By Helen Bovill
May started off with the hottest day of the year so far, with the temperature reaching over 20 degrees C. But that was nothing compared to the second bank holiday weekend of the month, when we had a short heatwave with temperatures reaching over 30 degrees. There were some rain showers on a few days but nothing too heavy or prolonged, with the paths in the cemetery only becoming muddy for a couple of days before quickly drying up again.
Butterflies
I was delighted to see my first Painted Lady of the year on the first day after that bank holiday. It was also the first time I’d seen one in the cemetery since 2019. I watched as she flew from thistle to thistle, laying a single egg on each leaf. Large numbers of this migratory species have been observed arriving in England during the late May bank holiday, and today (31 May, pictured above) I saw another one in the cemetery and 3 in the nearby planted area behind Thoresby Street school. Years with significant large influxes are known as “Painted Lady Years” and usually occur once every decade, but it is too early to say if 2026 will turn out to be one such year. I also saw my first Red Admiral of the year, making it 12 different species of butterfly for the cemetery so far this year.
Painted Lady laying eggs (left); egg (right, centre of photo)
Red Admiral
As far as spring butterflies are concerned, the cemetery compares very well with the rest of Hull. In last month’s report I mentioned the iNaturalist “City Nature Challenge”. 66 people took part this year, recording all the wildlife they observed within the Hull boundary over the four-day period of 24 – 27 April. 11 species of butterfly were recorded – exactly the same species as the ones I’d already seen in the cemetery by the time the event took place. These are Peacock, Comma, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange-Tip, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Small White, Large White, Green-Veined White and Red Admiral. These are the species I’ve seen every year for the past 4 years.
Speckled Wood
Holly Blue
Over the past few years I’ve also had occasional sightings of some summer butterflies in the cemetery – Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet – but these might not emerge for another couple of months.
Other Insects
I saw the first Thick-legged Flower Beetles of the year this month, and some Dock Bugs – a first for me and the cemetery. I saw lots of our native 7-Spot ladybirds, including a larva, and I also saw some 14-Spot ladybirds – another native species. I also saw several different types of bees including Ashy Mining, Common Carder, Buff-tailed, Early Bumblebee and Tree Bumblebee. I also saw a crane fly of some sort in the Quaker Burial Ground.
Thick-legged Flower Beetles on Dandelion
Dock Bugs on a Dock Leaf
14-Spot Ladybird on Thistle
Plants
I was delighted to find a Guelder-Rose in the Cemetery this month! It’s quite a large and sprawling bush that must have been there for many years but I just hadn’t realised what it was until I noticed its distinctive flowers. I saw plenty of other flowers this month, including Tansy, Red Valerian, Red and White Campion, Ragwort, Musk Mallow, Knapweed, Cut-leaved Crane’s-Bill, Smooth and Prickly Sow-Thistle and Corky-fruited Water-Dropwort. And for the first time, I also saw the Lords-and-Ladies in flower.
Guelder-Rose. Only the small flowers in the centre are fertile - the large ones around the edge are sterile.
White Campion
Lords-and-Ladies
In order to increase the variety of native wildflowers in the cemetery, some of the volunteers have planted three raised beds in what we call the “wildflower meadow” opposite the Larkin bench. Some suitable compost has been added to the existing soil inside the beds, and they’ve been edged with branches found around the cemetery. The area gets enough sun in the morning and afternoon to make the venture feasible, and some of the plants set as small plugs are just starting to flower. Some seeds have also been sown around the edge of the whole area, which is also lined with fallen branches.
The soil in this area is of differing depths and quality, so it will be interesting to see what works best. The area at the back already has some established Red Campion and this has been left untouched, along with some established plants in the main area. The volunteers have cut back the rest of the more vigorously-growing plants to give the new ones a chance to thrive, and during the hot weather they made several extra visits to the cemetery in order to water the new plants as there is no natural source of water in the cemetery.
The wildflower meadow area, showing the 3 raised beds and some of the plants growing there - Cornflower (top left, planted by the volunteers), Red Campions (top right) and Common Chickweed (bottom left). This probably seeded itself rather than being planted there. I also found a small mushroom in one of the raised beds - species unknown.
It is hoped that the addition of some new native wildflowers will increase the insect biodiversity in the cemetery, especially if we plant for specific species that are already established in nearby parts of the city.
A New Tree!
There is a large tree near the fence separating the cemetery from Western Cemetery. The tree is probably between 100 and 150 years old, and I always thought it was just a whitebeam. However, when I put it onto iNaturalist I found out it’s actually a Service Tree of Fontainebleau, a species of whitebeam that’s endemic to a specific area around Fontainebleau which is south of Paris. It was introduced to the UK over 200 years ago and planted in parks and gardens, although it doesn’t appear to be widespread in the UK. It’s listed as globally vulnerable, so it seems we have a rare tree growing in the cemetery!
Service Tree of Fontainebleau. These low-hanging branches are actually in Western Cemetery although the tree itself grows in Hull General Cemetery.
Birds
I didn’t see any unusual avian visitors this month but saw Stock Doves a lot more often. The trees were in full leaf by the end of the month, so the birds have become a lot harder to see and photograph. But they are still very vocal, especially the Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. Some already have young – I saw fledgling Blackbirds, Great Tits and Robins.
Stock Dove in Turkey Oak Tree, taken at the start of the month
Blackcap (male)
Chiffchaff in the same Turkey Oak Tree, taken on the same day
Fledgling Robin
Conclusion
May has been another very warm and dry month. There was still enough moisture in the ground and from the occasional rain showers to allow the cemetery plants to flourish though, and I even found a rather worn Dryad’s Saddle fungus. The bluebells and wild garlic have now finished for the year, but the cemetery is still looking very green and inviting. The paths are dry and, as usual, I highly recommend a walk through the cemetery to see and listen to its beauty. And on a hot day, it’s a refreshing few degrees cooler in the cemetery too.
Squirrel of the month. See you next time!
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