Category: Wildlife

To Hive or Not to Hive – is Beekeeping in Churchyards and Cemeteries a Good Idea?

12th March 2024

Introduction Churchyards and cemeteries are peaceful places where people can reflect and connect with nature. Lately, we have been asked about having beehives in burial grounds. If you are considering […]

How St Matthews used iNaturalist to get their church on the map!

1st March 2023

We spoke to Sarah Folkes from St Matthew’s Church, Salford Priors about their experience of joining in with the week. Hi Sarah, please tell us a little about yourself. I’m […]

Wildlife records

Bats in Holy Trinity Church, Tattershall

7th June 2022

On a summer’s evening, the grand medieval building of Holy Trinity Collegiate Church in the pretty village of Tattershall in Lincolnshire comes alive. Hundreds of tiny, furry brown soprano pipistrelle […]

Bats in Churches noticeboard

Helping Hedgehogs

27th April 2022

The hedgehog is the UK’s only prickly mammal, but it’s in trouble. Despite being voted Britain’s Favourite Wild Mammal, hedgehog numbers have been declining for many years. Research published recently […]

Hedgehog in leafy undergrowth

Butterfly Monitoring

18th August 2021

Burial grounds, rich in butterflies and moths, are also rich in other invertebrates, so managing sensitively for butterflies will help a whole range of other invertebrates too. We have a […]

Bioblitz at St John’s Churchyard

22nd July 2020

Over the years we have been encouraging groups to undertake a bioblitz in their burial ground. A bioblitz is a period of biological surveying (often over 24hours) which attempts to […]

Hazel dormice hold on in biodiverse churchyards

23rd June 2020

Guest blog post written by Sam Devine-Turner, Mammal Detective and Chair of Shropshire Dormouse Group With a decline of 50% since the year 2000, the hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius is […]

sleeping dormouse

A cast of thousands

4th June 2019

Guest blog by Keith Fowler, leader of Joy of Wildlife group. Longden Road Cemetery, Wednesday 22nd May 2019 Remember those films that boasted “Cast of 1000s” as part of their […]

A little bird told me – New evidence supports the work of those caring for churchyards!

27th March 2019

Guest blog post by Kayleigh Hunt – BSc Zoology graduate and churchyard management advocate. As our world becomes ever more urbanised and agricultural practices more intensive, it is important that […]

Yellow Rattle – guest blog post by Nick Mann, Director of Habitat Aid

5th March 2019

Yellow Rattle, Rhinanthus minor Yellow Rattle, or Hay Rattle, or Cockscomb, used to be a common plant of short grassland. The rattle of its delicate disc like seeds was traditionally a […]

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