🦋A journey fueled by milkweed and other essential nectar sources 🦋 See more photos and video from in Lilly’s winter trip to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, in her MPF blog post “Prairies to Peaks”: https://ow.ly/b6Ct50Yt4XR 𝐶𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡: 𝐿𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝐺𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑡ℎ

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 MPF, Grow Native!, and the Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP) are accepting nominations for our annual awards! All nominations must be received by April 30, 2026. Learn more here on our blog: https://ow.ly/P58A50YczJw

𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 Seasonal, full-time role. Duties include scouting for and treating invasive plants on MPF prairies, primarily in southwestern Missouri. Apply by April 1: https://ow.ly/mjCw50YczAx 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑃𝐹'𝑠 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑛-𝑆𝑦𝑙𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠𝑒

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫: 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐨𝐱: 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏 – 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 4:00 p.m. 1 GNPCP CEU. Register for part 1 here: https://ow.ly/7vbS50YsARL Part 2 on April 22, 2026. 𝑆𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑠 𝑏𝑦 𝐺𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑦 𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟖 - 𝐉𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐌𝐎 We will hold a native plant sale at Runge Conservation Nature Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vendors: Gaylena’s Garden, Grindstone Wildflowers, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery, Ozark Soul, and Prairie Hill Farm. Pre-order here: https://ow.ly/FFVe50Ys6fR

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞! 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫: 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 Session on beginner-friendly native fruit trees including wild plums, persimmon, serviceberry, elderberry, black cherry, and others. March 11 at 4:00 p.m. Register here: https://ow.ly/pQuF50YojMC 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑦 𝑀𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑛 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒

For insights into the native landscaping process, read this interview with two CoMo Wild Yards Participants, including MPF's own Emily Gustafson: https://ow.ly/s3GX50YqpnH. View Emily's four-season yard tour recorded in 2023 on our YouTube. 𝑃𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑇𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑒 (𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑒𝑎) 𝑏𝑦 𝐸𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝐺𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑓𝑠𝑜𝑛

"𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓!" - 𝑱𝒆𝒇𝒇 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝑴𝑷𝑭 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒓 Participants flocked from Kansas City, Columbia, and all the way from St. Louis for February's Short-Eared Owl Hike at Shawnee Trail Conservation Area. for more hikes and tours, visit moprairie.org.

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞! 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫: 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 Session on beginner-friendly native fruit trees including wild plums, persimmon, serviceberry, elderberry, black cherry, and others. March 11 at 4:00 p.m. Register here: https://ow.ly/pQuF50YojMC 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑦 𝑀𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑛 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒

Don't miss this Story Center event on March 5, with author George Frazier speaking about his book, Riverine Dreams, the inspirational story of grassland rivers and the people who paddle and protect them. MPF Board Member Tracy Lewandowski will provide brief remarks: https://ow.ly/LM7K50YnfnB

𝐌𝐏𝐅'𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧-𝐒𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞 Penn-Sylvania Prairie, named for a historical town in the area, boasts a total of 289 plant species, with an average CC value of 4.20, and 40 remnant-dependent species. For more on our prairies, visit https://ow.ly/etSH50Ym0tN 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑦 𝐵𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑒 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒

🦋It's never to early to save the date! Grow Native! Supporting Member Monarch Watch will be hosting their Spring Open House & Plant Fundraiser for all ages on Saturday, May 9, 2026; 8:00am - 2:00pm CST. https://monarchwatch.org/events/openhouse/spring/

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟒: 𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞 - 𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 & 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 Director of Prairie Management, Jerod Huebner, will lead this tree clearing workday 9am to 2pm. Dress for fieldwork. RSVP to Conservation Program Associate Lilly Germeroth at 314-390-5035. 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤-𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝐵𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑒 𝑆𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒

𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫: 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 Join Sarah Kendrick for a webinar on the Missouri Birding Challenge and learn about its origins, who participated, and what’s new for 2026. Wednesday, February 25 at 4:00 p.m. 1 GNPCP CEU. Register here: https://ow.ly/gkix50Yhmtv

𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 Seasonal, full-time role. Duties include scouting for and treating invasive plants on MPF prairies, primarily in southwestern Missouri. Apply by April 1: https://ow.ly/mjCw50YczAx 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑃𝐹'𝑠 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑛-𝑆𝑦𝑙𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠𝑒

Enjoy winter ecology through one of several hikes with Jeff Cantrell. Free; register below. 🥾February 25: Short-Eared Owl Hike at Shawnee Trail Conservation Area https://ow.ly/N4ey50YhFV5 🥾March 19: Winter Ecology Hike at MPF’s Stilwell Prairie in Vernon County, Missouri https://ow.ly/9THL50YhFV4

The MPF-funded prairie planting at Creve Coeur Park (St. Louis County) underwent a prescribed burn this January. It's our hope this effort, along with some subsequent seeding, deliver good results. Thanks to the St. Louis County Parks and Recreation stewardship team! 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑠 𝑏𝑦 𝐴𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑠𝑎 𝐻𝑢𝑖-𝐴𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛

𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫: 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 Join Sarah Kendrick for a webinar on the Missouri Birding Challenge and learn about its origins, who participated, and what’s new for 2026. Wednesday, February 25 at 4:00 p.m. 1 GNPCP CEU. Register here: https://ow.ly/gkix50Yhmtv

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟐𝟕: 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞! 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩: 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬🦋Prairie for people, wildlife, water & more🗒️Native plant species lists🐝Residential prairie patches🌱Seeding prairie plantings🤝Staying involved in the native plant movement ✅Register here: https://ow.ly/5wCn50YcZf2

MPF staff members Clifford Barratt and Lilly Germeroth shared prairie and native landscaping information with hundreds of Missouri Natural Resources Conference attendees February 3-5, including 200+ students. 😇 We're so grateful for our knowledgeable team!

𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 -- 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞! 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫 This annual guide includes a native plant seller & services directory, provides tips on native plants to address specific landscaping situations, and more. https://ow.ly/ppqR50YcYTe

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 MPF, its Grow Native! program, and the Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP), administered by MPF, are now accepting nominations for our annual awards. All nominations must be received by April 30, 2026. Learn more here on our blog: https://ow.ly/P58A50YczJw

Visited Snowball Hill Prairie for the first time yesterday. What a nice site. It's very interesting to see the dramatic difference in species between the remnant prairie portion and the reconstructed prairie portion. #prairie #nativeplants @moprairie.bsky.social

𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 Seasonal, full-time role. Duties include scouting for and treating invasive plants on MPF prairies, primarily in southwestern Missouri. Apply by April 1: https://ow.ly/mjCw50YczAx 𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑃𝐹'𝑠 𝑃𝑒𝑛𝑛-𝑆𝑦𝑙𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑃𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝐸𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠𝑒

𝐌𝐏𝐅 𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬--𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬! The Missouri Prairie Foundation and Grow Native! program are proud to host an even bigger and better lineup of 10 native plant sales this spring. Participating vendors & pre-order details here: https://grownative.org/events/category/native-plant-sales/