90 YEARS LATER: OBSERVING PLANT DIVERSITY SHIFT IN THE OLD CEMETERY
BOTANICAL SURVEY
The Trakai Old Karaite cemetery, tracing its roots back to the mid-14th century, now stands as an undisturbed sanctuary (~1.6 ha). Through the passage of time, old cemeteries like this one, can evolve into intricate and delicate ecosystems, a shelter for versatile, sensitive creatures.
📍Trakai, Lithuania
One of the most intriguing stories associated with this site revolves around the work of a botanist, a Karaite, Nadzieja Rojecka (1898-1986). She conducted a botanical survey of the cemetery between 1928 and 1930, noting its significance as a natural reserve in her paper.
Her work inspired us to conduct a brief botanical survey and explore the shifts that have occurred since then. What plants might we encounter 90 years later? What would it reveal about the habitat? How do the ecological, environmental facets of a cemetery intertwine with cultural and memorial narratives?
Nadzieja Rojecka's botanical survey, conducted as her final research paper at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius, is the first published study on the flora of old cemeteries in Lithuania.
Nadzieja Rojecka's student ID card. Source: Stefan Gąsiorowski, Mgr Nadzieja Rojecka ( 1898–1986 ), botanik i fitopatolog, Almanach Karaimski 10 (2021): 45–60 DOI: 10.33229/ak.2021.10.3
1934
Fragment of a paper Flora of the Trakai Old Karaite cemetery, by Nadzieja Rojecka
2024
Amaryllidaceae:
Narcissus poeticus (Poet's narcissus)
Apiaceae:
Cenolophium fischeri (Baltic parsley)
Heracleum sibiricum (Siberian hogweed)
Peucedanum oreoselinum (Mountain parsley)
Asteraceae:
Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion)
Asparagaceae:
Convallaria majalis (Lily of the valley)
Maianthemum bifolium (May lily)
Polygonatum multiflorum (Solomon's seal)
Brassicaceae:
Alliaria petiolata (Garlic mustard)
Boraginaceae:
Myosotis sp. (Forget me not)
Caryophyllaceae:
Cerastium arvense (Field mouse-ear)
Moehringia trinervia (Three-nerved sandwort)
Cornaceae:
Cornus sanguinea (European dogwood)
Cystopteridaceae:
Cystopteris fragilis (fragile fern)
Dryopteridaceae:
Dryopteris filix-mas (Male fern)
Equisetaceae:
Equisetum arvense (Field horsetail)
Ericaceae:
Vaccinium myrtillus (Bilberry)
Fabaceae:
Vicia sepium (Bush vetch)
Hylocomiaceae:
Hylocomium splendens (Stair-step moss)
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus (Springy turf-moss)
Juncaceae:
Luzula pilosa (Hairy wood-rush)
Lamiaceae:
Ajuga reptans (Bugleweed)
Lamium album (White dead-nettle)
Thymus pulegioides (Broad-leaved thyme)
Melanthiaceae:
Paris quadrifolia (Herb Paris)
What we've met on 6th of May, 2024
Neckeraceae:
Homalia trichomanoides (Blunt Feather-moss)
Myrsinaceae:
Lysimachia nummularia (Creeping jenny)
Oleaceae:
Fraxinus excelsior (European ash)
Oxalidaceae:
Oxalis acetosella (Wood sorrel)
Papaveraceae:
Chelidonium majus (Greater celandine)
Plantaginaceae:
Veronica chamaedrys (Germander speedwell)
Poaceae:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (Sweet vernal grass)
Melica nutans (Mountain melick)
Primulaceae:
Primula veris (Cowslip)
Ranunculaceae:
Actaea spicata (Baneberry)
Anemonoides sylvestris (Snowdrop anemone)
Hepatica nobilis (Liverwort)
Ranunculus acris (Meadow buttercup)
Rosaceae:
Alchemilla sp. (Lady's-mantle)
Crataegus sp. (Hawthorn)
Fragaria vesca (Wild strawberry)
Geum rivale (Water avens)
Prunus padus (Bird cherry)
Rubus saxatilis (Stone bramble)
Sorbus aucuparia (Rowan)
Rubiaceae:
Galium sp. (Bedstraw)
Rhamnaceae:
Rhamnus cathartica (Common buckthorn)
Salicaceae:
Populus tremula (Aspen)
Sapindaceae:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Urticaceae:
Urtica dioica (Common nettle)
Valerianaceae:
Valeriana officinalis (Valerian)
Violaceae:
Viola sp.
We've recently created a project on the iNaturalist website to document plant species observed at the cemetery. Anyone can join this exploration. We look forward to continuing our observations in 2025.
What's next?
