Working with Nature
Brandon Town Keepers are working to increase biodiversity on three of our key sites; The Orchard, St Peters Churchyard and the Cemetery.
The Orchard has seen a few changes in recent years. We have planted a few native bluebells in the small wooded area and added Cowslip, Snowdrop and Wild Garlic to increase the number of spring flowering plants.
The front Hedgerow was thinned of deadwood and Ivy and replanted with a good variety of species to support and encourage wildlife as it matures. We have also built several nest boxes for Robin, Blue tit and Great tit to help mitigate the temporary loss of habitat.
We now allow some areas of grass to grow during the summer months. This creates habitat for small mammals and invertebrates which, in turn, attracts birds, bats and other creatures, helping to increase the bio diversity.
Working closely with the Rector, we have created a network of wildflower meadows in the grounds of St Peters Churchyard. These are interlinked with mown footpaths for you to wander through and enjoy.
The meadows provide necessary habitat for small mammals such as Voles, Shrews and invertebrates such as beetles and moths. During the summer months, you will see many species of butterfly here too.
In the Cemetery, we have installed, and monitor, various nest boxes for House Sparrows, Blue tit and Great tit.
We conducted some bat surveys in the summer of 2019 and Common Pipistrelle, Noctule, Serotine, Soprano Pipistrelle and, most notably, Leislers bat, were all found to use the Cemetery and Churchyard. Since 2008, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (DEFRA), has included bats in their set of key 'indicator species' which help measure progress towards the Government's target of halting biodiversity loss.
Creating suitable habitats for nature in the Cemetery is more challenging. for obvious, aesthetic reasons, the grass is kept neat and short, drastically reducing its ability to support wildlife. But, we have made small changes in other areas of the Cemetery to try and create diversity. We have built and installed various bird boxes and created an area with bird feeders and a bird bath to help them through the cold winter months and dry summer summer months.
Brandon Cemetery is home to a colony of wild honey bees which have nested inside one of the Lime trees, where clusters of Mistletoe can also be found. We also have regular visits from Deer, Hedgehog and even a Brown Hare!
We endeavour to continue with the wildlife survey work on all our sites. This will enable us to better understand the creatures we share these spaces with, and manage these areas for both nature and people alike.
