Not Just Graves

Kilmun has a variety of flora and fauna making it a beautiful natural place to be. The details at our feet are enhanced when we look up to the wonderful views of loch, glens, hills and sea. There is plenty of active life in the place where we remember our dead and the chance to study and enjoy natural history.

An abundance of nature

A variety of grasses and wild flowers abound, and butterflies, beetles and insects will be attracted by wild flowers in the churchyard.

The antiquity of the buildings and stones allows colonisation by slow-growing Lichens and the variety of conditions around the churchyard and different types of stone provide opportunities for different lichens to grow.

It would be expected that a variety of fungi would be found in the short grass, particularly as fungi colonise areas of undisturbed and unfertilised grassland. Trees and deadwood would also support a variety of species of fungi.

The surrounding trees provide good wildlife habitats. These and the insects they attract can provide food and nesting sites for a wide range of birds. Tall buildings like the church and tower can provide lofty nesting sites for swifts, owls and kestrels.

Home to more than the past

It is possible that the area is used by some of the common species of amphibians and reptiles such as frog, toad, newt and slow-worms.

There is evidence of deer visiting the churchyard, and there will be resident small mammals such as mice and voles.