What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 4:30pm Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm Thursday 10am - 4:30pm Friday 10am - 4:30pm Saturday 10am - 3pm

BSU Field Station & Environmental Education Center

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Muncie, IN
BSU Field Station & Environmental Education Center

We manage over 425 acres of habitat for conservation, research, and environmental education. Our on-campus properties are free and open to the public.

Our off-campus properties are closed to the general public but can be available for field trips and research opportunities by emailing our staff at [email protected]. Please check out our hours below to see what times our public properties are open. Christy Woods: M - F 7:30am - 4:30pm; Saturdays 10am - 3pm
Teaching & Research Greenhouse: M - F 7:30am - 4:30pm; Saturdays closed
Dr. Rinard Orchi

d Greenhouse: M - F 10am - 4:30pm, Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Nature Lab: Saturdays from 10am - 3pm

06/03/2026

Did you know we have several permanent residents in the Teaching and Research Greenhouse? These little hoppers are just a few of the frogs and toads you may see while visiting. There are about five living throughout the greenhouse, so keep an eye out as you explore!

Do you know the difference between frogs and toads? While people often use certain features to tell them apart, the answer is not always simple. General body shape, skin texture, and the presence of parotoid glands can often help distinguish toads from frogs. Toads are usually more squat with bumpier skin, while frogs are often more streamlined with smoother skin. However, these traits are not perfect rules, and there can be exceptions.

Either way, we enjoy having them as part of the greenhouse ecosystem!

Frogs and toads can also be found in the Nature Lab. Unlike the ones in the greenhouse, the Nature Lab residents live in an enclosure where visitors can safely observe them.

Come visit and see how many you can find between both areas!

Alt text: Collage of frogs and toads found in the Teaching and Research Greenhouse.

05/30/2026

The BSU Nature Lab will be closed to the public on Saturday, May 30th, due to a workshop for local educators. The Rinard Orchid Greenhouse and Christy Woods will remain open. Thank you!

05/22/2026

Towards the beginning of this year, we welcomed a new addition to Tess’s pond: Donatello!

Donatello is a koi fish, which means he is related to his goldfish pond mates. Both koi and goldfish are members of the carp family, though they belong to different genera.

Donatello came to us as a donation, so we are not exactly sure of his age, but we do know he has been living life for a little while now. He has been a wonderful addition to the greenhouse family, and we are so happy to have him here!

Welcome, Donatello! 🐟

Alt text for image 1:
Donatello, a pale white koi fish with small orange and dark markings, floats near the surface of Tess’s pond at Rinard Orchid Greenhouse. The pond water reflects the greenhouse above, and part of a red fish is visible nearby.

Alt text for image 2:
Donatello, a pale white koi fish with orange and dark markings, swims in Tess’s pond at Rinard Orchid Greenhouse alongside two bright red goldfish. Reflections of greenhouse plants and structure are visible on the surface of the water.

05/20/2026

Today, May 20, is World Bee Day, declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017.

May is one of the busiest months for bees as they pollinate flowers, support food production, and help maintain biodiversity. World Bee Day was created to raise awareness about the importance of protecting bees and other pollinators.

Without pollinators, we would have less food to eat, fewer flowering plants, and a less balanced environment. Bees may be small, but their impact is enormous.

To celebrate World Bee Day, consider learning more about bees, planting a pollinator-friendly garden, supporting local beekeepers, or doing all three.

Happy World Bee Day! 🐝🌼

Alt Text for Image 1:
Close-up view of honey bees clustered on a honeycomb frame inside a hive. Several open hexagonal cells are visible, and one bee near the center has a bright yellow clump of pollen on its head.

Alt Text for Image 2:
Close-up of honey bees moving across the surface of a hive frame. One bee is centered with its face and body clearly visible while other bees surround it near open honeycomb cells.

Alt Text for Image 3:
A dense group of honey bees gathered closely together on a hive frame behind glass. Their wings, striped abdomens, and fuzzy bodies are visible as they cluster around the comb.

05/15/2026

With the warming weather, we are seeing more of our favorite pollinators in the prairie! This is the eastern tailed blue butterfly, one of the most common butterflies of North America. You can easily identify them by the orange spots and small “tails” protruding from the ends of their wings. Females lay their eggs on pea plants, clover, trefoils, and other host plants in the legume family. Keep an eye out for this dusty blue beauty next time you head outdoors!

Alt text: image of a eastern tailed blue butterfly perched on a green leaf in the prairie of Christy Woods

05/09/2026

Christy Woods, the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse and Nature Lab will be closed today due to staffing. Thank you for your understanding.

Alt text: picture of a Ladyslipper hybrid orchid in the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse

05/08/2026

3 days as an egg, 6 days as a larva, 12 days as a pupae, and now on day 21: a brand new honeybee emerges! Watch as this worker bee chews and wiggles her way out of her honeycomb cell. Brand new honeybees are grayish, but after drying out and snacking on some honey, she will settle into her golden brown color and start her work in the hive.

Alt text: a video showing a female worker honeybee emerging from her honeycomb cell in the observation beehive at the BSU Nature Lab

04/28/2026

The honeybees are swarming! Our honeybee observation hive is so full of bees, and they’ve decided it’s time for folks to move on out. During a swarm, about half of the worker bees leave the hive with the current queen bee to find a new home somewhere else. The remaining bees raise a new queen bee to take her place. Right now we have a bait hive box outside the Nature Lab, to hopefully catch the swarm to donate to a local beekeeper. Please be careful outside of the Nature Lab today. Swarms are peaceful unless disturbed.

Alt text:

Picture: a Queen cell in the observation beehive tended by to by worker bees

Video: honeybees swarming outside of the Nature Lab

04/25/2026

And in 3, 2, 1: the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse Plant Sale begins! The lines out to the parking lot, and we have hundreds of plants waiting for their new home. Come by anytime until 3pm!

Alt text: a long line of visitors waiting to enter the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse and Environmental Education Center for this year’s annual plant sale

04/24/2026

Can’t wait for the weekend to start? Neither can we! We will be ready for visitors and customers on Saturday (April 25th) for our annual Rinard Orchid Greenhouse Plant Sale! We have hundreds of plants for your perusal, from outdoor native perennials, succulents, coleus, tropical houseplants, and of course, the orchids. Volunteers will be on hand to assist in selecting plants and to provide care tips on your new friends. Come by anytime from 10-3pm!

Alt text: a collage of pictures highlighting plants available at this year’s Rinard Orchid Greenhouse Plant Sale. The large photo at the top shows the Nature Lab full of the plants available at this year’s sale. Two rows of four pictures each follow. From top left to lower right: burgundy moth orchid; friendship plant; ge**er daisy; water lettuce; Venus fly trap; impatiens flower; haworthia; goldfish plant flower

Address

2500 W. University Avenue, Ball State University
Muncie, IN
47306

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 4:30pm
Thursday	10am - 4:30pm
Friday	10am - 4:30pm
Saturday	10am - 3pm

Telephone

+17652858103

Website

https://bsu.edu/fseec

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