What to See at Calvin's Ecosystem Preserve
The Ecosystem Preserve at Calvin College consists of 90 acres of temperate deciduous forest, wetlands, and old fields on the campus of Calvin College, on the east side of Grand Rapids, Michigan. 40 acres are open for you to walk through and the remaining 50 acres are maintained for a wildlife refuge and scientific research.
We invite you to explore the preserve, learn more about the flora and fauna of West Michigan through a variety of educational displays, and just enjoy being in God's amazing creation.
Walking Trails
- Open dawn to dusk seven days a week
- One mile of trails available for walking
- Please no running, jogging, skiing, smoking, walking dogs, and biking
- Restrooms are located in the Bunker Interpretive Center.
- To learn more about the natural history of the preserve check out our trail map and download our vertebrate checklist and vascular plant checklist of all the animals and plants that have been seen in the preserve.
Bunker Interpretive Center
Our award-winning Helen and Vincent Bunker Interpretive Center has a number of environmentally friendly features. We encourage you to stop by and check out our seasonal educational display, view some Michigan frogs and turtles up close, read a storybook or two, and visit with our friendly and knowledgeable staff. Throughout the year, we also offer a variety of educational programs for all ages. Please visit the news and events page and educational programs pages to see our current schedule of events and programs.
Butterfly House
During the summer months (June to September), our butterfly house is home to a variety of native butterflies in their various life stages and their native host and nectar plants. We invite you to visit the butterfly house and see these amazing creatures up close and personal. Feel free to bring a camera and take photos. Additionally, we invite you to learn more about and purchase native plants at our annual native plant sale that takes place the 1st Saturday in May.
Native Gardens
The Bunker Interpretive Center is surrounded by native gardens including a rain garden and dry prairie garden that feature plants native to West Michigan. These plants are better adapted to our environment then horticultural species.They do not require irrigation or fertilization. Thus, they help conserve water and limit the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Additionally, native plants are beneficial to birds, butterflies, and a variety of insects providing a good source of food and shelter. During the fall and winter, a variety of birds can be seen feeding on seed heads throughout our gardens and in the spring and summer butterflies, bees, and other insects can be seen sipping on the nectar of these flowers. In the May, we hold a native plant sale to encourage people to try native plants in their own gardens. This annual sale takes place the morning of the 1st Saturday in May.
