OSU Students Reveal New Pocket Prairie Attraction On Campus

Oklahoma State University is getting a fly new look that is sure to catch people's eye.

Along the flight path to Stillwater Regional Airport, inbound passengers will catch the shape of a 4,000 square foot butterfly.

OSU calls it a butterfly pocket prairie, and it has a 122-foot wingspan made of all native grasses.

It's a partnership between students and the university that improves the environment and lessens maintenance costs.

Instead of mowing the entire field, two 6-foot wide strips will be mowed from the parking area around the butterfly for visitors.

This project is going to be used to educate students on prairie care and the importance of biodiversity for pollinators.

Gabby Barber is a senior at OSU and she's been working on the project, "A lot of people say that Oklahoma is just dry and dead and ugly all the time," she said, "I think this will show them the variety that Oklahoma Plants have to offer."

They said the garden is in it's infant stages, the vegetation is dormant right now, but in two to three years the maturity of the plants will be completely different.

And there are plans to expand this pocket prairie in the future, but for now they just invite people to come out and enjoy the beauty.