St Chad's Churchyard wander

During my lunchbreak I meandered down to St Chad's Churchyard, Far Headingley. Hoping that I might catch a little more butterfly action it wasn't until I decided to head back that I spotted a Peacock on the ground, it sat for a few seconds before I watched it swirl its way up onto the roof of the church. That's three in the area in last four days, starting with the Comma in the woodland, then the Small Tortoiseshell in the churchyard.

In the grounds of the church there are a couple of beautifully designed interpretative boards detailing the range of habitats and the fauna and flora they support. The boards are a collaborative effort by the Green Team of St Chad's, Leeds City Council and Stephen Huxley, designer.

According to the information boards butterflies that frequent the churchyard include, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell (which I saw on Friday), Holly Blue, Wall, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper. Although today's Peacock isn't mentioned, I'll take that as a positive and look forward to future treats.

Here's the view from the side of the church looking back towards Beckett Park woodland. Native trees such as Willows and Birch are dotted throughout the churchyard.

At the base of a sunny hedgerow, in dappled shade I spotted three clumps of Common Dog Violet, Viola riviniana.

With the blossom opening and the new buds emerging, this Prunus tree still held last year's fruit.