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This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.<\/em><\/p>\n The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden<\/a> at the University of Michigan\u2019s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum<\/a> was vandalized Saturday night, according to a statement<\/a> posted on Instagram and Facebook by MBGNA director Tony Kolenic. At approximately 6:14 a.m. this morning, MBGNA reported to the University\u2019s Division of Public Safety and Security<\/a> that about 250 peony plants, one-third of the 800 peonies in the garden, had most of their flowers cut off. Thousands of flowers were left on the ground and about 100 paper signs were spread throughout the area.<\/p>\n In his statement, Kolenic wrote the vandalization was disrespectful to both the garden and the broader community.<\/p>\n \u201cAs someone who has spent my career working in environmental justice, I believe deeply in the healing power of nature and in our responsibility to protect and care for it,\u201d Kolenic wrote. \u201cWhat happened here was an act of disregard not just for the garden, but for the community that cherishes it, even for life itself.\u201d<\/p>\n