Getting to Know Your Graveyard

12 hours ago

2 min read

Aerial view of the Ancient Burial Ground at Aberdalgie, showing historic gravestones surrounded by grass, wild planting and mature trees.

There’s far more going on in a graveyard than you might think.

On Friday, 25 September, Perth & Kinross Council Community Greenspace are bringing its Getting to Know Your Graveyard programme to Aberdalgie, with a full day exploring the wildlife and biodiversity found in and around graveyards and churchyards.

And it starts with moths.

From 9.30 am, visitors can arrive for a Moth Breakfast and see what has been discovered in a moth trap left out overnight. The main programme then begins at 10.45 am and runs through to 3.50 pm.

Throughout the day, speakers will cover everything from moths and pollinators to swifts, bats, lichens, amphibians, and reptiles.

There will also be a look at citizen science projects that people can get involved with, including the Flower-Insect Timed Count and the 2026 Plantlife Waxcap Watch, followed later in the afternoon by an outdoor session searching for and recording lichens in the graveyard.

What’s happening on the day?

Moth Breakfast and a look at the overnight moth trap
Greening our Graveyards
Moths and moth recording
Pollinator monitoring and citizen science
2026 Plantlife Waxcap Watch
Swifts in churches and the wider community
Amphibians and reptiles in graveyards, including toads and slow worms
Bats in churches and churchyards
An introduction to lichens
Outdoor lichen searching and recording

The Ancient Burial Ground at Green Shoots Aberdalgie provides a particularly fitting setting for the day. Alongside its local history and heritage, burial grounds like this can provide valuable habitats for a surprising range of plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

You don’t need any specialist knowledge to take part, just an interest in wildlife, biodiversity, heritage, or finding out a little more about what might be living in these familiar spaces.