The W.J. Beal Botanical Garden on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, seen Friday, June 30, 2023.
EAST LANSING — A seven-acre garden at Michigan State University is in a slightly different location than before but still emphasizes biodiversity and conservation.
Alan Prather, interim director of MSU’s W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, said the garden started in 1873 after professor William Beal urged the university about the need for a garden. Prather said it started in a small plot of land on the north end of West Circle Drive, next to the College of Music.
