Survey records from the early 1800s indicate that before settlement, an oak savanna, or grassland with scattered oaks, occupied this area. In 1967, U-M graduate student Marilyn Bland established this Demonstration Prairie to provide "researchers and students an outdoor ecological laboratory for grasslands investigation, and the public a small living museum of the region's native plants." It is believed that this was the first attempt to create a teaching prairie in Michigan.
Today the demonstration prairie is an interesting combination of the original plantings from 1967 and some native prairie species that have emerged, or moved in, to create the sense of the pre-settlement ecosystem that had been on the site. Spring and late fall are the burn season, so you may detect evidence of past fires. The prairie comes to life dramatically as the spring warms into summer, with peak bloom, primarily of grasses and members of the aster family, from July to September.
The Demonstration Prairie is at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens site.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum needs private support and provides donors with many giving opportunities and recognition. For more details, please contact the Development Office at 1-734-615-9475.
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