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August - September 2024

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  Hitchin Cemetery August-September 2024 As ever, the cemetery is a haven for wildlife and a few creatures not seen before were spotted, such as this Canary-shouldered Thorn moth: difficult to see as it was well camouflaged on a fallen Birch leaf, but a real beauty! A Cream-streaked Ladybird however was easier to spot in amongst some Larch needles. Gatekeeper butterflies were the most numerous butterflies during August and we inadvertently disturbed a nest of Bumblebees (probably Common Carder Bumblebees), nesting in a hole at the bottom of a gravestone, but I suspect they would soon make good the slight damage caused.    Compost news: possibly more information than you want to know... There has been a concerted effort to make our existing compost area just as we want it, with the two big containers being divided to make four smaller heaps so we can rotate and turn compost in an effective manner. The work started by removing the existing contents and we found a two mice underneath, see
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Hitchin Cemetery June-July 2024

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 Hitchin Cemetery June-July 2024 The fourth and final cemetery tour led by The Friends of Hitchin Cemetery as part of Hitchin Festival was on the last Sunday of July and there have been nearly 100 visitors on tours this year. The tours start in the chapel to give people a chance to see inside this building, which is not often used, although this year for the first time the chapel was used as a voting station in the general election. Apologies to the many people who have been unable to book on these very popular tours: we will give the disappointed people prior notice of next year's tours. The summer months are the best time to see the many flowers and insects which find a home in the cemetery. There have been some really very unusual wildlife sightings (as you will see lower down) which is remarkable given that it is only eight years since a changed management scheme allowed some grassland areas of the cemetery to grow long. It is also eight years since The Friends of Hitchin Cemet
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Butts Close Bug Hunt July 2024

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HITCHIN NATURE NETWORK BUG HUNT JULY 2024   A Bug Hunt took place on Sunday afternoon 21 st July on Butts Close, organised by Hitchin Nature Network, and centred on the part of Butts Close by the swimming pool where there was plenty of long grass. The weather was kind, sunny and warm but not too hot. A table with books and posters, some moths to look at and insect nets to borrow was set up and even half an hour before the scheduled start we had eager customers wanting to chase bugs. Who knew that chasing insects would be so popular, especially amongst the younger generation who were delighted to catch even the smallest of things? I was hoping people might find some unusual bugs and that I could record what we saw, how many of them there were and take some pretty photos. In the event I was rushed off my feet with a constant stream of youngsters, and those not so young, asking questions about what they had caught. It was delightful to be part of and see such enthusiasm and I think i
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Hitchin Cemetery Apr-May 2024

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 Hitchin Cemetery Apr-May 2024 The cemetery is a lovely place to visit at any time of the year, but in late spring it really looks attractive, with the fresh greens of Silver Birches, Lime trees and meadow grass making a lovely contrast with the spring flowers. The best plant in the cemetery in my view is Meadow Saxifrage and it is thriving like never before, with around a thousand plants. Meadow Saxifrage is a good indicator of old grassland and demonstrates that the cemetery has special conditions which have been lost from much of the countryside elsewhere. A special mention must be made of the mowing teams who take care to strim around the Meadow Saxifrage and I asked Steve Grainger, an expert local photographer, to take some photos and this is one of his. It is important to remember that the meadow area contains not just showy plants but many unassuming species such as Ribwort Plantain (below left) and Sorrel, and it is not just flowers which provide food for invertebrates; the roo
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Hitchin Cemetery Jan-Mar 2024

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Hitchin Cemetery Jan-Mar 2024 The generally mild winter weather meant that the early spring flowers got off to a flying start, such as these lovely bright yellow Winter Aconites. A few wildlife sightings were made which would not have happened at all in frostier weather: several Earth Ball fungi (I think) were growing, which eject spores from a little hole on top when they are hit by raindrops, and a strangely flat, oval insect, an Eared Leafhopper was tempted out in to plain view on a Birch trunk whereas it would normally be tucked away out of sight. One of the winter activities of the Cemetery Friends group was finding use for the compost from our extensive heap. The photo below shows John taking a breather from loading barrows which, with much communal effort, were dispatched to all corners of the cemetery. As a result various graves have now had broken concrete replaced with a good growing medium and we will see what plants we can introduce to add interest. Incidentally if anyone h
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