Living Churchyards
Churchyards are often valuable for wildlife because they combine a number of different habitats in a small area - grassland, trees, hedges and stones for example. As well as the variety of habitats within the churchyard, appropriate management techniques can be employed to create variety within each different habitat, to create different ‘micro-habitats’. For example, grassland which is made up of a mosaic of short and long areas is more diverse than grassland that is mown to all one length. A more diverse habitat will cater for the needs of a greater variety of plants and animals.
A survey carried out through the spring, summer and autumn, will help identify plants and animals already present and will show us if there is anything of special importance. Before this baseline survey is done, we can apply some general management principles to the churchyard that will create the diversity the wildlife needs, and prevent degradation of good habitats that already exist.
St Ishmael’s – a case study
St Ishmael's church near Ferryside in Carmarthenshire occupies a stunning position looking over the Towy estuary.
The congregation and Parochial Chruch Council agreed to manage the churchyard for nature conservation, with the help of the Wildlife 
Trust.
The work began in 2006 with volunteers from the church and local community. A new management plan was drawn up for the grassland to meet the needs of the church and to create variety.
By following some simple principles, changes are already happening. This summer the churchyard was full of flowers, herbs and tall grass, and teeming with insect life, birds and reptiles. Local volunteers help keep a record of the species seen and rake the grass after it has been cut by contractors. 
Records will be kept during the coming years to see how the flora and fauna changes, and we will look at improving the management of the woodland and boundary features to add further interest.
General management principles
Grass
Short grass is necessary in those areas of the churchyard that are visited most often, such as around new graves and on the paths and access to the church. By setting the blades a little higher than normal, the sward is better for flowers and animals.
For less well-used areas, a cut once every month or couple of months will keep these areas tidy whilst allowing flowers to grow and creating important areas of shelter for insects. The grass should be cut to around three inches, and left uncut from the beginning of June to mid-July to allow at least some of the meadow plants to flower and set seed.
Long grass will attract butterflies and seed-eating birds in the summer. There may not be room for a summer meadow but perhaps small areas could be left uncut until October or for a tidier appearance. Cutting late allows spring flowers to set seed and bulbs to die down. These ‘conservation areas’ will usually have different plants and will be important for many small animals and for the survival of over-wintering butterflies, moth eggs and pupae.
In all cases, we need to rake off cuttings. If cuttings are left they will rot down and enrich the soil, acting like a fertiliser. This benefits the more aggressive, fast-growing species of grass and plants like rye grass and nettles. Wild flowers will not flourish if the soil is too rich. The grass cuttings can be removed for hay or to make a compost heap if mixed with other biodegradable material such as small twigs and prunings from larger plants. A compost heap provides a home for fungi, bacteria and invertebrates which in turn become food for frogs, toads, slow-worms and birds. Grass snakes or hedgehogs may over-winter in the heap because of the warmth.
If the churchyard has been mown closely for years or harmful chemicals used, there may be very few wild flowers left. In this case, indigenous species of wild flowers can be introduced, such as drifts of snowdrops, wild daffodils or bluebells.
The added benefit of managing grassland in this way is that it often saves costs – because you are not paying to mow the whole churchyard each time. Once the first cut has been raked off, successive rakes will be quicker as there will be less cut material to rake each time.
Hedgerows
Hedges support a great number of flowering plants and provide protected feeding corridors for animals such as birds and small mammals.
Hedges should only be trimmed between October and February to avoid disturbing nesting birds. It is best to cut hedgerows in sections, on rotation rather than all at once. It should be kept thick at the base and a few feet of uncut grass should be left next to the hedge to be mown once each October. This belt of longer grass provides shelter for animals using the hedgerow and the plants that can flourish are an important source of food and nectar. Hedgerows can be re-laid during the winter if they are becoming too thin or ‘gappy’. A properly laid hedgerow provides an attractive boundary feature for the churchyard.
Trees
Trees offer food and shelter to many insects and birds. For any areas of boundary woodland where public access is permitted, a tree safety inspection should be carried out to identify any trees that need maintenance work.
Trees may have to be removed if they are dislodging gravestones or are growing too near the church buildings. Any new planting should not shade out grassy areas and should only use native species that grow naturally in the surrounding countryside. Non-native species are of less value for wildlife and species such as conifers cast very dense shade. Berry-bearing shrubs such as hawthorn and holly and the nut-bearing hazel are valuable for birds.
Trees at the edge of any strips of woodland can be coppiced on a 5-10 year rotation. Any broadleaved tree that is cut down to the stump (coppiced) will re-grow. By cutting every 5-10 years, we create a graded edge to the woodland. These edge habitats are sunny and sheltered, and particularly favoured by insects, and the birds that feed on those insects.
Any wood cut as a result of management provides a very valuable habitat if left in the shade of the woodland. The slowly rotting wood is excellent for fungi, beetles and other insects that depend on this increasingly rare habitat.
Wildlife does not like an over-tidy garden!!
Stones
The church walls and the gravestones are important for mosses and lichens which vary according to the type of stone, its age and its exposure to the sun and weather. Lichens take many years to grow and should remain undisturbed.
Ideally stones should remain in situ. If they must be moved, keeping their alignment to the sun the same will help protect the lichens. Never spray herbicides around them.
Where walls need to be restored, the work should be done in sections to allow ferns, mosses and wall-plants to recolonize the wall. If possible, lime mortar should be used.
Bats
Bats are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In old churches, there is a possibility that bats are present in towers or in any crevices of the walls or roof. These endangered creatures inhabit many of our churches. Churchyards are their feeding grounds and changes can affect them. More importantly, building work within the church can directly harm their roosts. For any work within or around the church that is likely to disturb bats, we need to contact the Countryside Council of Wales.
Bats and birds can be encouraged through the use of bird and bat boxes, but these need regular maintenance to ensure that there is no build up of dirt or mites.