Pumpkin Service Announcement

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You might be looking at your beautifully carved pumpkin and wondering how best to dispose of it.

Please do not just throw it in your garden or compost heap. Did you know that pumpkins are actually really bad for the opportunistic hedgehogs that stumble across them and decide to tuck in?

Much bettter to get them into your brown bin on this occasion, even if your compost heap normally takes your kitchen leftovers!

For more details have a read of this BBC Countryfile article!

YWT Action for Nature Day

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Location: Tang Hall Community Centre , Tang Hall Community Centre, York, YO31 0UG, York, North Yorkshire , YO31 0UG

Date/time: Sunday 17 November 2024, 12:00

Have you ever wished you could make your area better for wildlife?
Be inspired by information stalls, presentations and practical workshops to develop your ideas, grow your knowledge and build your skills to take the action nature needs.

More information on the YWT event page!

Cemeteries: Spiritual, Therapeutic, Social, and Cultural Perspectives

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We love the amazing St Mary’s Cemetery, for its biodiversity potential, but also because of the stories woven into it. If you’ve been to any of the Commonwealth War Graves tours that have been running, you will know exactly what we mean.

EICSP (a Scottish non-denominational charity that provides events around global spiritual traditions) is running an online Zoom meeting covering the many aspects of our graveyards and culture around them.

Event: Cemeteries: Spiritual, Therapeutic, Social, and Cultural Perspectives.

Date: Wednesday 30 October 2024.

Time: 7pm-9pm (UK time).

Format: There will be five talks, each of 12 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of discussion among the speakers and the chair, followed by Q & A. Sign up here! https://www.eicsp.org/events/event-details/1208-online-zoom-forum-cemeteries-spiritual-therapeutic-social-and-cultural-perspectives-30-october-2024

Autumn activities: Waxcap watch

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This autumn, help Plantlife find the UK’s most colourful and important fungi – waxcaps.

The UK is home to some of the most important waxcap grasslands in the world. However many species are becoming rare and declining; they need identifying and protecting.

Waxcaps are an indicator of rare, species-rich grassland. Knowing where waxcaps and other grassland fungi are thriving helps us pinpoint where fragments of ancient meadows survive, so they can be protected for the future.

Not just important for the hundreds of wildflowers they can be home to, these ancient grasslands are also crucial in the fight against climate change. Species-rich grassland can store up to a third more carbon than areas with just a few species. You can help the Plantlife effort to record waxcaps here.

Wild discoveries in churchyards and cemeteries

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MWN certainly know that a diverse array of species are thriving in our historic churchyards and cemeteries, as a quick glance at our St Mary’s Graveyard iNaturalist project will attest!

You may remember the Bioblitz that was run in association with Hull Natural History Society. Well the results of this UK wide survey are now available! From the article:

In June communities across the UK united to celebrate Love Your Burial Ground Week, Churches Count on Nature, and National Cemeteries Week, with more than 300 events highlighting the unique blend of history, nature, and community found within local churchyards and cemeteries. 

The Churches Count on Nature initiative, organised by Caring for God’s Acre and supported by the Church of England, the Church in Wales, and A Rocha UK, has generated an impressive collection of wildlife records that are still coming in.

Participants contributed by visiting their local churchyards and cemeteries to record the wildlife they encountered, from wildflowers to insects, birds, and mammals. During the last four years more than 43,700 records have been submitted, with more expected this year as data continues to be processed.

Read the full article here.

Butterfly Emergency – we need to act

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You may have taken part in the 2024 Big Butterfly Count from Butterfly Conservation We’ve reported on the results of this in previous years, but if you have been out in nature over the summer you may well have noticed a decline in the number of butterflies this year compared to previous years.

This decline has been enough for Butterfly Conservation launch a call to action to get the Government to take positive action, particularly for an immediate and permanent ban on butterfly-harming neonicotinoid pesticides, without exceptions. For more information see the Butterfly Conservation website.

Friends of the Earth annual Green Fair

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Hull & East Riding Friends of the Earth annual Green Fair will be held in Hull Minster on Saturday 5th October 2024. This is an opportunity to learn about and talk to various local environmental charities, community groups, as well as purchase from environmental, and ethical stalls. If you are interested in finding out more (or would like as stall), please get in touch with Claire on hello@hfoe.org.uk.

More information on the FOE website!