On November 17, MPF Vice President of Science & Management Bruce Schuette was part of a team of conservationists from Missouri and Iowa who met with U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in Des Moines, Iowa. During the meeting, Secretary Haaland announced the recipients of several America the Beautiful grant awards, including one to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to protect, steward, and restore prairie remnants, and expand and connect native grasslands in Iowa and Missouri.

Partners in the $4,730,000, multi-year grant award to MDC include the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, Quail Forever/Pheasants Forever, MPF, and Drake University/Jay N. Darling Institute for Rural Sustainability. The partners will focus on conserving, restoring, and reconnecting native grasslands in Missouri and Iowa through collaborative habitat management such as prescribed fire, invasive species control, and grazing. The majority of the grant award will go to MDC, The Nature Conservancy, and Quail Forever/Pheasants Forever to fund "strike teams" to control invasive plants, conduct prescribed burns, and create prairie plantings. MPF will direct its portion of grant funds toward woodland and grassland stewardship training and acquiring and holding conservation easements on prairie remnants owned by private individuals.

"The Missouri/Iowa partnership is extremely grateful for this grant award,” said Nate Muenks, Natural Resource Planning Section Chief for MDC who coordinated and wrote the grant proposal. “Funding this collaborative project is an excellent and appreciated step in recognition of the need for additional resource investment, leading to conservation and restoration actions that improve the health of native grasslands.”

We hope you will enjoy our upcoming events and other news below:

–Missouri Rep. Sassmann Files Invasive Plant Legislation

–Save the Date: 2024 Grow Native! Southwest Illinois (SWIL) Workshop February 23, 2024

–December 6: MPF Webinar: Honduras: A Natural Haven for Migratory Birds

–December 20: MPF Webinar: Challenges & Opportunities for Conserving Rare Grassland Plants

–Native Plant Crafting with Nadia Navarrete-Tindall

–Noppadol Paothong Photography Fundraiser for MPF through December 31

–December 12: MPF Holiday Gift Shop Order Deadline

–Thank You! Grow Native! Members and Sponsors for 2024 Renewals

–Prairie Postcard: Thank You, Cuivre River State Park Workday Volunteers

Happy Holidays!

The MPF Team

Pictured above is Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, center, with the America the Beautiful Missouri/Iowa grant team. Photo courtesy of MDC. Inset photo is Secretary Haaland with MPF Vice President of Science & Management Bruce Schuette. Photo by Amanda Kules.

On December 1, 2023, Missouri Representative Bruce Sassmann (District 061) filed House Bill 1555 that would halt the sale and intentional distribution of sericea lespedeza, wintercreeper, Callery pear, Japanese honeysuckle, and burning bush.

Of the state’s 142 invasive plants, as assessed by the Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP), which is administered by MPF, many continue to be sold in Missouri, contributing to their future, unintended spread across the landscape. 

Over the summer of 2023, MoIP Vice Chair Matt Arndt and a subgroup of MoIP members carefully analyzed stakeholder input, MoIP assessment data, and sales availability, and generated a tiered list of species proposed for inclusion in this potential legislation. This tiered list was provided to Representative Sassmann at his request.

“MoIP is grateful to the many Missourians who provided feedback on this idea to help prevent the future, unintentional spread of select invasive plants and to Representative Sassmann for introducing this legislation,” said MoIP Vice Chair Matt Arndt. “MoIP is eager to assist with modifications to the legislation to optimize its positive impacts and to create a final version that can garner broad support from the public and across stakeholder industries. We urge all Missourians, including legislators, to support final legislation to benefit Missouri." Read more here.

Photo above of sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) courtesy MDC.

Save the Date: February 23, 2024: Grow Native! Southwest Illinois Workshop

The Grow Native! Southwest Illinois Committee invites you to the Landscape Challenges & Native Plant Solutions workshop on February 23, 2024, 7:30 a.m. to noon, at the N.O. Nelson Campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Edwardsville, Ill.

Keynote speaker Alan Branhagen, who is the Executive Director of the Natural Land Institute in Rockford, Illinois, will present on utilizing the attributes of native flora to address challenging landscape situations, such as streetside "hellstrips," poorly drained swales, land under power lines, and steep banks.

Mark your calendars and stay tuned for the full slate of speakers and registration details.



Photo of rain garden at MDC's Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center in Joplin, Missouri by Jeff Cantrell

December 6: MPF Webinar: Honduras: A Natural Haven for Migratory Birds

In many places around the world, natural resources are being degraded. Lakes have been dredged, rivers diverted, entire forests chopped down. Luckily, there is still plenty of open space, beautiful forests, a breathtaking lake, and whitewater rivers in Honduras, which is home to a large number of migratory bird species—many of which we enjoy during bird breeding season in the Midwest and beyond.

In this presentation—live from Central America—learn about Honduras’ natural features and the rich habitat the country provides for birds, such as the scissor-tailed flycatcher, ruby-throated hummingbird, and other wonderful species, from William Orellana, avid birder, photographer, and Honduran tour guide.

Wednesday, December 6 at 4:00 p.m. This free, 50-minute presentation will be followed by a question/answer session. A link to a recording of the webinar will be emailed to registrants. Register here.

Photo of ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) by William Orellana

December 20: MPF Webinar: Challenges and Opportunities for Conserving Rare Grassland Plants

Temperate grasslands are an endangered biome and the least protected habitat on earth. Known for their remarkable species-richness, temperate grasslands are home to a multitude of rare plants with specialized adaptations to fire, drought, and unusual soils.

Dr. Matthew Albrecht, Conservation Scientist and Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, will explore the unique grasslands of the Midwest and Mid-South, and share information about the Missouri Botanical Garden’s science-driven programs to conserve, manage, and restore globally rare plants throughout the region.

Wednesday, December 20 at 4:00 p.m. This free, 50-minute presentation will be followed by a question/answer session. A link to a recording of the webinar will be emailed to registrants. Register here.

Photo of auriculate false foxglove (Agalinis auriculata) by Bruce Schuette

Native Plant Crafting with Nadia Navarrete-Tindall

Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall is a State Extension Specialist with the Specialty Crops/Native Plants Program at Lincoln University and a Grow Native! program advisor. Nadia is a wealth of information about native plants, including many species that provide food, as well as beauty, for people. She took time out of her busy schedule to share ideas with us on holiday crafts with native plants:

There is something about this time of the year that brings out my creative side. One of my favorite hobbies is to gather materials from native plants to create natural crafts. At our home garden and at Lincoln University's native plant gardens, we leave as much dry vegetation as possible for pollinators and other wildlife throughout the year. what needs to be pruned, however, is repurposed into ornaments that also serve as natural bird feeders and shelter. 

My favorite plant for holiday decorations is Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Like many woody species, cedars have good and bad years. This year the production of their modified cones has been exceptional. This tree is dioecious which means that it produces male and female modified cones in separate trees. The male cones are small and produce bright yellow pollen, and the female cones—once pollinated—produce bluish-green, berry-like cones. When male and female Eastern red cedar branches are used together, they provide a nice contrast for wreaths. Read more here.

Eastern red cedar and artemisia wreath by Nadia Navarrete-Tindall

MPF is honored that, for the fourth year in a row, Missouri photographer Noppadol Paothong and his wife Monica Lee have launched a 2023 fundraising event to benefit MPF!

This is your opportunity to purchase the mosaic of Paothong pollinator images above, on paper, canvas, or aluminum, as well as photo coasters, photo cards, and two of Paothong's books.

Nearly all items are 40% off the regular price, and 100% of proceeds go to MPF. See all images and order here.

You can treat your family, friends, and colleagues with holiday gifts that also support MPF and its Grow Native! program:

--We have gardening books, apparel, made-in-Missouri native garden signs, and more in our online Gift Shop.

--Gift memberships to MPF include three issues of the Missouri Prairie Journal delivered to your giftee's home throughout the year, as well as free registration to MPF and Grow Native! master classes. Gift a gift membership here.

--You can symbolically adopt a butterfly as a holiday gift. A card and magnet featuring the beautiful artwork above by Missouri-based, California artist Katherine Fratti will be mailed to your giftee. Adopt A Butterfly here.

The deadline to place holiday orders to ensure delivery for the holidays is Tuesday, December 12.

Thank You! New and Renewing Grow Native! Sponsors and Members for 2024

There are more than 170 professional members of the Grow Native! program in 2023, whose annual membership dues help fund our work to promote the use of native plants in landscaping.

We thank all of them, and recognize the additional Grow Native! professional sponsors and members who have renewed for 2024 since October 26: Glorious Gardens, Bohn's Farm & Greenhouses-St. Louis, Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries - St. Louis Office, National Nursery Products-St. Louis, Stream Teams United, Watershed Committee of the Ozarks, Landscape Technologies LLC, Effinger Garden Center, Immersion Landscaping, Missouri Native Seed Association, Barnes Greenhouses, Monarch Watch, Sur Landscape Architecture, Oak Hill Natives, Truax, New Urban Landscaping, Lyness Landscaping LLC, and Greenscape Gardens. Find details about all Grow Native! professional members in the Grow Native! Resource Guide. 

Nestled among the 6,000+ acres of oak woodlands that make up Cuivre River State Park, located about 60 miles northwest of St. Louis, are some of the only remaining prairie remnants in the area. The park includes four scattered tracts of prairie equaling approximately 100 acres, which is dramatically fewer than the 107 square miles (or 68,480 acres) of native grasslands that once covered Lincoln County.

For nearly three years, volunteers participating in MPF’s Friends of Cuivre River State Park Grasslands have been helping steward this rare landscape. Recently, volunteers and one park staff member joined MPF’s Vice President of Science & Management Bruce Schuette, who was the park naturalist there for over 35 years, for a workday. Fifteen volunteers were divided into groups and collected native seed and helped cut and treat oak sprouts invading Sac Prairie, the location of the first prairie prescribed burn conducted in a Missouri State Park.

Thanks to these volunteers and others, these rare prairie remnants received a helping hand in November, benefitting many species that depend on them. To learn more about the history of the park and its unique features, read the Missouri Prairie Journal article “The Grasslands of Cuivre River State Park” by Bruce Schuette.

Photo Caption: Many thanks to the volunteers who came out to help with MPF's Friends of Cuivre River State Park Grasslands workday Sunday, November 12: (left to right) Kevin Minard, Hayley Abshear, Laura Arthur, Bob Cejka, Rachel Jones, Mark Hannink, Leslie Limberg, Renée Benage, Ellen Hartz, Peter Tipton, Franny Stockton, Eileen Kinsella, Andy Clubb, Lori Schuster, and Jamie Hubert. Group photo by Bruce Schuette and photo of Leslie Limberg collecting seed by Renée Benage