ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction after hundreds of peonies were damaged at the University of Michigan’s Nichols Arboretum Peony Garden last month.
About 250 peonies on the north side of the garden were discovered with their flowers cut off at about 6:13 a.m. on Sunday, June 1, 2025.
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Staff reported the damage to the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security, and when they arrived, they learned that about one-third of the garden’s 800 peony plants had been destroyed.
While no group or organization was linked to the malicious destruction of property, police said papers were left behind that referenced the war in Gaza.
The note said, “Plant lives don’t matter. Human lives do,” and “Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers.”
University police are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the malicious destruction of property.
Anyone with information is asked to contact university police at 734-763-1131 or UM-DPSS-TIPS@umich.edu.
For more information about the eligibility requirements for the reward, visit here.