\n The Bishop of Norwich, who is also the Church of England\u2019s lead bishop for the environment, is inviting everyone to get involved and explore the natural wonders of our churchyards.\n<\/p>\n
\n “They are places not just for the dead, but for the living,” he said.\n<\/p>\n
\n Flowers at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich city centre (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n “These remarkable habitats are places alive with insect life, with wonderful different flower species, with trees, the great chorus of birdsong and many different mammals scurrying around.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Churches Count on Nature week is a chance for people to visit a local churchyard and record the wildlife they see and hear \u2013 from towering trees to tiny insects.\n<\/p>\n
\n Churchyards are home to wildflowers, lichens, plants, animals, and insects, many of which are now rare in the wider countryside.\n<\/p>\n
\n With around 98 per cent of English wildflower meadows lost since 1945, churchyards can hold a village\u2019s last remnants of ancient woodland and grassland.\n<\/p>\n
\n In urban areas too, they are sanctuaries for wildlife.\n<\/p>\n
\n They provide peaceful green oases for passers-by and shady tree-filled spaces to help combat heat and pollution.\n<\/p>\n
\n Last year more than 6,000 people took part, logging 1,670 different species.\n<\/p>\n
\n A Churches Count on Nature activity at St Andrew’s, Trowse (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n Recording these species and sharing records is an important step towards protecting wildlife.\n<\/p>\n
\n Whether you barely know oak from ash or blackbird from bluetit, or can name a profusion of beautiful wildflowers and insects, Churches Count on Nature is a chance to spend time in a churchyard and notice the nature all around.\n<\/p>\n
\n Churches across the country, and across Norfolk and Waveney, invite local people to explore their grounds and find out more about the wildlife living there.\n<\/p>\n
\n Some hold special events.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mulbarton Church is inviting people to pop in and explore its churchyard all week \u2013 and see how many different species of wildlife it harbours.\n<\/p>\n
\n There will be identification guides to help.\n<\/p>\n
\n At Horstead Church, a wildflower identification workshop will be led by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, who surveyed the churchyard last year.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Diocese of Norwich works with the Norfolk Wildlife Trust to manage hundreds of churchyards with wildlife in mind.\n<\/p>\n
\n Have a go at identifying plants and wildlife in the lovely riverside churchyard in Trowse, just outside Norwich, at 10 am on Saturday, June 13.\n<\/p>\n
\n This week why not visit a churchyard and marvel at the wildlife? (Image: Supplied)\n<\/p>\n
\n In Reepham, St Mary\u2019s and St Michael\u2019s churches are hosting a wildlife-themed afternoon for all comers on Sunday, June 14.\n<\/p>\n
\n Walk the nature trail, take part in activities and identify and record the wildlife you come across.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I hope you will get involved,” said Bishop Graham.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Many of our churches are running Churches Count on Nature events.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Then we can truly celebrate the great biodiversity in our churchyards, celebrate the wonder of God\u2019s creation.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Churches Count on Nature is run by Caring for God\u2019s Acre, A Rocha UK, the Church of England, and the Church in Wales.\n<\/p>\n
\n For full details of events, and lots of help identifying churchyard wildlife, visit caringforgodsacre.org.uk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bishop of Norwich, who is also the Church of England\u2019s lead bishop for the environment, is inviting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627345,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[1397,90,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-627344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}