Churchyards are an intimate mixture of a variety of habitats, both ancient and modern.
The grassland may be a relict of the grassland that existed over two
thousand years ago on the site of a pre-Christian sacred place. Grass
and wildflower species would have invaded the churchyard from outside
the boundary, and then become lost in the wider countryside through
changes in agriculture.
The yew tree often found in churchyards was sacred to pre-Christian
religions, symbolising immortality and knowledge, and was probably the
basis for many of these ritual sites.
As churches were built the boundaries of the churchyard were
identified with ditches and banks, possibly with a hedge or trees or
with walls, built of local stone.
Trees from local woodland formed the structure of the church roofs,
and bats followed the timbers into the churches, some colonies being as
old as the churches themselves.
The antiquity of the buildings and stones, allows colonisation by
slow-growing lichens that can take over a hundred years to grow only a
few centimetres. The variety of conditions around a churchyard and
types of stone provide opportunities for large numbers of different
lichens to be found.
More recent churchyards and cemeteries can also provide good
wildlife habitat especially where ornamental or native trees and shrubs
have been planted. These and the insects they attract can provide food
and nesting sites for a wide range of birds such as the spotted
flycatcher. Church buildings, old and new, can provide lofty nesting
sites for swifts, owls and kestrels.
However, sensitive management is the key to maximising the wildlife value of these important habitats.
Caring for God’s Acre provides advice on all aspects of churchyard management for wildlife and people.
For further information about “Sharing Information about Wildlife”
visit the National Biodiversity Network website www.nbn.org.uk
http://www.nbn.org.uk/