Our living Churchyard - August

“Why are there no Oxeye Daisies growing in the Living Churchyard?’ I was asked on a recent visit, and I have to say I was unable to give a rational explanation. They grow in clumps round the rest of the churchyard, but there are also many other areas where they don’t grow. I suspect that the answer lies – where else – in the soil. Minor variations in the type of soil, its dampness, its exposure to the sun or otherwise, will impact quite significantly on the species of plants that grow there.

There’s also a significant variation in the plants that flourish best from one year to the next. Last year, there was early in the spring a carpet of blue as the Germander Speedwell spread over a large area. Fluffy, lemon yellow pillows of Ladies’ Bedstraw flourished between the grave stones, and later in the year the whole area took on a blood red hue from the stalks of the Common Sorrel that grew in profusion. At the Eastern end of the meadow, there were the white flowers of Yarrow. This year, each of those plants is still there, but in much reduced quantities. The overall impression of the area is the strawberry roan of Yorkshire Fog, with the feathery fronds of Colonial Bent also in evidence, two grasses that were very much in the minority last year. What is the difference? Probably here the weather is the cause – last summer was cool and damp, which allowed the coarse grasses to grow and crowd out the less vigorous. Indeed we took off a record 111⁄2 sacks of hay when it was cut. This year has been much drier: I’m rather hoping there is less to cut and collect. Is this a bad thing? On my last visit, I counted 12 different plants in bloom, and 4 different species of butterfly in the grass, along with several grasshoppers and other insects. Others have reported yet more species that I didn’t see. So it’s hard to say that one year is better than the other, they are simply different.

This year, the plan is to cut the whole area at around the end of August – the exact date will depend on the weather at the time. I greatly valued the help of some willing volunteers who assisted in this last year. If you would like to join a congenial party undertaking this work, please do get in touch with me. There will be gingerbread...

Nigel Symington
nigel.symington@gmail.com