Hitchin Cemetery Jan-Mar 2023

 Jan-Mar 2023

January

There were a few days of snowy weather in January and I noticed several people taking advantage of photogenic conditions around the cemetery & here is one of my efforts looking through the railings adorned with frosty cobwebs.

The Friends of Hitchin Cemetery took delivery of some bat and bird boxes, bought with a grant received from the developers of the new Bethel Court properties which adjoin the cemetery. The bird boxes are made from "woodcrete" and are designed to last many years and have been deployed around the cemetery using rubber strapping so as to avoid the need to damage any trees with nails or screws. The bat boxes will find a home high up on the chapel walls and will be installed by someone suitably qualified to work up a high ladder.

February - Naturalists Visit
There was a visit in February by the Hertfordshire branch of the British Naturalists Association who have an array of experts who can find all sorts of wildlife even in the middle of winter. The naturalists who do tend to carry magnifying lenses, appreciate miniature things not normally seen such as these black Springtails on the chapel walls which were about 2mm long, these are the sorts of creatures which provide food for hungry Blue Tits, especially in the winter-time. Also on the chapel walls and about 3mm long were little cone-shaped cases of a three Grey Bagworms which contain tiny flightless moths which feed on lichen. This is a species which reproduces by parthenogenesis which means the females do not need to mate, in fact no males of this species have ever been found!

There were various mosses identified including Common Pincushion (left) with bright green tightly spiralled leaves and Grey-cushioned Grimmia (right) with its tiny white hairs.

Sharp eyes noted a brick that was obviously being used as an anvil by a Song Thrush to smash snail shells and the contents of the compost bin was investigated for wildlife, attracting some strange looks!

March

The weather was very variable in March and, unusually, one of the Friday task days of Cemetery Friends group was cancelled due to snow. However flowers are around in the cemetery to brighten things up with Cherries and thousands of Crocuses in bloom. 

I'll finish with photos of one of the smallest and one of the largest plants in the cemetery. Standing at around two centimetres tall is Thale Cress, these tiny white flowers enjoy growing in cracks and crevices in pavements and dry places. My finger nail in the photo gives a sense of size. Thale Cress is notable as being the first ever plant to have its genome sequenced. By contrast the tall Larch trees which are near Standhill Road have emerging bright pink cones which contain the female flowers and will gradually turn brown as time progresses. Larches are the only deciduous conifer, making them easy to identify in winter. 

 

As I write this it is the last day of March, a Friday, teeming down with rain and unprecedently, for the second time this month, the Friends Group have decided that staying warm and dry at home is the best option. Better weather is just around the corner I'm sure.