Location
Lake County

Ecoregion
Great Lakes

Size
2.7 Acres

Dedicated
State Nature Preserve, 1981

Owned & Managed By
The Nature Conservancy

How to Prepare for Your Visit
The prairie portion of the German Methodist Cemetery has never been used for burials so there are no tombstones to be cautious about but please make sure to take care when walking through the prairie as it is home to hundreds of important native plants.

Directions
From the intersection of I - 65 and S.R. 2 (exit 240), travel east on S.R. 2 through Lowell and continue to the intersection with U.S. 41. Turn right (north) on U.S. 41 and travel approximately 3 miles to the German Methodist cemetery of the right hand side of the road. The preserve is at the end of the cemetery.

What to See: Plants and Animals 
It is one of the state’s most diverse sites, with over 200 species of native prairie plants, including the state-threatened cream wild indigo (Baptisia leucophaea) and the rare white upland aster (Aster ptarmicoides). Visits in the spring, summer and fall seasons offer displays of beautiful wildflowers and fascinating prairie plants such as the white & pink shooting stars, prairie dock, compass plant, purple asters, yellow sunflowers and blue gentians.The dominant grass is prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) which is indicative of virgin conditions.

What The Nature Conservancy is Doing/ has Done
TNC was able to acquire the rare prairie after Indiana's Division of Nature Preserves was not able to obtain rights to the area. Unfortunately half the prairie was plowed for future burial use before the cemetery board agreed to trade the prairie for adjacent farmland offered for sale by a sympathetic neighbor. After being dedicated as a state nature preserve, the prairie is now protected for future generations.