01/2021
As the festive season comes to and end and a new year begins, bringing with it the start of another nationwide lockdown, it would be easy to get lost in the doom and gloom of winter. However, we are gifted once again with the allowance of daily exercise. So, whether you’re working from home, home schooling your children, furloughed or whatever your situation may be, getting out in nature can do wonders for your physical and mental health.
Now, the idea of having to get wrapped up in 300 layers to go outside in the cold can be slightly less attractive than throwing on your shorts for a summertime jaunt. Once you are out there though, winter has so much to offer, especially in the churchyard!
One guaranteed sight in winter is the beautifully angelic snowdrop. On the buds of these tough little plants, there is a hard tip which enables them to break through frozen soil. As well as this, the sap in the flower contains a natural antifreeze which prevents frost getting to them. Nature is truly incredible! Another plant commonly seen in churchyards is the primrose, which although best seen in Spring, can flower as early as December in milder winters. These creamy yellow flowers are often an indicator that the land they are on is or once was an ancient woodland.
When it comes to birds, churchyards are especially popular with thrushes in the winter. Blackbirds and song thrushes are commonly seen year-round, however, in winter it is not unusual to see a redwing or a fieldfare. Redwings migrate 500 miles to get to the UK, with the first individuals usually arriving in October. Whilst overwintering, they will often join flocks with other birds such as other thrushes and starlings. If there are berries in a churchyard, it is not unlikely that you will see a redwing gorging itself before the colder weather sets in.
South Petherwin churchyard itself is home to the locally famous (and very noisy!) Rookery. In winter, the rooks are hard at work, fighting against the elements to build new and repair existing nests. This is vital as Rooks lay their eggs very early; most having done so by February! So Winter is a busy time for them and a great time to observe them.
Churchyards are important spaces when it comes to Lichens, with over a third of the 2000 British species having been found present in churchyards. Even though Lichens are present year-round they are much more noticeable in Winter. Gravestones and church buildings are often the oldest stone structures in the local landscape, these structures provide slow growing lichens the unchanged habitat they need to thrive. Some lichen can grow as little as half a millimetre a year so when seen on very old gravestones they may be as old as the stone itself!
Hopefully this has whetted your appetite to see what you can discover on your daily walk and if so, I implore you to throw on your hat and scarf and get out there! Just like the other seasons in our calendar, winter is truly beautiful.
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