Prescribed burn at Celery Bog lets plants return stronger

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Crews have conducted a prescribed burn at a West Lafayette nature area to rid it of old growth and invasive plant species.

West Lafayette Parks Department set prairie grasses on fire during the burn Friday at Celery Bog.

Burns are conducted annually to allow native plants to grow back stronger in the spring. Only about one-third of the bog's prairie grasses are burned each year so animals can relocate to untouched areas.

Ninety-eight-year-old retired Purdue botany professor Sam Postlethwait lives nearby and watched the burn Friday. He tells WLFI-TV (http://bit.ly/2kHhMXb ) he's proud of how the city takes care of the nature area.

The 195-acre Celery Bog contains 4 miles of trails through woods and along a marsh.

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Information from: WLFI-TV, http://www.wlfi.com/