Tag Archives: cemetery

Paper, bark or both?

11 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by in nature, nature photography, trees

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During a recent walk through the cemetery after a particularly stormy night, I noticed paper strewn around amongst the graves and was angrily muttering to myself about disgusting humans when I realised it wasn’t paper but bark. The Paper birch (Latin name: Betula papyrifera; other common names: white birch and canoe birch) has quite striking white, sometimes pinkish, bark that peels to reveal a pale orange bark underneath.

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The Paper birch was introduced to Europe in the mid 18th century and is still a popular ornamental addition to parklands and large gardens, but it is native to North America, where its oil-rich bark has been used by the indigenous peoples to make various items, from cartons and boxes to canoes and tepees. As the bark will even ignite well when wet, it is a useful fire starter, and it also has medicinal uses, as a poultice on wounds, as a cast for broken bones and for treating respiratory problems. More recently, it has been used to make ice-block sticks and toothpicks, and strips of bark are used to make handicrafts and to decorate floral arrangements. I think I’ll be picking up all that ‘paper’ and bringing it home next time!

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Slater, woodlouse or chiggy pig?

10 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by in insects, nature, nature photography

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As I was walking through my local cemetery today, I spotted a very thick, very wet newspaper lying on a fallen tree and I simply couldn’t resist taking a peek underneath. These are what I found, Common shiny woodlice (Oniscus asellus), one of the 45 (yes, 45!) native or naturalised species of woodlice in Britain.

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Did you know:

  • A woodlouse has fourteen jointed limbs, and breathes using lungs in its rear legs.
  • Although it’s a crustacean (like the oh-so-tasty lobsters and crabs), a woodlouse tastes like strong urine. I wonder who the crazy person was who discovered that interesting fact!
  • Just like earthworms, woodlice are good for the garden because they produce compost, aerate the soil and help control pests.
  • Woodlice prefer damp places because they lose a lot of moisture through excretion (plenty of evidence of that to be seen in my photos!).
  • In New Zealand it’s called a slater; in Reading, England it’s a cheeselog; in Devon it’s a chiggy pig; and in Cornwall it goes by the name of gramersow. Do you have a special name for this little critter? Let me know in the comments below.

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Cedar of Lebanon

02 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by in nature, trees

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According to the guide’s commentary during a recent heritage walk around Cathays Cemetery in Cardiff, this magnificent Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) was planted when the cemetery first opened in 1859 so it is now more than 156 years old. It is, however, a mere teenager when you consider these cedars can survive for more than 1000 years!

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As the name implies, the Cedar of Lebanon (also known as the Atlas cedar and Deodar cedar) is native to Lebanon, the eastern Mediterranean coast and parts of Asia Minor, where it has long had a special significance to the local people. Its resin was used by the ancient Egyptians in their mummification process; the Phoenicians used its timber for building ships, palaces and temples; and its wood was burned by Jews to celebrate the New Year. Nowadays, the tree features as the national emblem of Lebanon, adorning both its flag and its coat of arms.

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In Britain, the Cedar of Lebanon was popular as a feature tree in the plantings surrounding stately homes and mansions from the mid-18th century onwards, as well as in later Victorian parks and cemeteries, like Cathays.

Fox and cubs

16 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by in autumn, nature, nature photography, wildflowers

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151216 Pilosella aurantiaca Orange hawkweed aka fox and cubs

Just two short weeks ago, my local cemetery was dotted with these vibrant little bursts of orange. Now they’ve all disappeared. This pretty little member of the daisy family is officially known as Pilosella aurantiaca but I much prefer its many common names: orange or tawny hawkweed (‘hawk’ because the Romans believed hawks ate the blossoms to enhance their vision and ‘weed’ because it can be very invasive in the right conditions); Grim-the-collier (after the character Grim, who appeared in English devil plays in the 1600s); devil’s paintbrush (another reference to the devil in those old plays or, maybe, because it can be a devil of a plant to get rid of!); and, my favourite, fox-and-cubs (perhaps because the yet-to-open flowers seem to hide beneath those that are open or, more likely, because the furry rosette of leaves sends out runners to produce more furry little plants). Love it or curse it, this little plant is rich in nectar so a favourite of bees.

Hungry trees

15 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by in nature, trees

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Trees are rooted in the earth. Except for their upward and outward growth, they are basically static – unless they’re blown over or chopped down, they’re not going anywhere. So, if humans are crazy enough to put an object close to a growing tree, sooner or later the tree will begin to engulf that object. All around the world, hungry trees are consuming fences and posts, signs and park benches, gravestones, bicycles and even cars.

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I’ve only been in Cardiff a short while, but already I’ve discovered two hungry trees. One is slowly but surely wrapping itself around a post box in my street. And not just any post box – this tree has style. It’s consuming a Grade II-listed Victorian post box that was probably erected around 1900. Not surprisingly, the post box has now been decommissioned.

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My other hungry tree is growing in the local cemetery and it has an urn in its clutches. Perhaps the urn toppled off its pillar on a neighbouring grave, perhaps a vandal knocked it off, and it fell between some saplings. Whatever happened, it’s now wedged tight and, as the saplings grow, the urn is raised higher and higher above the ground.

So, stay alert! You might well have hungry trees in your neighbourhood.

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When is a parrot not a bird?

14 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by in autumn, fungi, nature, nature photography

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When it’s a waxcap, of course. Still none the wiser? Well, meet Gliophorus psittacinus (the fungus formerly known as Hygrocybe psittacina), the gorgeous little Parrot waxcap or toadstool.

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Latin names are a bit of a mouthful but both gliophorus and hygrocybe (tissue carrying / watery head) refer to the tendency for all waxcaps to look and feel quite slimy. Psittacinus is Latin for parrot, and it’s easy to see where this little fungus gets that name – it’s just as colourful as any parrot you’ll ever see, ranging in colour from green, yellow and orange through to pink, purple and brown. Bright green seems to be its predominant hue when young, then the other colours are more easily seen as the green slime washes off its cap.

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Like all waxcaps it can be found in summer and autumn in grassy areas that have received no artificial fertilisers for 30 years or more, so look for it on roadside verges, in cropped paddocks and in older cemeteries, often in mossy areas. In Britain, it’s more likely to be found in the western counties and in Wales, and it also grows in the cooler parts of mainland Europe and in parts of North America.

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Feeling sluggish

11 Friday Dec 2015

Posted by in fungi, nature, nature photography, slugs

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Once the rain stopped this afternoon, I went out for a wander, looking to see if there were any new fungi after the dampness of recent days. What I found were shell-less terrestrial gastropod molluscs, big fat slippery slimy slugs that had at least partially devoured many of the tasty-to-them, newly sprouted mushrooms.

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Isn’t it interesting that we use a lot of ‘slug’ idioms and expressions in the English language? If we are fighting, we are also slugging it out. If we’re working hard at a task, we’re slugging away at it. If we’re having a shot of alcohol, we’re having a slug of the drink. Well, today I saw many literal illustrations of the word sluggish: all those terrestrial gastropod molluscs, like the Leopard slug (Limax maximus) in my photos, were looking decidedly sluggish as they sleepily digested the hefty portions of fungi they’d consumed for their lunch.

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In case you’re a gardener and think I should have killed this creature, this slug is actually one of the good guys. It won’t damage healthy living plants, preferring fungi, rotting plants and even other slugs, and it recycles nutrients, helping to fertilise the soil.

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The stars that fell to earth

08 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by in fungi, nature, nature photography

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I could hardly believe my luck last Friday when I discovered my very first Collared Earthstars (Geastrum triplex) in a Cardiff cemetery!

Nestled cosily amongst the leaf litter and liberally sprinkled with layers of pine needles from the trees above, they were almost hidden from view. It was only the regularity of the little orb, sitting atop the collar, that caught my eye and, at a quick glance, I thought it must be a grave ornament. But no!

Those first two Earthstars were well past their best but, for a relatively new fungi fancier like me, they were still a delight to behold. Imagine my joy then, when I returned the next day for a more thorough investigation, to find a total of fourteen (!) growing in close proximity to the first ones. I’ll certainly be keeping a sharp eye on this area in the future to see if I can spot any more little stars that have fallen to earth.

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