Experience a prairie garden right on K-State campus and open to all! The Meadow is a landscape of prairie plants adjacent to the Beach museum. The proximity of the Meadow to the Beach museum provides a meaningful compliment to the museum’s regional art collections.
It helps build meaningful connections among art, science, and enjoyment of the natural world. Since the initial planning that began in October 2011, more than 40 species have been either seeded or planted. In 2013 volunteers and team members sowed seed to start the plantings. Further plants, including several varieties of milkweed and other species that provide food and habitat for Monarchs and other pollinators, were grown in K-State greenhouses. More than 30 species have been identified in the Meadow; more may be revealed as the landscape matures.
The Meadow has been used for teaching, learning, and research on: natural dye plants, mycelium and other bio-building materials, stormwater infiltration, ecosystem services, benefits of time in nature, pollinator sampling and identification, native plant identification and root physiology.
The Meadow is a project of the Beach Museum of Art’s Prairie Studies Initiative, in collaboration with K-State staff, faculty, students, and members of the surrounding community. Made possible in part by the generosity of the Hummel family, K-State’s Green Action Fund, the John & John T. Henley Meadow Fund, and a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The Meadow is a living memorial to Professor William C. Hummel and Sara T. Hummel.
Take a stroll through the Meadow and enjoy the connections between art, science, and the natural world!