LAST WEEK Calstock Parish Council were pleased to have sown their first yellow rattle seeds in the hopes of increasing biodiversity in a local churchyard.

The seeds have been planted with help from volunteers in Calstock Churchyard as part of the council’s ‘Living Churchyards’; a project that seeks to make churchyards more wildlife-friendly.

Yellow rattle helps suppress unwanted grass and encourages wild flowers to grow which, in turn, provides sustenance for our pollinators – crucial to the biodiversity in our environment. The parish council said that the churchyard may look ‘a bit untidy’ for a while as the ground has been scraped back to allow the seeds to take root.

“However, in the long term we will see some lovely bright yellow flowers an increase in other wild flowers”, the clerk said.

“We will expect to see more butterflies and bees as a result.

“Working with our Living Churchyards this will be a managed project, initially in Calstock Churchyard. The area will be carefully monitored and looked after.”

The clerk also expressed thanks to those individuals that assisted with the planting.

“Thank you to all the volunteers who are helping with this initiative – we hope this is the start of many more projects across the parish.”