It is easy to forget that you are actually right in the middle of Muncie, Indiana, as you stand in the tall grass prairie. Installed in 1999, you can now enjoy the height of the big blue stem grass that reaches over your head during the summer months. The purple New England Asters are bright against the yellow grasses of late summer and fall. As the seasons change, you can see the color of the prairie change from green, to yellows, to purples. In the summer, you can look up and see the flying jewels of our prairie. The spring and summer Azure butterflies, as well as many species of Dragonfly, flit and swoop over the billowing grasses and blooming flowers. The pointed basal leaves of the Compass plant point you toward one of the gathering places along the Nature Area path. Stop and take a rest at the Council Ring. This gathering spot, with its stone fire pit, is used often for campfire programs and school tours. This structure and others in the Nature Area were a collaboration of Minnetrista and Ball State University's College of Architecture and Planning.