LOCAL churchyards are bursting with wildflowers and animal life – and volunteers are needed to help record all the species that call them home.

A “BioBlitz” event will be happening at St Cleer Church tomorrow (Saturday July 10). As part of the Living Churchyard scheme, the St Cleer Environmental Group is joining with the church to document as much of the flower, fungi, animal and bird life in the churchyard as possible.

It’s a race against the clock, as the BioBlitz is just three hours long: participants of all ages are encouraged to come along between 10am and 1pm ready to spot as much as they can!

The Cornwall Mammal Group will be setting Longworth traps overnight to discover what rodents populate the churchyard, and anyone who would like to see the traps opened should arrive at 9am.

Experts will be on hand to help volunteers to use bat detectors and to identify all their finds.

Meanwhile, at St Martin’s Church, the churchyard resembles a “wildflower version of the Garden of Eden” at the moment, says local volunteer Malcolm Mort.

“Flowers in great profusion are creating swathes of?gentle colour along the path leading up to the church door, and in extensive areas in the church grounds,” he said.

“This is part of the Making Space for Nature project, coordinated by Cornwall Council in partnership with Exeter University, and part-funded through the European Union Regional Development Fund. Six towns in Cornwall were chosen, and sites totalling the size of 28 rugby pitches identified.

“As well as encouraging wildlife and providing havens for insects, birds and other wild animals, the project also hopes to create high quality urban green spaces for play and interaction with nature.”

The St Martin’s BioBlitz will be happening on Saturday July 17 from 10am-1pm, with a mammal release at 8am.

Volunteers would be greatly welcomed during the three hours, when the identification of as many species of bugs, birds and wild animals as possible will be attempted.

Full information on the project can be found at www.cornwall.gov.uk/spacefornature