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| Cortland Rural Cemetery. Photo Credit to PBM. |
Cemeteries are not just
for the dead, but for the living. In fact, graveyards serve as safe havens for
rare plants and animals. Tombstones in Britain are the only home of some species of endangered
lichens. The Calvary Cemetery in north St. Louis, Missouri contains the last
original prairie grasses in the area and is one of the few
spaces where ground-nesting bees survive. The Weißensee Jewish Cemetery in
Berlin is home to 608 species of wildlife including an arthropod (Agonum gracilipes) which was thought to
be extinct. It’s not extinct! That little invertebrate has been living in a
graveyard in the middle of Berlin.
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| The Trinity Church Cemetery. Photo by author. |
Cemeteries are often the
only fragments of natural habitat left in cities or areas dominated by
agriculture. This makes graveyards vital to the survival of many species.
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| Author's own image. |
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| The Trinity Church Cemetery. Photo by author. |
Wildlife thrives in un-manicured
cemeteries and in cemeteries with tombstones placed close together. At the Weißensee
Jewish Cemetery mentioned above – the place that surprised scientists with the
arthropod – most species are found in areas left to grow naturally. Closely-crammed
tombstones provide hiding places for animals like foxes and coyotes. Tight
spaces between grave monuments also makes it harder to remove sprouting plants,
allowing them to grow and prosper.
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| Kings Chapel Burying Ground. Photo by Author. |
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| Author's own image. |
The flora and fauna in
cemeteries provide data on many topics like conservation biology, species
diversity, and climate change. Managers at some cemeteries embrace the wildlife
found among the gravestones and host birdwatching programs or guided hikes
through their land. One great example is the Cortland Rural Cemetery in
Cortland, New York that offers a self-guided tour on the cemetery featuring the
trees and lichen growing there.
