Wild in the churchyard

31 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by sconzani in wildflowers, winter

Tags

British wildflowers, Crocuses, Daisy, Primroses, Red valerian, Snowdrops, St Augustine's Church, Winter heliotrope, winter wildflowers

I often take a wander through the churchyard of St Augustine’s during my local exercise walks. As this space is purposefully managed to attract wildlife and nurture the environment, it’s always a pleasure to visit, to sit on a bench and listen to the birdsong, to check for what’s growing and blooming. On Thursday’s visit, I looked for wildflowers and was delighted to find my first Snowdrops and Crocuses of the year, as well as a lot of Winter heliotrope, several Primroses, a few Daisies in the grass, and the white-flowered variety of Red valerian.

210131 StAugs wildflowers (1) 210131 StAugs wildflowers (2) 210131 StAugs wildflowers (3) 210131 StAugs wildflowers (4) 210131 StAugs wildflowers (5) 210131 StAugs wildflowers (6)

218/365 Hopalong grasshopper

06 Tuesday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British insects, Common field grasshopper, grasshopper, insects, St Augustine's Church

I spotted this Common field grasshopper sitting on a gravestone in St Augustine’s churchyard yesterday. I see a huge number of grasshoppers and crickets but usually only as they’re hopping rapidly away from me. So, I was intrigued as to why this one didn’t jump away.

190806 common field grasshopper (1)

Looking closer, I noticed it had suffered some damage along its right side and had lost its large back leg on that side, so it was no longer able to leap. Luckily, it was still able to scuttle off into the grass – otherwise, it would have been a sitting target for a hungry bird, and that might well be how it got injured in the first place.

190806 common field grasshopper (2)

40/365 A rose by any other name?

09 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, lichen, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British lichens, Caloplaca decipiens, Caloplaca species, lichen on gravestone, Penarth graveyard, St Augustine's Church

In this case, though, my rose is not a rose but a lichen that I thought looked a lot like the outline of a rose – my warped imagination perhaps, but pretty nonetheless. I spotted this on a gravestone during a wander around the graveyard that surrounds St Augustine’s Church here in Penarth. I presume it’s one of the Caloplaca species of lichen, possibly Caloplaca decipiens, but many of this species seem to look alike and I am not at all skilled in identifying lichens.

190209 Caloplaca lichen

Environmental enlightenment at St Augustine’s

06 Wednesday Jun 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

#30DaysWild, 30 Days Wild, biodiversity in churchyard, British butterflies, Large skipper, Large skipper butterfly, St Augustine's Church

I seem to be constantly angry these days at the environmental vandalism of local authorities so it was an absolute delight on day 6 of #30DaysWild to spend time in the churchyard of St Augustine’s here in Penarth.

180606 Large skipper (3)

The church authorities have taken the enlightened step of helping to ‘safeguard the environment of the plants and animals that live in the churchyard while at the same time promoting enjoyment of the space by the local community. The area is an ideal resource for encouraging greater understanding of wildlife and biodiversity. Bird, bat and swift boxes have been put up….’

180606 Large skipper (1)

The grass is long, wildflowers are blooming, a family of Blue tits were feeding in the trees, and these Large skippers were basking in the sunshine. Congratulations to the Friends of St Augustine’s for leading the way!

180606 Large skipper (2)