THE Echo has published many letters from people complaining about the state of road verges, open spaces, and most recently, cemeteries. Cemeteries such as St George’s Fordington and Weymouth Avenue in Dorchester are valuable for their wildlife because they have escaped the impact of modern farming techniques on the countryside, but have been regularly managed by mowing. They provide homes for many wildflowers (not weeds) and the insects and other butterflies that depend on them. The council has a tricky job balancing the needs of visitors and those of the wildlife - they do it pretty well. The pandemic has brought home to many people just how important nature is in their daily lives and the mental health and wellbeing benefits they derive from it.
TWO Weymouth cemeteries have been officially designated Living Churchyards after a recent exploration showed them to be alive with plant and wild flower species. Last week, Melcombe and Wyke cemeteries had a walkover survey and management visit from the Dorset Wildlife Trust as part of the ‘Living Churchyards’ project. Whilst not a complete species list, the walkover results showed 22 flower species in Wyke - with the most notable being hedge cranesbill. And according to Weymouth Town Council, Melcombe Cemetery, which is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), was considerably richer with 36 species. These include orchids, dropwort and corky fruited water dropwort - all of which are Dorset notables.