30th November 2025

A Year in the Churchyard 2025

After the planned felling of three trees at the east end of the church in October, three members of SWFV purchased and planted replacements. Four trees, a Hawthorn, a Crab Apple, a Hornbeam and a Mulberry were planted in the front of the church adjacent to the road. These will provide flowers in spring and fruits in autumn for visiting wildlife as well making the churchyard more attractive for church visitors. Six Guelder Roses (Viburnum) and a Hazel were also planted amongst the woodpiles and dead hedges. These are, of course, shrubs and will be managed as such. Again these will add a splash of colour as well as providing for wildlife. 

The pollinator bed to the western perimeter wall has been very successful and has attracted several positive comments as well as a lot of insects. It was deliberately planted with a range of flowering plants that would flower for long periods and provide colour and nectar throughout the growing season. In early spring, the first plants to flower were Lungwort, Dwarf Comfrey and Green Alkanet. These attracted the first emerging Bumblebees, Dotted and Dark-edged Beeflies and early Hoverflies. Later, Foxgloves, Leucanthemum, Catmint, Lavender and Yarrow provided a lovely display and attracted several butterfly species. Dwarf Asters and Michaelmas Daisies provided plenty of autumn interest. One or two other plants will be added this coming autumn. 

Following a generous donation, two bat boxes were fixed high in the Japanese Cedars and several bird nest-boxes were positioned in various trees.

The big project for the winter was the new pond. This was lined with a tough EPDM rubber liner. A good number of rocks and pebbles were kindly donated after an appeal, and all these were used to add interest to the pond and hiding places for the pond creatures. Similarly, pond plants were gleaned from various places, or again, were kindly donated. Throughout the summer, the pond established itself well with various creatures arriving of their own accord. Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonflies were quick to take advantage and there are now good numbers of the larvae of this species in the pond. During the hot, dry summer months, birds came to drink and bathe and many insects were seen taking advantage of the easy water source. Three logs from the felled Holly tree have been positioned close to the pond to be used as seats. The pond adds a new habitat and a new dimension to our nature-friendly churchyard. There is still a little more work to do here over the coming winter. 

Due to the large volumes of grass clippings being collected, a second and larger compost bin was constructed from recycled pallets, alongside the first one. The now well-rotted compost from the first bin will be spread on the pollinator and rose borders during the autumn.

The meadow areas have been excellent this year. Once again the Cowslips and Primroses gave a superb display in early spring, with a good mix of other flowering plants following on. The sowings of Yellow Rattle seed has worked well in reducing the vigour of competitive grasses with this, and the removal of grass clippings, helping to reduce soil fertility. Several new species of wildflower have been added to our churchyard list, bringing the current total to 118 species, which doesn’t include ferns, sedges, trees or planted, non-native, decorative species. The retention of long grass areas over the summer months has led to an increase in invertebrate species. Grasshoppers had been largely absent last year but a quick survey in mid-August found a number of Common Field Grasshoppers and a couple of Long-winged Coneheads, a common species of cricket. This is welcome news. Butterflies have had an excellent year generally and several species were regularly recorded in the churchyard, including good numbers of Wall Browns.

At the end of January, the SWFV website www.staplewildlifefriendlyvillage.org was launched. This is to act as a repository for information on the wildlife to be found in and around Staple. It includes a large section on the churchyard-the management plan, explanatory sheets on why certain practices are carried out and information on certain key species. This information was also made available in a folder in the church porch. The website also has a blog which is regularly updated with wildlife sightings, including ones from the churchyard. 

Saturday 7th June saw an RSPB Explorers group visit the churchyard for an activity day. Shelley and Michael Morris organised and led this event which, by all accounts, was most successful.

On the 4th July, we welcomed Keith Hillier-Palmer to the churchyard and enjoyed a morning identifying lichens under his expert and good-humoured guidance. A good 20 lichen species were found and this has helped tremendously in building up a more comprehensive picture of the biodiversity we have here. It was a most interesting and informative couple of hours. 

The big autumn cut-back has now begun. The long grass areas will all be cut over the winter months. This will be done in stages so there are still denser refuges remaining for wildlife to hide in. A couple of SWFV working party sessions will help to complete this work. The diversity of the site is improving and we look forward to seeing what arrives in 2026.

Please find a colour copy of this report in the News section of the blog on our website

www. staplewildlifefriendlyvillage.org 

A Staple Wildlife Friendly Village Supporter 

October 2025