Day 5 - 30 Days Wild 2021 - Sharow Churchyard (near Ripon) - Churches Count on Nature - Open Day

 An Ox-eye Daisy's view of people entering St John's Church Sharow

A Rough Hawkbit's view of people entering St John's Church Sharow

Why are they here?

To explore the churchyard.

It is the beginning of  Churches Count on Nature Week.

At Sharow 

Sat 5th (World Environment Day) is aimed at families and at people who would like to know more about management of churchyards - - both for Bereavement Care and for Wildlife (see video lower down - still to be added)

Wednesday 9th is aimed at people who would like to help record wildlife - plants - birds- insects- lichens- fungi - whatever- 

(But both types of people are welcome on both days)

Sharow Churchyard, is close to the lower stretches of the river Ure, and the soil is on the gravels left by the glaciers and river. The surrounding fields  have been made into huge fields to grow lots of wheat, but the churchyard itself has some of the same meadow plants that grew here 200 years ago when the church was built.

Jill finds a baby Blue Tit that must have fallen out of its nest. She goes off to look for the nest

Round the back of the church a Red Legged Partridge wanders amongst the British Legion Gravestones.

 

The children watch wild bees arrive to lay eggs in  tubes that have been put for them

Look at the two black tubes. See how Reeds from Nosterfield Nature Reserve (centre right) have had eggs laid and then the entrances blocked, compared with the paper tubes that have not been used. 

Peter the Church Warden and Churchyard expert  (left) and Revd Ruth Newton, the Vicar (pink jumper, rightish) lead a guided walk round the churchyard. We see how different mowing regimes are applied to different parts of the churchyard. Several people/groups have come from churches in different parts of Yorkshire to see how the churchyard is managed. Read a little here on the church website

Emma from Nosterfield Nature Reserve is keen to learn what grasses we can find - It is great to have someone so enthusiastic. Here is one - Barren  Brome - Anisantha sterilis we missed whilst we were together - maybe we will see it again on Wednesday:

Altogether I record 18 grasses - 6 of which are not on their list:  but I also fail to find five more grasses which are. Perhaps I will find these other five on Wednesday.

I  am specially interested to see how many "Hay Meadow Indicator Species" I can find - these are plants that are on a list that the Nature Conservancy Council and The Yorkshire Dales National Park wrote for surveying Dales Hay Meadows.

One very good and beautiful example is Meadow Saxifrage- which is in the churchyard, but just going over: 

Meadow Saxifrage

 Another is Pignut

I find ten indicator species altogether. There are 6 more indicator species recorded that I did not see. Again, I will look more carefully on Wednesday

The grave of the Taylors  - the family who started Taylors of Harrogate Tea.

Two lichens 

The large Wheat field to the west

I hope you can join us on Wednesday