Page 7 - Ludlow Tower January 2023

different species have been recorded
Caring for God’s Acre is a national
charity which grew out of a small
Shropshire-based initiative in 1997. It
promotes the conservation of burial
sites and supports the volunteers who
look after and maintain them. Many of
the 20,000 burial grounds in England and
Wales have been set apart for centuries
and now offer much needed refuge for
our native wildlife of all varieties –
plants, mammals, invertebrates, reptiles.
The charity’s staff are trained and
qualified ecologists and conservationists
with a wide network of contacts for
further specialist advice. One of the
tasks undertaken by its many dedicated
volunteers is to record the wildlife
observed in their own burial grounds.
Two of the three burial grounds with
the highest species counts in the diocese
of Hereford are very close to home for
us, although they are very different in
nature and size: top of the list is our
own St Leonard’s churchyard extending
from Corve Street to Linney where 712
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while the tiny, remote churchyard of St
John the Baptist at Hope Bagot comes
third with 289 species. In between lies
Bridgnorth Cemetery with 679 species.
Apart from its impressive bio-diversity
St Leonard’s also boasts one of the most
unusual mammal sightings – an otter.
Anyone can contribute to these records
by noting down a few simple details:
Who - the recorder’s full name
What - the common (or scientific name
of the species you found eg swift,
ladybird, daisy…
Where - the name, address and/or grid
reference for the site you visited
When – give the day, month and year
All records are useful, even of common
plants, grasses, birds or other wildlife as
they help to monitor the rise or decline
of species over a period of years. You
could make it your New Year resolution
to record a different species every
month.
You can submit your records to Caring
for God’s Acre on line using iNaturalist,
via email or by post. Check out the
website at:
www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/about-
recording/