These beautiful photos from our butterfly survey were sent to us by our good friend Steve Martin. Steve stayed a little while after we'd gone and spotted two more species taking our total to 14. You can see which species these are by clicking on each image.

3/3 Join us for our BioBlitz on Tuesday 11th August 11.00 am till 3.00 pm

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1/3 A great turnout (nine of us) and beautiful weather for this morning's butterfly survey. We spotted 12 different species including the comma, speckled wood, gatekeeper, peacock and small copper pictured below.

FREE FAMILY EVENT for Nature Enthusiasts, Tuesday 11th August 11am-3pm. In partnership with Don Catchment Rivers Trust. A collaborative race against the clock to discover as many species of plants, animals and fungi as possible within 24 hours! All welcome!

The last named burial at Wardsend was that of Alice Cundy on 1st July 1974. Massive thanks to @winterroom.bsky.social for his years of painstaking research. His dedication to understanding Wardsend's burial records and layout has enabled us to bring these milestone burials to light.

The Sheffield Cenotaph (unveiled 1925). Yesterday saw the 110th anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme during which the Sheffield Pals Batallion was practically wiped out in a matter of minutes.

3/4 William is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and remembered on the family memorial at Wardsend. His name is included in the Roll of Honour in St. George’s Chapel, Sheffield Cathedral, one of 8820 soldiers of the York and Lancaster Regiment who lost their lives in the Great War.

2/4 There were over 57000 British casualties on the first day of the Somme, of these more than 19000 were killed. William was one of those whose body was never recovered.

1/4 Private William Thompson Smout 12/1854 8th Bn York and Lancaster Regiment Died 01/07/1916 Aged 30 William was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Of over 700 officers and men of the battalion who went over the top only 68 returned.

Yes, the meadow across the river is where Owlerton Stadium is now. I spot something new every time I look at it. This is a detail of the barracks with the River Loxley at the side of it. It was painted one year before the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864

The unmarked grave with the tree growing from it is the last resting place of 2 year old Mary Ann Marsden, the first person buried in the cemetery. She was buried on 21st June 1857. Her sister Ann Eliza was buried in the same grave 25 years later. With thanks to @winterroom.bsky.social

Wardsend Cemetery opened on the 21st June 1857. This 1863 Edward Price painting, Sheffield and the Valley of the Don, shows the cemetery in its once beautiful location. Now, with its woodland, heathland and beautiful riverside location, the cemetery is a special place for both heritage and nature.

The 21st June 1857 saw the closing of St. Philip's Churchyard and the opening of the new burial ground at Wardsend. Sheffield Daily Telegraph - June 1857 Before the chapel was built funerals were conducted in a marquee. Sheffield Independent - Saturday 20 June 1857 British Newspaper Archive

Volunteer session tomorrow 20th June 10.00am - 12.30pm No Ranger this week so please bring your own tools e.g. secateurs, loppers, shears. If you want to join in some bracken bashing we have some canes which work quite well, or bring whatever works best for you if you've done it before.

6/6 Huge thanks once again to Sally Jowitt for piecing together John's story so that we are able to remember him as so much more than a name a number and a date. Lest we forget.

4/6 The battalion saw action at Hooge, where he was hospitalised with sickness. In January 1916 he was released for employment on munitions work with Daniel Doncaster & Sons Ltd, on Penistone Road, where he worked for the next two years.

3/6 His service included time in India between 1897 and 1905. John, now 39, rejoined the army on 2nd Sept 1914, shortly after the outbreak of WW1. In April 1915 he suffered a gunshot wound and returned to England for treatment, arriving back in France in July, joining the 2nd battalion at Poperinghe

2/6 He had enlisted aged 17 as a reservist with the York and Lancs in 1892. In November 1896 he volunteered again, extending his army service for a further eight years, before being transferred to the army reserve in February 1905, and being discharged in 1908

1/6 Remembering Private John Spye, 3/3860 York and Lancaster Regiment who died on this day in 1918, He was 42. John is remembered at Wardsend Cemetery, the roll of honour in nearby St. John the Baptist Church, Owlerton War Memorial Hall and the CWGC screen wall in City Road Cemetery

Burgon and Ball founders Charles Burgon and James Ball are both buried at Wardsend. 10 years ago to the day I popped in to La Plata Works, their old factory at Malin Bridge, to pick up some tools they'd kindly donated and took these photos.

Sergeant Thomas Wheatley, 5th Battery Royal Field Artillery. Died June 4th 1903 Also buried in this grave Sergeant Joseph Sear R.F.A. who had died 11 days earlier. As far as I'm aware there isn't a similar report of his funeral. I'd be very happy to be proved wrong.

This Volunteers Week we'd like to say a massive thank you to every single one of our wonderful volunteers who, over the years, have given their time, energy and expertise to conserve our once neglected Victorian cemetery as a place for heritage, nature, Remembrance and education. #VolunteersWeek

3/3 I've included a few more photos of the cemetery and the River Don. I know I'm a bit biased but I genuinely believe that this unique site is one of the most special and underappreciated places in Sheffield.

2/3 Friends of Parkwood Springs, Friends of the Blue Loop, Ranger Ryan and our own Friends of Wardsend Cemetery. Thanks also to members of the traveller community who helped us tidy up Club Mill Road just below the cemetery. It was a big help and will enable us to use this space for parking again.

1/3 We had a brilliant turnout for our joint clean up of the Upper Don Trail at Wardsend which was organised to coincide with our regular monthly volunteer session. Huge thanks to Upper Don Trail Trust who organised the event, North Sheffield Conservation Group, Loxley Litter Pickers,

2/3 Although we check the river and water quality in other ways we never really got regular riverfly monitoring sessions off the ground (or should that be water?) last year.

1/3 Being so close to the River Don we have informally adopted 'our' stretch and regularly monitor the water quality. One way this can be done is by monitoring the invertebrates in the river. This morning Sally Hyslop of Don Catchment Rivers Trust gave Sean and I a refresher course.

The River Don at Wardsend. For anyone unfamiliar with the area Wardsend Cemetery Heritage Park is on the left in the first photo.which shows just how close we are to the river.