OLD CEMETERIES — LIVING SANCTUARIES
📍New Rasos Cemetery, Vilnius
Burial sites represent the cultural identity of the territory and carry multiple social meanings. They are full of symbols and stories. Not only in gravestones but also in plants, lichens, and mushrooms growing there. They are tickets for the time travel. Old cemeteries with little or no active care might be a refuge for native (sometimes even rare) plant species. They can also be seen as untidy, unpleasant, and harmful, for example, as a source of alien, potentially invasive plant species, ticks, or rodents.
PREVIOUS WALK&TALK
Counting the age of a tree ghost: how old are you, and who are you?
Lovely to meet several fern species and overview their unique features. For example, unlike some other fern species, Ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) do not have spores on the other side of the leaves. They grow their spores within their "special houses", like these.
The world of mosses, liverworts, and lichens is one of exceptional beauty and diversity. In 1 m2 space we can already recognise at least 12 plant species including lichens.
The gametophyte — the leafy, green structure that we commonly recognize as the "body" of the Common liverwort.
Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) was the first plant to be grown in space in 1982.
How to define if it's a liverwort or a moss?
Burial space is mutable: its meaning does not remain static over time. Many old cemeteries in Eastern Europe were destroyed and converted into green areas and parks. People use these territories for day-to-day activities. Other old cemeteries are used for their primary purpose and attended less. The significance and level of respect for these territories alter as time accrues between the living and the dead. What would happen if we could see cemeteries not only as a source of grief and memento mori? These sites are strikingly rich in linguistic, architectural, and natural diversity.
We had walk in New Rasos Cemetery, a part of the 250-year-old Rasos Cemetery in Vilnius Lithuania to observe and discuss native and alien flora.
We often critique the aesthetics of grave designs and decorations. What if we attempt to comprehend the underlying phenomenon?
During the walk, we discussed vegetal symbols. Back then, Common rue (Ruta graveolens) was a symbol for those whose earthly voyages were cut short.
Yew (Taxus baccata). We don't know the story behind this particular yew, yet typically yew symbolizes a rebirth and resurrection.
Exploring the variety of habitats and substrates: the stony and slightly moist spaces between tombs provide a suitable habitat for Common liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha).
We've recently created a project on the iNaturalist website to document plant species observed at the cemetery. The average plant species number recorded so far in European cemeteries is 86. We are curious to see how many we all together can identify within almost 5 hectares over the course of a year.
Who's living here?
