Nature in the Cemeteries
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The cemeteries around Newport and Carisbrooke are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. The cemeteries were developed from meadow and farm land, and have only had minimal interference over the last 100 plus years - ie they've not been subjected to pesticide or fertilizer use, only regular grass cutting and the occasional cutting back of the shrubs and hedges; and they now have an abundance of wild flowering shrubs, plants and animals.
There’s limited conservation management of the flora in the cemeteries, mainly by the contractors leaving some areas of grass uncut during part of the year (unfortunately, some visitors consider this as 'neglect' and complain!). In Spring, areas containing flowering bulbs are left uncut so that the carpets of snowdrops, crocus’s etc. can be enjoyed.
Carisbrooke Cemetery is really special as it is ‘chalk downland’ which, in its natural state, is becoming extremely rare. The IW Natural History Society have carried out some plant and butterfly surveys at Carisbrooke Cemetery and they’ve kindly allowed us to share them here:
- Carisbrooke Cemetery Plant Surveys 2017 and 2019
- Carisbrooke Cemetery Butterfly recorded 2011 to 2018
Butterflies month by month:
Newport Cemetery - 2020 RSPB Garden BirdWatch Survey
We would like to do more surveying, recording and photographing of the wildlife in the cemeteries; be it recording the fungi, plants, trees, or animals - if you would like to become involve with any part of this, please get in touch.
