council’s Bereavement Services department regarding the care of the monuments and headstones, and will manage and care for the natural environment in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Council’s Open Spaces Development Officer.  The Friends will submit regular ‘Proposed’ plans of the work to be carried out in the Cemetery, such plans having been agreed with the Council.

These plans will take into account the bird nesting season which was established as being from 1 March to 31 July; no major work is to be undertaken during this period.  The Friends will abide by all legal responsibilities under the relevant Acts of Parliament such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The partnership between the Friends and the Council is a two-way one; the Council should advise the Friends of the Council’s proposed activities in the Cemetery such as push tests, grass cutting and tree felling.

The Friends are also working in partnership with the local Quaker group on the restoration and upkeep of the Quaker Burial Ground towards the western end of the Cemetery.

 

Summer Wildlife

by Helen Bovillin General, Wildlife4 Comments on Summer Wildlife

Summer Wildlife: July

What a month of contrasts July has been, going from torrential downpours earlier in the month to a heatwave in the middle of it!

It’s a relief to start this month’s report with some good news – Hull City Council has apologised for the cutting of the grass verge alongside the cemetery in early June, stating it had been done by their operator in error.

They do appreciate the value of such Summer wildlife habitats and as a result they are going to designate the grass verge as a ‘’no mow’’ area.  This means they will only cut the grass and the plants at the back of it at the end of Summer or early in Autumn.  They are also going to set some wildflower seeds in the bare area, so next year we should see some additional plants growing there as well as the usual ones.

The grass has started to grow back now, and luckily there are plenty of flowers on the Brambles at the back of the verge – an important source of nectar for Bees and other pollinating insects.

Butterflies and insects

Another quiet month for butterflies, with just a few Speckled Woods and Large Whites around.  I also saw a Small Tortoiseshell, but the best sighting this month was a Red Admiral, which kept me company while I was working in the Quaker Burial Ground.

Red Admiral 2

Whenever you see a butterfly fluttering nearby it’s always worth holding your arm out to see if it lands on you – this is one of the species that will sometimes do this.  It remained on my hand for half an hour, presumably feeding on the minerals on my skin.  (Polite description of sweat, an unlimited food source for the butterfly that hot day).

This gave the other volunteers an opportunity to observe a butterfly up close, and to appreciate the need to plant and maintain shrubs and flowers that attract and sustain them.

There were lots of Ladybirds of varying sizes and colours around.  In many cases it is not easy to identify which species they are because some species have colour and spot number variations within that species.

There are around a dozen native UK species, three of which are yellow.  I thought I’d found one of those, but this one is a Harlequin.

Harlequin Ladybird

Birds

There are still plenty of fledglings or juveniles around.  But sometimes it is difficult to tell which are the young ones and which are the adults because at this time of the year the adults start the process of replacing their feathers.

This can sometimes give them a rather scruffy look compared with the smoother look of the juveniles.

Blue tits

It seems to have been a good year for Blue Tits and Great Tits, with many of the earlier fledglings no longer being reliant on their parents for food.

There are young Blackbirds, Robins and Chaffinches around and I was lucky to have the pleasure of observing a family of five newly-fledged Goldfinches being fed by both their parents.

Goldfinches

Juvenile goldfinches

Juvenile Goldfinches are easy to identify because of the yellow feathers in their wings.

The black, white and red feathers on their faces come later.  Both sexes are similar.

Goldfinch

A regular visitor to the cemetery showed me some footage he’d taken on his mobile phone of a female Mallard walking through the cemetery with some ducklings following behind her! I hope they made it safely to the nearest large body of water, which is in Pearson Park.

Mallards have been known to nest in some unusual places including balconies on high-rise flats.  They can then sometimes need human assistance to get them to safety.

Another bird I haven’t seen in the cemetery for a while is the Collared Dove, so I was pleased to see one this month.

collared dove

Flowers and other plants

The natural dying-off of the Cow Parsley and Hogweed has continued, and some Wild Carrot has now appeared.

When fully open it looks a bit like a shorter version of Cow Parsley, but it has some feathery leaves underneath the flower head.  The buds look a bit like Love-in-a-Mist buds.

Wild carrot

Not many plants are in flower at the moment.  There are the usual Buttercups, Daisies and Clover to see. There is now some Enchanter’s Nightshade, Broad-leaved Willow herb and Hedge Woundwort in flower.

Hedge Woundwort

Prior to the Stop Notice the volunteers had planted some species approved by the Council as being appropriate for the site in various places around the Cemetery.  The Foxgloves were doing well and had started to flower but some have been pulled up and others had their flower stems broken.  Why anyone would do this is beyond me.

The Stop Notice meant that the volunteers were not allowed to set any plants in the area we were hoping would become a butterfly meadow.

So rather than see them go to waste, we set the plants in two areas near the path behind Thoresby Street school.  These included Sunflowers, Cornflowers and other mixed wildflowers.  These spare areas of unused land are in a rather shady location but the Cornflowers are now flowering.

Cornflower and hoverfly

Mushrooms

It is sad to have to report that another beautiful specimen of a Dryad’s Saddle has been destroyed by someone.  At first large parts of it had been sliced off. A few days later the rest had been removed leaving no trace of it.  Vandalism?  Theft?  Either way this is very disheartening and disappointing, and there are no more large specimens left in the Cemetery now.

There are still a few smaller mushrooms around including these tiny Fairy Inkcaps.

fairy Inkcaps

Mammals

A regular visitor to the cemetery reported seeing a Hedgehog in there one evening. I know  one has also been seen in some of the adjoining gardens along Welbeck Street.  It would be nice to think that this increasingly scarce little animal might find a safe place to live and raise a family in the Cemetery.

One evening around sunset a group of volunteers met up to take part in a national Bat survey.  While we were waiting for the bats to emerge, we caught a brief glimpse of a Fox and two cubs in the distance.  We had two bat detecting devices with us, and we heard and saw a few Pipistrelles. The best sightings were just outside the boundary in Western Cemetery.

Conclusion

It has been a successful month for the birds of the Cemetery, with plenty of youngsters around the site.  But in Summer wildlife can be hard to spot; there are probably many other young birds and animals I didn’t manage to see.  The damage to plants and Fungi was disheartening, but the Butterflies continue to bring joy.

And after the heavy rains and high temperatures of the first half of the month, it ended with some much cooler and cloudy weather.

Let’s see what August has in store for all that call Hull General Cemetery home! Wonderful Wildlife