Maxmillian sunflowers (Helianthus maximilianii). Photo: Pat Whalen

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Prescribed Burns on MPF Prairies

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

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

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...

Cloudless Sulphur Butterflies Active in Late Summer

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

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!

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,...

Plant Conservatism & CC Values

Plant Conservatism & CC Values

By Carol Davit, Executive Director, Missouri Prairie Foundation  Photo: Penn-Sylvania Prairie by Bruce Schuette   The concept of plant species conservatism was developed for Missouri flora by Doug Ladd, formerly director of conservation science for The Nature...

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For 58 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.

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