The Churchyard Wildlife Group

The Churchyard Wildlife Group was formed by people from Hackleton, Piddington and Horton to try to improve our churchyard's biodiversity.  Given that the UK is considered one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world (the statistics are alarming, but we won't repeat them here) and that we are all waking up to the realities of climate change and biodiversity loss, we felt it was important to do what we can for our local environment.  

Organisations like The Wildife Trust BCN (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire) have been encouraging churchyards for decades now to try to do something to improve biodiversity. The Anglican Church also has shown increasing awareness of these issues, and in 2024 general synod passed a motion to help tackle the crisis.

In 2020 we received a visit from Wildlife BCN, who surveyed our churchyard and gave us lots of great advice for how we can do small things to help improve the space that we have, which is about 1.3 acres. In embarking on this project, we are joining about 90 other churches in the region that are taking similar steps, including St Edmund's church in Hardingstone, which is part of our Living Brook Benefice. In 2023 we also received a visit in Horton, and it is part of our longer term plan to try to improve the Horton churchyard as well.

Over the last three years we have been putting into practice some of the steps that have been suggested to us, including adopting kerbed graves, on which we can plant wildflowers and other pollinator-friendly species. Before doing so, or implementing other plans, we consult with the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and Hackleton Parish Council (HPC), who have had some responsibility for maintenance of our churchyard since it was closed to burials.  HPC also help to fund many of the actions we are taking, including funding the installation of bird, bat and bee boxes, and purchasing a water butt.  A recent addition is a mini-pond, which has already attracted frogs. We also have had a spectacular wildflower patch on a large kerbed grave in 2023, which we hope will be as successful in 2024.

A significant step was the establishment of a 1 metre strip left unmown along our northern wall which separates the churchyard from the council cemetery. Ironically, leaving things alone is one of the best things we can do to improve biodiversity. This was first done in 2023 after some resistance, and once again we saw large numbers of bees, hoverflies and butterflies taking advantage. We have also seen a toad in the grassy verge.

You can see more about what we have done so far and our plans here.

Surveys have turned up large number of species in our churchyard, and we know we have only just begun to document the flora and fauna:

Birds

Blackbird, blue tit, chaffinch, collared dove, common buzzard, dunnock, Eurasian jay, fieldfare, goldfinch, greenfinch, green woodpecker, herring gull, grey heron, house martin, jackdaw, kestrel, long-tailed tit, mistle thrush, red kite, robin, skylark, thrush, starling, woodpigeon, wren

Insects

bush cricket, common carder bee, honeybee, long hoverfly, marmalade hoverfly, Pilophorus perplexus (ant-mimic bug), red-tailed bumblebee, Lassioglossum bee (small, solitary bee), 7-spot ladybird, red-legged shield bug

Butterflies, moths and caterpillars

brown argus, common blue, gatekeeper, large white, marbled white, meadow brown, peacock, cinnabar, silver Y moth, toadflax moth

Plants, herbs, and grasses

Annual meadow grass, autumn hawkbit, black knapweed, black medick, ground ivy, black medick, bramble, bristly oxtongue, broad-leaved dock, burnet saxifrage, cock's foot, common cat's ear, common forget-me-not, common knapweed, common mallow, common mouse-ear, common ragwort, common sorrel, cow parsley, creeping cinquefoil, cut-leaved crane’s-bill, daisy, dandelion, dove's foot crane's bill, field scabious, germander speedwell, ground ivy, groundsel, hedge bedstraw, hedge bindweed, hoary plantain, hogweed, ivy, lady's bedstraw, lesser trefoil, meadow buttercup, mouse-ear hawkweed, oat grass, red clover, red and white dead nettle, red fescue, red valerian, ribwort plantain, rosebay, rough hawkbit, rye grass, salad burnet, selfheal, shepherd's purse, smooth hawk’s-beard, smooth sow-thistle, sorrel, spear thistle, common milk thistle,  stinging nettle, tall fescue, tall oat grass, violet sp., white bryony, white clover, willowherb, woundwort, yarrow, purple toadflax, , smooth meadow grass, hogweed, chickweed, geranium purpureum, goosegrass (cleavers)

Fungi

brown roll-rim, earthball, field blewitt, shaggy inkcap

 

Bryophytes Survey (Rachel Carter, 2023)

From Carter.RH@gmail.com 

Bryophyte recorder for Northamptonshire

Piddington churchyard has a rich moss flora, with 33 species plus one liverwort; 3 of the mosses (asterisked below) were only found in the extension.  This is fairly typical of a good rural churchyard.  Piddington has several nice trees, which is unusual; disappointingly they didn’t have many epiphytes.  The site seems fairly exposed, perhaps drying winds make the bark unsuitable. 

As well as a good number of species, there was one particularly nice moss:  Leucodonsciuroides is scarce in Northamptonshire.  It covered the top of one gravestone, to the left as you come in the gate.

The list of species is below, with some notes, and some pictures of the Leucodon.  Full accounts can be found on the British Bryological Society website, following Learning then Species Finder.

Name	English name	Notes
Amblystegiumserpens	creeping feather-moss	Tiny; makes fine brownish-green mats
Barbulaconvoluta	lesser bird's-claw beard-moss	Small moss which sometimes makes extensive patches on the ground, often a slightly yellowish colour
Barbulasardoa	Sardinian bird's-claw beard-moss	Similar, but prefers old walls and crevices
Barbula unguiculata	bird's-claw beard-moss	Loose bright green cushions – very common plant of garden soil etc
Brachytheciumrutabulum	rough-stalked feather-moss	Big mat-forming moss, extremely common [and very variable – can be confusing!]
Bryum capillare	capillary thread-moss	Big cushions; broad leaves with fine points; spirals up when dry
Bryum dichotomum	bicoloured bryum	Small; has reproductive ‘bulbils’ in leaf axils; typical of bare soil in gardens, fields, etc.
Bryum ruderale	pea bryum	Grows on soil, often on waste ground; produces round red tubers on rough purple rhizoids.
Calliergonellacuspidata	pointed spear-moss	In grass, damp areas. Shoots almost sharp at tip. Very common
* Ceratodonpurpureus	redshank	Very common plant of acid soils, sometimes covering large areas of heathland; also on rotting wood
Didymodoninsulanus	cylindric beard-moss	Narrow leaves, top ones longer than lower; twisted when dry
Didymodonluridus	dusky beard-moss	Another small non-descript moss, usually on stone; leaves look triangular and shiny viewed from above when it is wet.  On concrete
Didymodonrigidulus	rigid beard-moss	Widespread moss, mainly on stone; small plant with bluntly-pointed narrow leaves
Didymodonsinuosus	wavy beard-moss	Medium-sized moss, often growing on damp stone; leaves are fragile, with notches along their sides, and the tips often missing. On flat bricks.
Fissidenstaxifolius	common pocket-moss	On soil. Flat shoots with leaves in two rows
Grimmiapulvinata	grey-cushioned grimmia	Grey hairy cushions on walls, with capsules which droop down when wet.
Homalotheciumsericeum	silky wall feather-moss	Big patches on stones and walls; curly looking when dry
Hypnum cupressiforme	cypress-leaved plait-moss	Very common, usually on trees, but it can also grow on the ground in woods; leaves curl down giving plaited look
Kindbergiapraelonga	common feather-moss	Very common creeping moss, often with neatly pinnate shoots
Leucodonsciuroides	squirrel-tail moss	A sturdy moss with long triangular leaves; not common. Could be confused with Homalotheciumsericeum, but dry shoots do not curl. On gravestone (ironstone)
Lophocolea bidentata	bifid crestwort	Leafy liverwort with two rows of notched leaves, often pale coloured. Aromatic, with a “mossy” smell
Orthotrichum affine	wood bristle-moss	Loose cushions on trees, moderately pollution-resistant and very common in suitable places. On small oak tree.
Orthotrichumanomalum	anomalous bristle-moss	Small but sturdy. Cushions with capsules on short stalks on some gravestones
Orthotrichumdiaphanum	white-tipped bristle-moss	More pollution-resistant than other Orthotrichum species. Leaves have a broad hair point. On elder.
Oxyrrhynchiumhians	swartz's feather-moss	Small, untidy-looking creeping moss growing on the ground
Plagiomniumundulatum	hart's-tongue thyme-moss	Tall shoots with big, long wavy leaves – a very fine, easily recognisable moss when well-grown
Pseudocrossidiumhornschuchianum	hornschuch's beard-moss	Tiny moss with pointed leaves, often on trampled ground
Pseudoscleropodiumpurum	neat feather-moss	Swollen-looking shoots, often in grass
Rhynchostegiumconfertum	clustered feather-moss	Rather non-descript creeping moss
Rhytidiadelphussquarrosus	springy turf-moss	Common in lawns; starry appearance, red stems
Schistidiumcrassipilum	thickpointgrimmia	Dark green or blackish patches on rock, often with hair-points; capsules, with red caps, are immersed in the leaves.  On concrete.
Syntrichiamontana	intermediate screw-moss	Hairy moss making cushions on stones and walls; bigger than Tortulamuralis. On gravestone
*Syntrichiaruralis var. ruraliformis	sand-hill screw-moss	The less-usual version of a common moss, growing on calcareous sandy places, especially sand dunes.
* Syntrichiaruralis var. ruralis	great hairy screw-moss	Bright golden green mats on the ground; broad leaves (with hair-points) curved back give a starry appearance
Tortulamuralis	wall screw-moss	Very common small plant of walls; spirals up when dry, and often has a forest of narrow capsules on long stalks. Wall and concrete

Trees

ID	Species	Age	Height (m)	Condition
2527	English yew	Over mature	10	Good
2528	Black pine	Mature	12	Good
2529	English oak	Young	3	Good
2530	English oak	Young	5	Good
2531	English yew	Over mature	10	Good
2532	Spruce sp.	Middle aged	8	Good
2533	English yew	Over mature	7	Good
T1	Box	Mature	5	Good
2534	Rowan	Young	4	Good
2535	Turkish hazel	Mature	8	Good
2536	Rowan	Young	3.5	Good
2537	Ash	Young	5	Good
2538	Ash	Middle aged	11	Good
T2	Box	Mature	5	Good
2539	Wild Cherry	Middle aged	10	Good
2540	English yew	Mature	10	Good
2541	English oak	Young	9	Good
2542	Hawthorn	Mature	7	Good
2543	Silver birch	Young	7	Good