KU VG 2024–25 DM Accessible - Flipbook - Page 33
NATURAL
PLACES
KU’s Lawrence campus is fairly large —
412.53 acres on the main campus and
another 445.69 acres in its West District.
It features numerous scenic areas, including
a variety of gardens, small reservoirs,
a grove of century-old trees, and even
a rare remnant of native prairie.
AUDIO-READER SENSORY GARDEN
1120 W. 11th St.
Lawrence’s first sensory garden is volunteer-supported
and cultivated so people of all abilities can enjoy
nature. The herbs, flowers, and plants are chosen for
their sensory appeal, including texture and smell, so
those with visual impairment can experience their
beauty in a tactile way. Raised planter beds provide
easy enjoyment for pedestrians and wheelchair users.
The garden features an award-winning pavilion built
by the architecture school’s DirtWorks Studio, and a
bust of Dr. Johnnie P. Austin by sculptor Kwan Wu.
Visitors are welcome any time, but please call for
tours. 785-864-4600 or 800-772-8898
reader.ku.edu/sensory-garden
PRAIRIE ACRE
16th Street and Sunflower Road
MONARCH WATCH GARDEN
Foley Hall, 2021 Constant Ave.
The Douglas County Master Gardeners organization
maintains a butterfly and pollinator demonstration
garden at the Monarch Watch research facilities in
Foley Hall in the West District. Monarch Watch is a
KU-based nonprofit education, conservation, and
research program focusing on the monarch butterfly,
its habitat, and its annual 3,000-mile fall migration.
Officially established in 1932 on a hillside south of Blake
and Twente halls, Prairie Acre is the last native prairie
remnant on KU’s campus that has never “been
disturbed by plow, shovel, blasting powder nor other
man-made device for reshaping the surface of the
earth.” The parcel (actually only .35 of an acre) lost
many of its native plants over the years and is being
carefully restored with more than 100 different native
plant species.
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