For about three years we have managed the churchyard for wildlife. The part where the majority of more recent graves are is kept neat though not cut close, allowing Buttercups, Germander Speedwell, Ox-eye Daisies and other wild flowers to flourish. The rest of the churchyard is cut in early Spring and again in the late autumn but the rest of the time most is allowed to grow naturally, providing a haven for invertebrates and pollinators and delighting the eye with the range of wildflowers, fungi, lichen, butterflies and bugs of all colours. Some Yellow Rattle has been sown to try to keep some of the more vigorous grasses under control and, on the north side, the grass is cut in late summer to try to encourage the waxcaps to emerge. We know they have been there in the past so the root system is still there. At night the churchyard is still active with deer, badgers, moles, moths and bats, including, we have confirmed, a greater horseshoe bat.In 2023 we entered the CPRE Devon's Best Churchyard competition and were delighted to receive a Certificate of Commendation. We have been keeping records of everything we have identified and, by the end of 2023 we had the following:Invertebrates - 367 of which 222 are mothsPlants - 151Fungi, Lichen and Protista - 31 - but lots more to be identified during 2024 when he are planning to have a lichen training and identification day in June.Do look at the attached files for the latest lists of each group
Well, the Moth Breakfast took place on 2rd June at 7.30am. The weather was cool but dry. Sadly, because of a cold night we didn't get as many moths as we had hoped, but still had about 46 confirmed species and several of many of them. Everyone had the chance to pot moths from the traps and add them onto the tables and write their species on the lining paper covering the tables - so the list grew and grew, adding to some of the more spectacular ones that had been potted and put out initially. Finally, the croissants, pains au chocolat, toast and cookies were eagerly consumed. The 30 people there had a great time and were quite taken aback by the amount of life we normally don't even see in the world around us.
