MICHIGAN BOTANICAL SOCIETY
SOUTHWESTERN CHAPTER FIELD TRIP
Dry Mesic Prairie
Prairie Ronde Preserve
Joe Trapp
Michigan Botanical Society, Southwestern Chapter
Saturday June 20, 2026, 10am to noon
Dry-mesic prairie is a native grassland community that occurred in association with historic oak openings throughout much of southern Lower Michigan. Very little prairie remains in Michigan and Prairie Ronde Preserve is one of a few remaining sites with a portion of the flora still intact. The preserve is a 3-acre Michigan Nature Association property. MNA has been working to counter invasive plants and burned a portion of the site this spring.
Chapman (1982) called this site “Rattlesnake Master Prairie” and along with Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master), we should find Lupinus perennis (wild lupine), Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed), Baptisia lactea (white false indigo), Coreopsis tripteris (tall coreopsis), Lespedeza hirta (hairy bush clover), Viola sagittata (arrow leaved violet), Krigia biflora (false dandelion), and Polygala sangunea (field milkwort).
Level ground and the recent burn make this a very easy walk. Mosquito repellent and/or netting, sunscreen, water as well as suitable clothing are suggested.
Joe Trapp is the current President of the Southwestern Chapter of the Michigan Botanical Society.
Directions: The approximate address is 52001 Hutchinson Rd, Three Rivers MI. From Kalamazoo, take US-131 south. Turn left (east) onto Michigan Ave (this is a “Michigan left turn”). In 2.5 miles, turn right (south) onto Hutchinson Rd. The preserve is on your left (east side of road). Park alongside the road. The coordinates are 42.040879207553175, -85.58726918127242