Caring for God's Acre

An ancient yew tree at St Thomas a Becket Church, Warblington in need of clearing work under the canopy

The ancient yew tree at St Thomas a Becket Church, Warblington cleared under the canopy as part of Love Your Yew Week

A big thank you to all the volunteers who joined in with Love Your Yew Week.
Visit the Before and After link in the bio to see more before and after photographs, including St Thomas a Becket, Warblington shown below.
#CFGA #yew #loveyouryew

Yew trees in St Peters Church, Frimley

Lots of Love Your Yew Week inspiration in the gallery from our 2025 LYYW! bit.ly/cfga-yew-wee...

#CFGA #yew #loveyouryew

An ancient yew tree in a country churchyard

It's Love Your Yew Week bit.ly/cfga-love-yo... and here is our patron Chris Baines with a short video on the magnificent ancient yew tree in Discoed, Powys bit.ly/you-tube-anc... . For the full video follow the link bit.ly/cfga-you-tub...

#CFGA #ancientyew #yew #loveyouryew

An ancient yew tree in a churchyard

It's not too late to join Love Your Yew Week!
If you have an ancient or veteran yew in your burial ground - or even a younger one - visit www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/love-your-yew-week/ to find FAQs about removing detritus from under your yew & register before & after photos.
#CFGA #yew #ancientyew

A picture of a thrush singing in a yew tree with berries in a churchyard

Love your Yew Week 9-14 Feb bit.ly/cfga-love-yo... We found this photograph by Andrew Fusek Peters of a thrush singing in a yew tree.
Every part of the yew tree is poisonous, including the seed, but the pink-red fleshy berry "aril" is non-toxic and mildly sweet.
#CFGA #yew #plantscience #ancientyew

Love your Yew Week is coming up on 9th-14th February www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/love-your-ye...
For inspiration why not check out this video by our patron Chris Baines bit.ly/cfga-you-tub...

#cfga #ancientyew #nature #conservation

Season's Greetings to all our members and supporters.

With all good wishes for Christmas and the New Year from everyone at Caring for God's Acre.

#cfga #christmas #seasonsgreetings #newyear

A seasonal wrap up to our Autumn webinar series, Solstice Stories from storyteller Amy Douglas on Tuesday 16th December 2pm - 3pm. Info and FREE booking www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/events/webinars/solstice-stories-from-storyteller-amy-douglas

#cfga #solstice #amydouglasstoryteller #storytelling

Lost grave of daughter of Black abolitionist Olaudah Equiano found by A-level student Fitzwilliam Museum has uncovered student’s work from 1977 that revealed Cambridgeshire location of child’s burial place

This is a wonderful story and shows the importance of memorial recording to preserve a record of gravestones- work done by an A Level student in 1977 has allowed the resting place of abolitionist Olaudah Equiano's year 3 old daughter Anna Maria Vassa to be found:
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

A pale brown, lobed, flattened fungal body, resembling a dead leaf. It is growing from the edge of a patch of moss.

The same fungus, from a greater distance, showing the fungus and moss is on the top of a lichen-encrusted tombstone. In the background is a church porch.

Interesting-looking fungus growing from moss atop a tombstone in Doddington churchyard. I took it for dead leaf at first. ObsIdentify says it's Arrhenia spathulata. #KentNature #fungus #fungi @caringforgodsacre.bsky.social

So enjoyed Friday’s @caringforgodsacre.bsky.social conference in time-deep, wondrous Shropshire. Learned lots about biodiversity & creatures in churchyards, their power for engaging communities & restoring the environment (super cute bats & dormice, and remarkable volute pastries, too)

Juniper Shieldbug, a slender, green shieldbug with curved brown markings on the wings.

Corizus hyoscyami, a bright red bug with black markings.

A couple of bugs tapped out of a cypress tree in Doddington Churchyard today: Juniper Shieldbug and the smart red-and-black Corizus hyoscyami. They were also accompanied by a Common Green Shieldbug and a Box Bug. #bugs #truebugs #hemiptera #KentNature @caringforgodsacre.bsky.social

Willesden Jewish Cemetery, urn and H Samuel grave

Autumn webinar-Willesden Jewish Cemetery: Stories from the House of Life.
Explore the history of this NW London site's Victorian architecture, symbolic traditions, the lives of those buried there & transformation to an education and reflection space. www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/webinars-autumn-2025

An ancient yew tree in a country churchyard

Chris Knapman of Ancient Yew Group will give a talk Have I Got Yews for You–Understanding Ancient Yews as part of our online AGM 7pm on Tues 11th November.
Free for members, £6 for non-members. Information and link to book www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/events/webinars/agm-and-have-i-got-yews-for-you/

Various fungi growing around a grave in Warstone Lane Cemetery, showing the headstone

Churchyards are important for fungi, including some of the UK's rarest
This webinar will introduce UK fungi and their roles in the natural environment
Chris Knowles is a field mycologist and member of his local fungus group He works at Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh cataloguing the fungi collection

Packet of wildflower seed that can be purchased through the Caring for God's Acre website

Wildflower seed mix of mainly native British flowers & grasses inspired by country churchyards.
Sowing best done in Autumn as yellow rattle, a semi-parasitic meadow annual which attaches itself to grasses through the root system needs to overwinter to germinate.
#CFGA #wildflowerseeds #yellowrattle

Volunteers recording inscription on a memorial headstone in Warstone lane Cemetery

First of our Autumn webinar series Our Digital Ancestors: Tales from Warstone Lane Cemetery will be online on Tuesday 7th October from 2pm to 3pm.

For more info and to book your free ticket visit
www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/events/webin...

#cfga #memorialrecording #warstonelanecemetery

Parrot waxcap fungi. Image credit Ellyn Baker

UK Fungus Day 4/10/25
British Mycological Society aims to inspire preservation of native fungi and improve scientific knowledge of these unique organisms.
Check out Gary Easton blog www.ukfungusday.co.uk/isthataballerinaoraparrot which you can also find on our CfGA website.
#fungi #ukfungusday #CFGA

People identifying inscriptions on headstones in a cemetery

Our Heritage to Inspire project together with Friends of Longden Road Cemetery Shrewsbury is working on identifying unmarked graves of people from the poorer end of Victorian society. With Shropshire Archives volunteers have found names, occupations & family relationships.
#cfga #monumentrecording

Victorian Language of the Flowers and other symbolism Tour St Marys Handsworth 17th September at 2pm

Memorial Photography Workshop Key Hill Cemetery 13th September at 2pm

We are also running two local events for Birmingham Heritage Week if you are in the West Midlands (email josie@cfga.org.uk to book).
#bheritageweek #birminghamheritageweek

Bath Jewish Burial Ground

Eglwys Sant Cynhaiarn St Cynhaearn's Church Ynyscynhaearn

alva old kirkyard and johnstone mausoleum

Ballintoy Parish Church

All four nations of the UK are taking part in European Heritage Open Days in September, with free events coming to a cemetery, churchyard or burial ground near you.
#heritageopendays #OpenDoors #DrysauAgored
#doorsopendays #DOD2025 #LoveHeritageNI #EHOD2025

Gravestone with Hebrew inscription and a round panel at the top centre. This panel contains a carving of a tree being felled by an axe.

We have seen a similar motif on a memorial in Lauriston Road Jewish Cemetery in London, UK.

Some cemetery symbolism you may or may not have seen before from @gravestonesofnewengland on IG “Many early 19th century gravestones feature willow trees as a symbol of mourning. However, this particular stone has a different take on that..

What a fabulous day yesterday? A big thank you to Sally and all the Don Catchment Rivers Trust team for organising today's BioBlitz. Thanks too to all the groups, stall holders and experts who helped to make it such a special event and to everyone who came.

Bumblebee on a Devil's Bit Scabious flower, image credit Phyl Buckley

Last call for cutting long grass!
If you manage a small lawn or a meadow this is a reminder to cut long grass if you haven't already & remove arisings to reduce fertility and help next year's flowers.
Any late flowering plants such as Devil's Bit Scabious, just leave that area to allow them to seed

Two people next to a gravestone. They are clearly studying it and the woman is writing something on a clipboard.

@caringforgodsacre.bsky.social needs you! They are looking for volunteers to join them in hay raking and gravestone recording. (No experience needed.)

Find out more on our website. Just scroll down to the volunteering section.
heritagetrustnetwork.org.uk/jobs/

#volunteering #heritagevolunteering

Pictures of butterflies as part of a butterfly identification guide

Last 2 days of Big Butterfly Count!

Big Butterfly Count organised by Butterfly Conservation ends Sunday, why not get out there this weekend

Our Butterfly Spotters Guide is a handy ID guide to your local churchyard or other burial ground bit.ly/butterfly_sp...

#CFGA #butterflies #citizenscience

Time to cut & rake long grass!
God's Acre vols have been cutting & raking long flowery grass in local churchyards & volunteer co-ordinator Alex has scythed outside our office the Sastak building
Thanks to our landlords for letting us manage the area as a meadow
#CFGA #godsacrevolunteers #scything

Common Blue by Stephen Lewis

Comma by Stephen Lewis

Brimstone by Roger Wasley

Small Copper by Lucy Lewis

Big Butterfly Count by @savebutterflies.bsky.social from 18 July-10th Aug

Your local burial ground is an ideal place to spot butterflies

How many will you see in 15 minutes? Download guides from Butterfly Conservation

#BigButterflyCount #CitizenScience

Thank you Butterfly Conservation for photos

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A great turnout and welcome sunshine for this morning's butterfly survey.
Butterflies have made something of a recovery this year and this was reflected at Wardsend with 41 recordings and 11 different species.