Photos courtesy of Dr. Peter Carrington (bottom center Apentia bloom) and University Communications (all other images).
Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum illuminates the interconnectedness of people, plants, and place through learning, research, and stewardship.
Re-wilding the Heart of Campus
Did you know that MSU’s Beal Botanical Garden was once called the “Wild Garden?” Originally, the garden was more natural and more focused on native Michigan plant species. As we look to the future, we want to bring nature back. By re-wilding the garden, we can bring a dose of nature right to the heart of campus. Your support will help us return to our roots, making campus more sustainable and enhancing educational and research opportunities steps away from campus classrooms.
Image credit: MSU Archives
The Campus Arboretum Turns 150!
The Michigan State University Campus Arboretum represents a sanctuary of natural beauty, but also a vital hub for research and education The 20,000+ trees on our campus are more than ornaments; they are the essence of what makes our university a center for learning and community. Our landscape is the product of a narrative woven by generations of dedicated foresters, entomologists, arborists, and landscape designers. These figures are not only stewards of plant life, but also of stories and history, our present and our future.
As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our Campus Arboretum, let's not only commemorate its legacy of care and conservation but also embrace its role as a symbol of resilience, connection, and education. Join us in honoring this living tapestry of nature, and don’t forget to check our Upcoming Events to see what we have planned!
Photo Credit: MSU University Communications
Beal Botanical Garden Student Art Contest Winner
Beal Botanical Garden is excited to announce the winner of our Student Art Contest! Magnolia, Transplanted by Bachelor of Fine Arts student Ellie Stanislav is an exploration of place and displacement, stemming from Ellie's family's origins in New Orleans, LA. It is a representation of perseverance and how both her family and the city stood resilient in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Land Acknowledgment
We collectively acknowledge that Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg —Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. In particular, the University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. We recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of Michigan’s twelve federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold Michigan State University more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples.