Hitchin Wildlife

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