By Nadia Navarrete-TIndall, Specialty Crops & Native Plant Specialist for Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO Photo of wild plums at Second Christian Church: Nadia Navarrette-Tindall. In 2018, Friends of Jefferson City Community Garden received an MPF Prairie...
Maxmillian sunflowers (Helianthus maximilianii). Photo: Pat Whalen
What’s Living on a Prairie?
By Carol Davit, MPF Executive Director Thanks to supporters, MPF owns and manages some of the most biologically significant prairie remnants in the state. Key to sustaining the biological integrity of these sites is establishing baseline biological data and collecting...
Prescribed Burns on MPF Prairies
Why does MPF burn its prairies? Prairies and other native grasslands in the Midwest and many other areas of North America evolved with fire. In this geography, relatively ample rainfall supports more than herbaceous vegetation—it also encourages woody plant growth....
Wintering Short-eared Owls
By Carol Davit, MPF Executive Director On December 8, MPF Technical Advisor Jeff Cantrell led an “MPF Short-eared Owl Investigation” at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Shawnee Trail Conservation Area in Barton County. The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is...
Snapshots from Late Fall Prairie Picnics
MPF hosted 88 guests across five of our prairies during the last two weekends of October for our Picnics on the Prairie event series. Depending on the weekend, visitors braved the cold or enjoyed the sunshine to explore hundreds of acres of remnant and reconstructed...
Prairie Plants Throughout Missouri: From the Glaciated Plains to Pine Woodlands
Participants on the MPF tours to Missouri’s Old-Growth Pine Forest, Pawnee Prairie Natural Area and Helton Prairie Natural Area learned about diverse native grassland communities in many parts of the state.
The Rae Letsinger Prairie
MPF’s most recent prairie acquisition is named for Mr. Rae Letsinger, whose sister Joan Letsinger purchased naming rights this year to honor her brother. Her generous contribution will support future prairie protection efforts.
Cloudless Sulphur Butterflies Active in Late Summer
By Bruce Schuette, MPF's Vice President of Science and Management Photo: Adult cloudless sulphur by Bruce Schuette The epic migration of the monarch butterfly between eastern North America and Mexico is well known. There are other butterflies that migrate too. One...
Missouri Prairie Sounds
Thank you to our partners at the Missouri Department of Conservation for providing this sound recording of Missouri Tallgrass Prairie. You will hear many different sounds, and feel like you are walking through one of our many prairies across the state. Some of...
Wait! Don’t Kill that Thistle!
By Tim Smith, adapted from his "Missouri's Thistles" Missouri Prairie Journal article Photo: Great-spangled fritillary on a Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor) by Bruce Schuette Blooming now in prairies, along roadsides, disturbed fields, and pastures are tall,...
More Ways to Give
For over 55 years, the Missouri Prairie Foundation has been conserving Missouri’s prairies and other native grasslands. Donate now to help conserve prairie in Missouri, one of the most imperiled, beautiful, and biologically diverse habitat types on earth. Donate, become a member, and find other ways to support our work.