Latest news with #NicholsArboretum
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Pathetic protesters destroy university's peony garden to 'show support of Palestine'
A act of wanton vandalism at one of the nation's most celebrated gardens has ignited outrage and disbelief, after protesters destroyed hundreds of prized peony blooms at the University of Michigan, in what police are calling a politically motivated attack. Staff arriving early Sunday morning at the W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden, located in the university's Nichols Arboretum, found a third of the plants had been decapitated with their buds and flowers left littering the ground. The garden is famed for being the largest collection of blooming peonies in the nation. Nearby, roughly 100 flyers were left behind urging solidarity with Palestine and declaring in stark language: 'Plant lives don't matter. Human lives do.' The attack, which struck just as the garden was reaching its peak bloom, destroyed thousands of flowers in what university officials have called an unprecedented act of destruction at the historic site. An estimated 250 plants were decapitated, with thousands of buds and blooms hacked off and strewn in the dirt. The flyers, emblazoned with calls to 'wear a keffiyeh' and 'fly the Palestinian flag instead of the US one,' left no ambiguity about the protest's political intent. Authorities have launched an investigation but say no group has yet claimed responsibility. 'This was a deliberate desecration, not random vandalism,' a University of Michigan spokesperson said. The attack came amid ongoing tensions worldwide over the war between Israel and Hamas, a conflict that has claimed the lives of around 50,000 Palestinians according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and left over 1,200 Israelis dead following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks. The University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security said the desecration was discovered around 6am on Sunday by stunned staff at the Nichols Arboretum, where the historic garden resides. In a somber statement, the department confirmed that no group had yet claimed responsibility for the attack, and that an investigation remains ongoing. Notably silent was the TAHRIR Coalition, the university's primary pro-Palestinian protest group, which has previously demanded the university divest from Israel. The coalition did not comment on social media or respond to media inquiries. The destruction was swift, merciless, and, as many have pointed out, entirely futile. James Welcher, a local resident who witnessed the aftermath firsthand, described the scene on social media: 'Early on June 1st, 2025, one or more vandals attacked the outdoor biological museum that is the Ann Arbor Peony Garden at the University of Michigan Nichols Arboretum. They chopped off thousands of blooms as well as buds that had not yet opened, leaving them in the dirt where they fell. There are several rows of plots, and it appears they walked along a third to a half, cutting as they moved.' Welcher added that a director at the garden was still cleaning up the wreckage with a wheelbarrow when he arrived in the afternoon, methodically removing the fallen petals. 'The vandal(s) didn't steal any flowers. Their goal was desecration,' Welcher wrote. 'The majority were the buds, but they also took off all the blooms they could.' He quoted the director reassuring distraught visitors: 'This won't harm the plants. They're fine,' though it was clear the staff were struggling to process the senseless act. The peony garden has been a fixture of Ann Arbor for almost a century and draws thousands of visitors every year, particularly during its famed peak bloom which was just beginning last weekend. On social media, outrage was swift. 'Free Palestine but WTH. How is killing a bunch of plants in one town 1,000s of miles away inching humanity closer to ending one of the longest-running genocides?' one user posted. 'Protesting becomes vandalism when it's ill-targeted, aimless, and has no reasonable way of building awareness without minimizing backlash from those you could've maybe reached.' Another commenter was more resigned: 'If their goal was to highlight how people care more about flowers than Gazans, I guess they have succeeded. It saddens me to see people destroying a lovely part of their own community just to prove a point.' For many, the destruction struck a deeply personal chord with one user, recalling fond memories of the garden. 'We took our engagement photos in the peony garden and I have one framed on my desk. This breaks my heart.' Another user didn't mince words: 'Our campus culture is broken if anyone thought this was acceptable. We need to heal as a community and find permanent solutions for the ongoing pain that has been left to fester. This has to end, and it takes all of us - exercising humility, and speaking with reasonable protest voices - to compromise on the virtues of humanity and empathy.' Yet another voice warned of what could lie ahead if such acts went unchecked: 'The longer the university allows the behavior to fester, the more we can anticipate such criminal behavior.' Even some supporters of the Palestinian cause distanced themselves from the act. Luke Newman, 25, a groundskeeper at the university and graduate student at Eastern Michigan University who has participated in past Palestine solidarity protests, called the vandalism 'unfortunate and upsetting.' 'I sympathize with the vandal in terms of their frustration at the situation in Palestine,' Newman said. 'It's just unfortunate and upsetting to me that they don't have a positive way to take that frustration and turn it into something that will form community ties.' University officials, while urging calm, have not yet announced any additional security measures for the Arboretum. For now, the garden stands as both a crime scene and a somber memorial a reminder of how far some are willing to go in the name of protest. Welcher told how amid the devastation, there were moments of quiet resilience. He recounted seeing two young girls surveying the damage. One said softly, 'Someone cut them.' The other, undeterred, replied with a determination far beyond her years: 'They'll grow back.'
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Historic university garden vandalized in apparent anti-Israel statement: 'Don't waste your tears'
Hundreds of the University of Michigan's iconic peonies were reportedly cut in an act of vandalism – apparently perpetrated by at least one unidentified pro-Palestinian agitator. The Ann Arbor school's W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden, located in Nichols Arboretum, is home to North America's largest collection of historic herbaceous peonies, according to The Associated Press – and it boasts about 800 plants with 10,000 flowers at peak bloom. However, about 250 – or one-third of them – were found Sunday morning with most of their flowers cut off. While no group has taken credit for the gratuitous act of destruction, according to the university's Division of Public Safety & Security (DPSS), papers found around the site outlined the apparent motive. "Plant lives don't matter. Human lives do," the papers read in part. "Stop the war. Resist Imperialism." "Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers," they continue. "Don't waste your tears on the peonies. They are not even dead and will grow again next spring." "Make no mistake, the criminal tactics used in the recent act of vandalism at Nichols Arboretum are wholly unacceptable," read a statement by the university. "We unequivocally condemn the destruction of property and any act of vandalism on our campus," the statement continued. "Damaging a beloved community space intended to foster reflection and bring hope to the whole community is counter productive. We urge all community members to channel their voices through constructive and meaningful dialogue." UMich is no stranger to acts of vandalism by anti-Israel agitators – university President Santa Ono's home and the surrounding area were spray-painted with the words "intifada" and "coward" in October. The Upjohn Garden incident also transpired on the same day as an alleged terrorist attack on a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, that left multiple people injured. The suspect, Mohamad Sabry Soliman, "stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people," according to a federal complaint. The DPSS is actively investigating the matter, which the school describes as a "criminal incident." A Public Affairs representative for the university declined to comment further on the incident when reached by Fox News Digital.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Bustling crowds and bus rides are part of the annual peony pilgrimage to Michigan
Peonies are on display at Nichols Arboretum's W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden Monday, June 2, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder) ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It's time to peek at the peak peonies. Visitors are making the annual pilgrimage to the University of Michigan this week to see -- and smell -- one of the world's premier collections of the garden plant, featuring showy red, white and pink blooms of countless shades and varieties. Melanie Millar and her friends visited the Ann Arbor school's Nichols Arboretum on Monday to take some graduation photos. The 18-year-old Millar is set to graduate from a Detroit-area high school in a matter of days. 'I'm here with my best friends — a bunch of girls. … We just came here to get pictures since it's going to be a nice day, and the Peony Garden seemed like a nice place to go to,' Millar said. The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden features the largest collection of historic — pre-1950 — herbaceous peonies in North America, 'and likely the world,' curator David Michener said. 'Once you come here to the Peony Garden, you'll be mesmerized, and you'll understand why people love peonies,' he said. 'The fragrances, the colors, the forms, it's just intoxicating.' The peony watch is a spectator sport with tens of thousands of visitors arriving at The Arb each spring to behold the unique perennials -- so many that visitors have to be bused in. But there was a somber mood among some Monday. Vandals cut off the blooms of roughly 250 peonies a day earlier, the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security said in a statement. Although no group or organization has taken credit for vandalizing the garden, some papers were left behind, DPSS said. One referenced the war in Gaza, saying: 'Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers.' 'What would possess someone just to destroy nature and the beauty of it? It's just unfathomable,' visitor Linda J.K. Klenczar said Monday. 'There's no explanation. I don't know if they're going to catch someone who did this. They need to explain themselves.' It's a moving target each year as to when the peonies will reach peak bloom. And one of great interest – with scores of peony-watchers glued to the Arb's Instagram page for updates. 'What makes it so challenging to predict is they pay no attention to the calendar,' Michener said. 'They're driven totally by day and night temperatures.' The campus Peony Garden contains more than 300 historic cultivated varieties from the 19th and early 20th centuries, representing American, Canadian and European peonies of the era. The garden typically features up to 10,000 flowers at peak bloom. Their colorful blossoms draw admirers from Michigan and beyond, but the peonies' beauty is not their primary function. The garden is designed as a support mechanism for academia -- to be a research collection for students and faculty to explore genomics and social issues. Michener and his colleagues at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum work closely with their sister garden in Minsk, the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, trying to understand how ornamental peonies are related to each other and the wild, ancestral species. Michigan's Peony Garden is free to visit and open from sunrise to sunset. For those drawn to the ancient plant's scent, Michener said it's best to show up earlier in the day or later in the evening, when the fragrances are the best. 'It's very colorful. I have a lot of peonies in my backyard, so I have a spot for them. But they're a beautiful flower,' Millar said. Mike Householder, The Associated Press
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Bustling crowds and bus rides are part of the annual peony pilgrimage to Michigan
It's time to peek at the peak peonies. Visitors are making the annual pilgrimage to the University of Michigan this week to see -- and smell -- one of the world's premier collections of the garden plant, featuring showy red, white and pink blooms of countless shades and varieties. Melanie Millar and her friends visited the Ann Arbor school's Nichols Arboretum on Monday to take some graduation photos. The 18-year-old Millar is set to graduate from a Detroit-area high school in a matter of days. 'I'm here with my best friends — a bunch of girls. … We just came here to get pictures since it's going to be a nice day, and the Peony Garden seemed like a nice place to go to,' Millar said. The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden features the largest collection of historic — pre-1950 — herbaceous peonies in North America, 'and likely the world,' curator David Michener said. 'Once you come here to the Peony Garden, you'll be mesmerized, and you'll understand why people love peonies,' he said. 'The fragrances, the colors, the forms, it's just intoxicating.' The peony watch is a spectator sport with tens of thousands of visitors arriving at The Arb each spring to behold the unique perennials -- so many that visitors have to be bused in. But there was a somber mood among some Monday. Vandals cut off the blooms of roughly 250 peonies a day earlier, the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security said in a statement. Although no group or organization has taken credit for vandalizing the garden, some papers were left behind, DPSS said. One referenced the war in Gaza, saying: 'Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers.' 'What would possess someone just to destroy nature and the beauty of it? It's just unfathomable,' visitor Linda J.K. Klenczar said Monday. 'There's no explanation. I don't know if they're going to catch someone who did this. They need to explain themselves.' It's a moving target each year as to when the peonies will reach peak bloom. And one of great interest – with scores of peony-watchers glued to the Arb's Instagram page for updates. 'What makes it so challenging to predict is they pay no attention to the calendar,' Michener said. 'They're driven totally by day and night temperatures.' The campus Peony Garden contains more than 300 historic cultivated varieties from the 19th and early 20th centuries, representing American, Canadian and European peonies of the era. The garden typically features up to 10,000 flowers at peak bloom. Their colorful blossoms draw admirers from Michigan and beyond, but the peonies' beauty is not their primary function. The garden is designed as a support mechanism for academia -- to be a research collection for students and faculty to explore genomics and social issues. Michener and his colleagues at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum work closely with their sister garden in Minsk, the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, trying to understand how ornamental peonies are related to each other and the wild, ancestral species. Michigan's Peony Garden is free to visit and open from sunrise to sunset. For those drawn to the ancient plant's scent, Michener said it's best to show up earlier in the day or later in the evening, when the fragrances are the best. 'It's very colorful. I have a lot of peonies in my backyard, so I have a spot for them. But they're a beautiful flower,' Millar said.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Bustling crowds and bus rides are part of the annual peony pilgrimage to Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — It's time to peek at the peak peonies. Visitors are making the annual pilgrimage to the University of Michigan this week to see -- and smell -- one of the world's premier collections of the garden plant, featuring showy red, white and pink blooms of countless shades and varieties. Melanie Millar and her friends visited the Ann Arbor school's Nichols Arboretum on Monday to take some graduation photos. The 18-year-old Millar is set to graduate from a Detroit-area high school in a matter of days. 'I'm here with my best friends — a bunch of girls. … We just came here to get pictures since it's going to be a nice day, and the Peony Garden seemed like a nice place to go to,' Millar said. The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden features the largest collection of historic — pre-1950 — herbaceous peonies in North America, 'and likely the world,' curator David Michener said. 'Once you come here to the Peony Garden, you'll be mesmerized, and you'll understand why people love peonies,' he said. 'The fragrances, the colors, the forms, it's just intoxicating.' The peony watch is a spectator sport with tens of thousands of visitors arriving at The Arb each spring to behold the unique perennials -- so many that visitors have to be bused in. But there was a somber mood among some Monday. Vandals cut off the blooms of roughly 250 peonies a day earlier, the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security said in a statement. Although no group or organization has taken credit for vandalizing the garden, some papers were left behind, DPSS said. One referenced the war in Gaza, saying: 'Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers.' 'What would possess someone just to destroy nature and the beauty of it? It's just unfathomable,' visitor Linda J.K. Klenczar said Monday. 'There's no explanation. I don't know if they're going to catch someone who did this. They need to explain themselves.' It's a moving target each year as to when the peonies will reach peak bloom. And one of great interest – with scores of peony-watchers glued to the Arb's Instagram page for updates. 'What makes it so challenging to predict is they pay no attention to the calendar,' Michener said. 'They're driven totally by day and night temperatures.' The campus Peony Garden contains more than 300 historic cultivated varieties from the 19th and early 20th centuries, representing American, Canadian and European peonies of the era. The garden typically features up to 10,000 flowers at peak bloom. Their colorful blossoms draw admirers from Michigan and beyond, but the peonies' beauty is not their primary function. The garden is designed as a support mechanism for academia -- to be a research collection for students and faculty to explore genomics and social issues. Michener and his colleagues at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum work closely with their sister garden in Minsk, the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, trying to understand how ornamental peonies are related to each other and the wild, ancestral species. Michigan's Peony Garden is free to visit and open from sunrise to sunset. For those drawn to the ancient plant's scent, Michener said it's best to show up earlier in the day or later in the evening, when the fragrances are the best. 'It's very colorful. I have a lot of peonies in my backyard, so I have a spot for them. But they're a beautiful flower,' Millar said.
