Nature
The six-spot burnet moth is brightly coloured and is active by day. As a result it is often mistaken for a butterfly. People generally think that moths only fly at night but in fact a number, including the six-spot burnet moth, fly by day.
Ryde Cemetery was established on ancient meadow land and has never been subjected to the use of pesticides or herbicides, so in the summer time when the grass is allowed to grow in the Old Parish Cemetery it fills up with beautiful old English meadow flowers.
It seems to be a great year for primroses and as always there are carpets of them throughout Ryde Cemetery.
After the harsh winter in February we often see the first signs that spring is on the way.
A record numbers of Birdwatchers spotted a record number of species in Ryde Cemetery!
As is usual for this time of the year the meadow parts of the cemetery are a pretty sight with many tall grasses and wildflowers.
Did you know? The earliest known reference to Daffodils can be found in the 6th century AD writings of the Prophet Mohammed.
Visit Ryde cemetery in April and you may be surrounded by swarms of black flies slowly moving through the air with their long back legs dangling.
In the Victorian ‘Language of Flowers’ the snowdrop is called the flower of hope, its little shoots and snowy buds peeping through in the depths of winter, bringing a promise that spring is on the way. It was also associated with fresh hope as the old year ends and the new one begins.
The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.