“Oooh!” was the reaction of wildflower expert, Rob Rowe, as he walked through the church gate – a sign that he had already seen some interesting plants and expected to see more. You may have seen the long waving grasses at the front of our churchyard – this was in preparation for the wildflower identification session with Beautiful Burial Grounds in July. We had perfect weather, and those of us booked on the session started out at the bottom of the steps looking at flowers conveniently at head height on either side, many of them indicators of a good habitat. After spending the first hour in that one spot, and with 44 species already recorded, we moved further into the site, in amongst the grasses. With a break for welcome refreshments, by the end of the session more than 80 species had been recorded. The significance of burial grounds is that, whilst they have always been managed in a similar way to traditional hayfields, farming has changed greatly in the last 100 years, reducing species diversity, including the insects, birds etc that rely on the plants, so burial grounds are now vital habitats for many species. Recording these species is important, and it will inform our future management of the churchyard.