Nature
“A sustaining source of comfort to the living…”
Those who are familiar with Greendale know it is more than just a cemetery, it could be considered a nature park.
In 1875 Herman Munz was hired to plant the grounds, and today over 1500 rhododendrons decorate the grounds. During "Rhodie" season, people drive from miles away to see the gorgeous array of blossoms. The crew plants geraniums on hundreds of grave sites. There are countless species of trees, shrubs, bushes and other flora.
Often on walks you'll encounter wildlife roaming the grounds. The ravine and its trails are hidden gems that allow you to walk among virgin forest and criss-crosses Mill Run with its waterfalls and quiet pools.
Over the last few years special attention and a spotlight has been given to the incredible collection of trees in the ravine, some of which are the tallest in the state and are hundreds of years old. A survey of the trees was performed by Dale J. Luthringer, an environmental education specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
And just in the last year, thanks to a gift from the late Dr. David Shryock that enabled the granting of about a 65-acre easement to French Creek Valley Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation group, encompassing the ravine of Cemetery Run to protect the land and the flora it contains and also to set aside money to protect hemlock trees within the Cemetery Run area from hemlock woolly adelgid as well as invasive plant species.
More info on these stories can be found on the Press
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