Eleven people now are buried at Larkspur Conservation at Taylor Hollow.

The new natural burial ground protecting a swath of land in rural Tennessee is the first of its kind in the state.

Not only is it meant to be the final resting place for families' loved ones, but it also is intended to be enjoyed as a park. The 112-acre Sumner County property opened to the public this weekend for respite and mindful recreation.

That means from dawn to dusk members of the community can now hike the nature preserve's 5 miles of trails lined with trees and wildflowers native to the land.

"This is only one small area that we can save," said John Christian Phifer, the executive director of Larkspur Conservation, the nonprofit that oversees the burial ground.

But he thinks they can help communities around Middle Tennessee create similar spaces. The nonprofit's mission is to promote natural burial by creating nature preserves where those burials can occur.

More:How natural burial can conserve land in Middle Tennessee

More:Larkspur Conservation bringing green burial concept to Tennessee

"Save the land by creating a green space for the community to enjoy, but at the same time create a living memorial that offers people a more mindful and meaningful tribute to their loved ones at the end of life," Phifer said.

Located about 45 miles northeast of Nashville, the conservation burial ground borders the 163-acre Taylor Hollow State Natural Area, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee. The two nonprofits partnered together to protect Larkspur Conservation at Taylor Hollow with a conservation easement, preventing development of the land forever.

A tour of the conservation burial ground

During a tour on Saturday, Phifer pointed out wildflowers and explained how they planned to manage the preserve from selecting native plants for grave sites to periodic prescribed burns.

A butterfly flitted through the tour group of about a dozen people connected to or interested in the project. Insects hummed in the background as they listened intently to their guide.

Randy Chastain and his wife Pam were among them. The pair saw Larkspur Conservation at Taylor Hollow for the first time on Saturday, but they knew they wanted it to be their final resting place. They have been researching green burials for a couple of years.

"The more we learned about it the more we felt if you lay someone to rest, it's probably the best way to do it," Randy Chastain said.

The group made their way along the rugged paths dotted with trail markers. Phifer paused at grave sites, which are all tagged with a GPS location system, and explained the natural burial process. It uses biodegradable materials, not embalming chemicals or concrete vaults. The preserve's eleventh burial had occurred that morning.

A burial at Larkspur Conversation at Taylor Hollow

Earlier this summer, Gary Scudder's family buried him at Larkspur Conservation at Taylor Hollow.

The Vanderbilt University professor, who deeply loved his family and knew no strangers, died in June at the age of 65, said Marti Scudder, his wife. The day after he passed, she brought three of their adult children to see the burial ground so they could make the decision together.

"As soon as we got out of the car and started up the hill, all three said this was right," Marti Scudder said. "My children said that they could bring their children, go for a hike, bring a picnic, enjoy the beauty in memory of and thinking of their dad."

The family had spent their vacations hiking and exploring the outdoors together so the preserve felt fitting. A natural burial also meant not putting more chemicals into his body. That was important to the family since he had gone through many chemotherapy treatments in the last years of his life.

In addition to the memorial service at church, they family had an intimate burial for him, too.

They gathered around the grave site. His son played the guitar, his son-in-law shared words from scripture, his wife read the Bible. Several family members lowered the pine box into the ground, everyone shoveled the dirt into the grave before laying large rocks on the site and planting ferns on top.

"All this time we were just singing and playing the guitar and it was one of the most beautiful services that I've ever been too," Marti Scudder said. "I think it enabled the grieving process to start."

Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens, Funeral Homes & Cremation Center worked with the Scudder family. It is a part of the Family Legacy company, which includes seven funeral homes and six cemeteries in Davidson, Robertson and Sumner counties.

They offer a variety of burial options and settings at their cemeteries, but wrapping a body in just shroud and placing it in the ground is not one of them, said Ben Upton, Family Legacy's vice president of advanced planning.

Randy Nash, the general manager of Family Legacy's Crestview location in Gallatin, does not receive many inquires about natural burial options from clients. Cremation is far more popular.

But, Nash and Upton are glad families have Larkspur Conservation at Taylor Hollow as an option. They know it is important for families to mark passing of a loved one in a fitting way.

"Our death doesn't belong to us. It belongs to all those who are left behind," Upton said. "They're the ones that are beginning to cope in a world we're no longer a part of."

Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.

If you go:

What: Larkspur Conservation at Taylor Hollow

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Address: 155 Bear Carr Road, Westmoreland, TN

Details: A small parking lot, code of conduct and map is located at the trail head. For burial information, email info@larkspurconservation.org.