This Thanksgiving week, all of us with MPF wish to express our gratitude to our supporters. Thanks to financial contributors, colleagues, and partners, MPF and its Grow Native! program are able to carry out award-winning prairie protection, successfully promote increasing use of native plants in developed landscapes, and support early detection and control of invasive plants through our administration of the Missouri Invasive Plant Council.

And we are exceptionally thankful for the prairies themselves. MPF's biologically diverse old-growth prairie remnants provide habitat for thousands of grassland- and prairie-dependent plants and animals, store carbon underground, help protect water quality, and are sources of seeds that are vitally important to the native plant industry. Protected, well-managed remnant prairies and other original habitats are seed reservoirs for prairie plantings, native plant gardens, bioswale plantings, and other landscaping.

If you are planning to transform portions of lawn to native landscapes or convert non-native fescue fields to provide native forage for cattle, while improving habitat for pollinators, birds, and other animals, fall is an ideal time to prepare your land for seeding as well as order seed. We have resources to help you:

--Step-by-step instructions on site preparation and establishment of prairie plantings are available in MPF Director of Prairie Management Jerod Huebner's comprehensive guide published in the Missouri Prairie Journal and in his presentation in this MPF webinar recording.

--These Grow Native! Best Management Practices for Native Plant Installation for professionals also provide great information for all gardeners.

--Native grass seeds can be broadcast on prepared areas through February (but can be drilled through May). Native wildflower seeds should be broadcast in winter because most native seeds require cold temperatures in order to break dormancy. Many prairie seed mixes contain both grass and wildflower seeds; therefore, it is best to sow mixes no later than mid-February on well-prepared sites. Learn more about establishing native landscapes from seed in this Grow Native! Native Gardening Overview.

--Find suppliers of native seed from Grow Native! Professional Members, who are also a wealth of information on establishing native plantings from seed.



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

–Christine Favilla: 2023 Grow Native! Ambassador of the Year

–November 22: MPF Webinar: Ecology & Management of Missouri's Woodland Communities

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

–A Gift to Prairie: End of Year Giving and 2023 MPF Accomplishments

–December 12: Holiday Gift Shop Order Deadline

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

–January 3-5, 2024: MPF Prairie & Woodland Stewardship Training

–2024 MPF Prairie Garden Grant Application Deadline

–Prairie Postcard: Short-eared Owl: Winter Visitor to the Prairie Featured on MPF's 2023 Holiday Card

Happy Thanksgiving!

The MPF Team

Golden garden spider with prairie seed-adorned web at MPF's The Rae Letsinger Prairie by Bruce Schuette

Christine Favilla: 2023 Grow Native! Ambassador of the Year

At its Professional Member Conference on November 8 in Columbia, Missouri, the Grow Native! program awarded the 2023 Grow Native! Ambassador Award to Christine Favilla, Three Rivers Project Coordinator for the Piasa Palisades chapter of the Sierra Club in Alton, Illinois.

“The Grow Native! program annually recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement, use, and promotion of native plants and native plant landscaping,” said Grow Native! Committee Chair Ronda Burnett. “This recognition is in the form of the Grow Native! Ambassador Award.”

Christine is a deserving recipient of this award for the work she does at her day job, and her many volunteer efforts involving native landscaping. Recently Christine organized a juried public art competition to install a native pollinator sculpture at the LaVista Park prairie restoration in Godfrey, Illinois. The project culminated in the installation of the sculpture in the spring of 2023. 

November 22: MPF Webinar: Ecology & Management of Missouri's Woodland Communities

Missouri woodland communities cover one-third of the state (or 15.5 million acres) and their importance in terms of the state's wildlife habitat, timber resources, and watershed health cannot be overstated.

In this presentation, learn about woodland natural communities and their ecological and historical attributes from MDC Natural Community Ecologist Mike Leahy, and learn the nuts and bolts of restoration and management practices that help keep woodland communities healthy and intact from MDC Natural History Biologist Susan Farrington.

Wednesday, November 22 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.

For those who are part of the Grow Native! Professional Certification Program (GNPCP), this webinar counts as one CEU. To register for the class, use the registration link above and see details about earning GNPCP CEUs here.



Photo of woodland community by Bruce Schuette

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 the breeding bird season in the Midwest and beyond. In this presentation, 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.

Registration will be open soon for these upcoming online programs:

• December 20: MPF Webinar: Challenges & Opportunities for Conserving Rare Grassland Plants 
• January 3: MPF Webinar: Fens

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

A Gift to Prairie: We Invite You to Make a Year-End Contribution

Thanks to supporters, MPF and its Grow Native! program accomplish a sustained, high level of conservation activity and promote the use of native plants to benefit prairie and people. We invite you to make a year-end, charitable contribution to help us continue to deliver our award-winning conservation work.

MPF owns and manages some of Missouri’s most biologically diverse prairies—32 properties totaling more than 4,400 acres. Our stewardship sustains the stunning biodiversity of these prairies and their natural integrity, making them irreplaceable sites for prairie wildlife conservation and research, and open to all to enjoy on foot. Through our work with partners, we help protect thousands of additional acres.

In 2023—with an active and dedicated board of directors, Grow Native! committee, other valued volunteers, a highly efficient and effective staff of six employees working in the field and from home offices, trusted contractors, and thanks to generous gifts from supporters like you—MPF has accomplished an incredible amount of work. Read more about MPF's accomplishments so far in 2023.

Please consider making a gift to support our work today, on Giving Tuesday (November 28), or at any other time this year. Many employers will match your charitable giving, and may be able to double your gift!

Photo of MPF's Linden's Prairie by R.S. Kinerson

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 25: Grace Native Seed,

Prairie Birthday Farm, Flower and Garden Design, Julie's Garden Design, Litzsinger Road Ecological Center, Jost Greenhouses, Weston Garden Center, Juneberry/Cassi Bock Landscaping and Flower Gardens LLC, St. Louis Native Plants LLC, Wild Ones - St Louis Chapter, EcoLogic Land Solutions, LLC, Earthplan Design Alternatives, PA, Nevins Design and Landscaping, St. Louis Audubon Society - Bring Conservation Home, Grimm's Gardens, Bowood Farms, Missouri Native Plant Society - Hawthorn Chapter, City of Ellisville, Botanical Belonging/Happy Apple's Farm, Feyh Farm Seed, Pleasant View Landscaping, and Griesedieck Brothers Landscape, Inc. Find details about all Grow Native! professional members in the Grow Native! Resource Guide. 

For thousands of years, up until the time of statehood, at least 50% of Missouri contained a ground cover of prairie plants. With assertive stewardship, Missouri's prairies as well as many woodlands—currently invaded by too much woody growth—can sustain immense native biodiversity.

To help increase the number of people trained to carry out prairie and woodland stewardship, MPF offers its fourth annual Prairie & Woodland Training January 3-5, 2024. Limited to 15 people, this free training—geared to young professionals, natural resource college students, and landowners—includes hands-on chain saw operation, prescribed burning participation, and instruction on prairie natural history and winter plant identification. Read more and register here by December 29, 2023.

Photo of 2022 training by Erika Van Vranken

Gardening and other conservation groups, parks, schools, and other entities in Missouri and immediately surrounding states are invited to submit proposals to MPF’s Prairie Garden Grants Program.

In 2024, MPF would like to award several grants to help fund the establishment of prairie gardens or plantings. Grants will not exceed $800 each. Those with smaller projects are encouraged to apply as well. Gardens must be available to the public and must incorporate native prairie species. Matching funds are not required, but proposals with secured matching funds may be evaluated higher than others. 

The deadline to submit an application is January 15, 2024, with funding dispersed in February. See more details on the grant, including previous awardees here, and access the application form here.

Photo of fall color of Penstemon digitalis (white beardtongue) at the Longfellow Community Association native plant garden, established with an MPF Prairie Garden Grant in 2020, by Brett Creason

The short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) is a wintertime visitor on prairies and other grasslands and a true treat for the birder bucket list. This is one of the most widely distributed owls in the world. See its North American breeding, year-round, and wintering ranges here. In Missouri, these owls can be seen in the winter in suitable grassland habitat. Prairies and other grasslands in southwestern Missouri are some of the best places to spot them—especially at dawn and dusk—flying low or sitting on the ground, hunting for food.

Join MPF Technical Advisor Jeff Cantrell on February 8 at 4:30 p.m. as he leads a hike at Shawnee Trail Conservation Area, 160 SW 160th Lane, Mindenmines, MO 64769. Participants will learn about and potentially catch a glimpse (and photo) of this special wintertime resident during the outing. Email Jeff.Cantrell@mdc.mo.gov to sign up.

You can also help support MPF and delight your friends and family members with holiday cards featuring the photo above of the short-eared owl. A set of 10 blank cards and envelopes are $20 including shipping costs. Purchase sets of cards in our online Gift Shop.

Many thanks to Bill Duncan for providing the striking photograph above, which is featured on our 2023 holiday cards.