Thistles. They're thorny and they're tough, but they're not all bad. In fact, of the nine species of Cirsium found in Missouri, there are several native species that occur on prairies and other habitats. They are rich food sources for birds, butterflies, and...
Maxmillian sunflowers (Helianthus maximilianii). Photo: Pat Whalen
Blog
Saving Rare Prairies: MPF’s Edgar W. Schmidt Sand Prairie
Protecting and restoring rare, imperiled prairie habitats, like the sand savanna at MPF's Edgar W. Schmidt Sand Prairie, is at the core of our mission. This important endeavor involves documenting the history of a site, inventorying its plant and animal communities,...
MPF/GN! Approved Provider for Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System
The Missouri Prairie Foundation / Grow Native! is now an approved provider for the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LACES)! LACES establishes, maintains, and enforces standards for evaluating professional development and continuing education...
Two lovely, stealthy, prairie wildflowers
In April, carpets of low-growing prairie wildflowers bloom, taking advantage of sunlight before taller grasses create shade. Among them are two plant species that, in addition to turning sunlight into plant food through good old-fashioned photosynthesis, supplement...
Help a Herp Out: Turtles Need Quality Habitat & a Little Help from Human Friends
Everybody knows turtles take their time when traversing the landscape, and they sometimes even need a little help from their human friends when crossing a roadway. They may be slower than their reptilian counterparts (Hey! They are the oldest living reptile group on...
Fruits Reaped from 2018 Garden Grant
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...
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...