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

06/16/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our second Tracks, Trails, & Tales story time! This week we read Wild Summer: Life in the Heat, by Alex Morss. Then, we went on a guided nature hike to search for creature friends enjoying the summer weather. We identified poison ivy and a yellowjacket, spotted lighting bugs resting on leaves, and brought back wild strawberries as a treat for Beaker.

Join us weekly at 11am for story time! Dates can be found on the FSEEC website.

Alt text: photo collage from Tracks, Trails, & Tales storytime. From top left clockwise: cover of Wild Summer; lightning bug on leaf; Actaea rubra, Red Baneberry; yellowjacket crawling under leaf; scavenger hunt with a butterfly that landed on it; Beaker the box turtle eating wild strawberries

06/15/2026

🌿 Thank you, field station student workers!

For the past several weeks, our field station student workers have been hard at work at Ginn Woods Nature Preserve with John Taylor, pulling and properly disposing of invasive garlic mustard. They finished their work this past week, and we want to congratulate and thank them for helping maintain and protect our local ecosystems.

Garlic mustard is native to Europe and Asia and was originally introduced to North America for herbal and medicinal uses, as well as erosion control. However, it has become a troublesome invasive species because it threatens the biodiversity of native ecosystems.

Garlic mustard emerges earlier than many native plants, blocking sunlight and outcompeting them for water and nutrients. It can also spread quickly by seed, which makes proper removal important. Pulling the plants before they set seed and bagging them for disposal helps prevent further spread.

The identification graphic included in this post can help you recognize garlic mustard in the field.

To learn more about invasive species, visit the State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management website:
https://sicim.info

Alt text:
Image 1: Field station student workers removing invasive garlic mustard in Ginn Woods Nature Preserve.

Image 2: Field station student workers collecting and bagging invasive garlic mustard during removal work in Ginn Woods Nature Preserve.

Image 3: Educational graphic showing key features used to identify garlic mustard.

06/12/2026

🌱 Tomorrow is National W**d Your Garden Day!
June 13 is a great reminder to spend a little time caring for your garden beds. While w**ding can sometimes feel like a chore, it is an important part of growing healthy food, flowers, and other plants.

When w**ds pop up, they compete with your plants for nutrients, water, sunlight, and growing space. The earlier you remove them, the easier they are to manage.

Not a fan of w**ding? Mulch can help! After removing visible w**ds, add a 2–3 inch layer of mulch to help block light from reaching the soil surface, which can prevent many w**d seeds from germinating.

Whether you pull a few w**ds or refresh your mulch, today is a great day to give your garden a little extra care. Happy National W**d Your Garden Day!

Alt text:
Image 1: Raised garden beds outside the Environmental Education Classroom with plants growing in the beds.

Image 2: A second view of the raised garden beds outside the Environmental Education Classroom.

06/05/2026

Can you believe it’s already June? Time may be flying by, but there is still plenty of reason to celebrate Perennial Gardening Month!

Established in 2001 by the Perennial Plant Association, Perennial Gardening Month highlights the importance, beauty, and lasting value of perennial plants in our gardens.

Perennials are plants that return year after year, often without needing to be replanted. They help create sustainable gardens and provide structure, color, and seasonal interest in garden designs. With so many varieties available, perennials can thrive in sun or shade, bloom at different times of the year, and adapt to a wide range of growing conditions.

June is a wonderful time to celebrate perennials, as many species are actively growing or blooming. You can join the celebration by visiting a botanical garden, planting new perennials, or giving a little extra care to the perennials already growing around you.

Happy Perennial Gardening Month!

Alt text: Collage of blooming plants found in Christy Woods.

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.

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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