One of the rarest ecosystems in the state, the black-soil prairie at Cressmoor Prairie, a dedicated Indiana state nature preserve, is an extremely high-quality landscape. Walk the trail in late summer and fall and you’ll know the wonder that early settlers felt when they emerged from the great eastern forest to discover the sea of grassland that stretched from here to the foothills of the Rockies.

Grasses reach eight feet skyward, sunflowers even higher. Spikes of colorful wildflowers flourish in abundance. Monarchs pause here in the fall prior to their long flight to the mountains of Mexico.

The trail at Cressmoor Prairie has been dedicated in honor of the late Keith Board, whose legendary “botanizing” explorations resulted in the discovery and ultimately the protection of the preserve. Download a copy of his moving 1996 dedication speech here.