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Foot and Mouth closed most footpaths at the time planned for John Sears' study day so the churchyard where Path Bushey 19 was still open, was a good choice.

Thanks to John Sears and those who helped to prepare the meeting room our BADFA study day began promptly a 10.30 a.m. with 17 members ready to enjoy his talk on "The Natural History of the Churchyard"

As John pointed out the churchyard may be the only surviving relic of ancient grassland in many English towns and villages providing a valuable oasis for flowers and wildlife preserved for posterity. We were given a leaflet on conservation guidelines "Nature in Churchyards" and a comprehensive flower and tree list recorded in our own local St James's churchyard in 1991, as a prompt to what might be found on our field study planned for the afternoon. John spoke about a similar survey he had carried out in Cumbria by the River Derwent with a WEA group in 1984, they had listed 102 species including native trees. F. J. Bingley's churchyard survey at Kedington Parish Church in Suffolk in 1978 was also mentioned.

John Sears' knowledge and intense interest in the flora and fauna of the countryside is enhanced by his appreciation of the literature and poetry which it inspires. He read us an extract from an essay on village churches written by Victorian author Richard Jefferies describing the beauty of an Autumn scene. He also admires the work of Edward Thomas who lived at Steep near Petersfield. John Sears wrote articles in a Hampshire magazine and he mentioned an essay on Hampshire written in 1902 by W H Hudson about a beautiful musk mallow growing by a grave. He had asked that it should be spared as the mowers began their work but on his return he found that his request had been made in vain. Today, even where there is a more enlightened approach to churchyard management it is essential that clear instructions are given to those who are actually mowing the grass.

     After a break in which David Bearfield organised the refreshments John embarked on a most interesting slide show. He began by looking back to our last study day on a particularly hot day in July when we visited chalkland at Boxmoor and admired photographs of the profusion of wild orchids that we found there including the rare Bee Orchid and the Southern Marsh Orchid, the photographs of which had been taken by Chris Beney using Maureen Longman's magnifying glass as a temporary camera close-up lens.

Our current topic was introduced by a photograph of Hubert Von Herkomer's painting of Bushey Church and pond which shows a massive pollarded elm tree, possibly 250-300 years old. A 1974 photograph of the same Elm tree showed signs of the onset of Dutch Elm disease and then one in 1980 when the Elm had gone. The large elm tree had shaded the pond restricting algae growth. By the 1970s a photograph showed two girls from the youth club cleaning the pond as more weed had grown, probably due to the absence of shade provided by the elm tree. We saw a photograph of Herkomer's tomb and the shadow of this enabled shade plants to grow such as wood sedge. John showed us slides of the overgrown churchyard photographed in the 1980s and he had listed some of the plants. Particularly noticeable were the ox-eye daisies which do well on clay. Grant Longman carried out a survey of local plants and butterflies in 1991, he spotted Holly Blues and the Common Blue butterfly. Brian Wood mentioned that sheep used to graze the churchyard. When St James' churchyard was closed in the 1980s Hertsmere Council took over its management and we saw slides showing the mown churchyard.

There followed excellent slides of the rich variety of wildlife found in our local churchyard and in those farther afield; photographs of birds' nests such as the song thrush, the insectivorous dunnock and the spotted flycatcher, butterflies including the Holly Blue, the Common Blue and Speckled Wood. We saw Belladonna used by the monks in the old physic garden of healing herbs at St Albans Abbey. A plant of ancient woodland, the coral root, related to ladies smock, also wild tulip was photographed near the churchyard in Harefield. John spoke with gratitude about the late Olive Linford, a botanist know to many local people, who had helped him to find some rare local plants. In Witherslap churchyard John had found silken lady's mantle, Cumbrian pudding plant, musk mallow and white violets. In a churchyard in North Yorkshire he had photographed harebells, musk mallow and sheep grazing the churchyard in the 1990s. We saw the oldest Yew in Cheshire with a seat round the tree at St Mary's Astbury. John said that David Bellamy reckoned it was over 1000 years old. We saw a photograph taken in 1978 of he Warden's House at Flatford Mill in Suffolk famous for the first in-depth study of ancient woodland.

         Jim and Margaret Craig Gray had generously invited the whole group to lunch at their home, the Old Rectory, and during our morning's study Margaret was preparing delicious lasagnes and salads for us all. The weather, contrary to the forecast, was kind and the tables were laid in the conservatories at the back of the house where we had a view of the large pond in their garden in all its spring-time glory. Drinks were served and some of us relaxed and chatted over our meal, others explored the pond edges for life, finding several newts. Soon it was time to begin our field work in the adjacent churchyard.

John, accompanied by Tipp his dog, led the way listening for the song of a mistle thrush which he had heard earlier in the front garden. We saw the hollow in the ground which was the site of the elm tree planted in the reign of Charles 1 and made familiar by Herkomer's painting. Though killed by Dutch Elm Disease it was interesting to see elm in the hedge close by, obviously offshoots from the original tree. We looked at a Hornbeam with its serrated leaves and crossing the path we noted the White Poplar. John told us the story of how someone had planted this poplar (and a black one) as replacement for the Yew without getting approval and how a compromise had allowed the white one to be planted near the path (Bushey 19) where it is now flourishing. To our right the lych gate, which was replaced roughly five years ago, reminded us of the 1920s picture of the old one we had seen on John's slides which had been blown to pieces, tragically together with two servicemen, in the Second World War in October 1940.

         We stopped at Herkomer's tomb where in its shelter an ivyleafed speedwell nestled. Brian Wood gave us a brief but interesting description of the artist's history with particular emphasis on the women in his life and then we walked all around the churchyard with John providing interesting questions and making identifications of trees and plants which we found.

Much of the churchyard had been mowed and a swathe of grass that John had particularly asked should be left untouched was much smaller than expected. It was obvious that the mowing machine had suddenly been halted as the person cutting the grass realised he was on forbidden territory. However, we found a rich variety of plants, mosses, trees and bird-song around the edges of the churchyard, in particular where the jurisdiction of those managing the ground had not extended. Ideally the grass should be cut and raked twice a year in July and September in areas which are infrequently visited to allow the meadow plants to flower and seed.

John emphasised that respect should be paid to the graves and to maintaining the peace and tranquillity of churchyards as well as their natural history.

Another interesting and successful study day.

Sally Banks