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MPF invites the public to take part in celebrating its 60th anniversary by participating in a juried photo contest. The contest provides an opportunity for the public to contribute to conservation education through photography that documents prairie species, visitors to the prairie, and/or the prairie landscape on any of MPF’s more than 35 properties, all of which are open and available to the public to explore on foot.

Participants may submit original photography March 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026.

To qualify, photographs must have been taken on MPF prairies in either 2025 or 2026. There are two age brackets, each with tiered prize categories: youth up to age 17, and adults age 18 and older. Photos must fit into one of three specified categories: native prairie species (plants, animals, invertebrates, fungi), people on the prairie, or prairie landscapes. Entries are limited to two per photographer.

Participants must review the full Photo Contest Rules & Guidelines before participating. Click here to learn more, and to submit entries beginning March 1, 2026.

Check out these upcoming MPF events, news, and the details that follow:

–Thank You Grow Native! 2026 Sponsors

–February 25: MPF Webinar: Missouri Bird Challenge

–February 26: CFM Grasslands & Prairies Resource Advisory Committee Meeting

–March 4: MPF Volunteer Workday at Morton Family Prairie

–March 11: Grow Native! Webinar: Native Fruits to Diversify Your Farm and Garden

–Registration Open for Partners for Native Landscaping 2026 Events & Webinars

–March 16: Registration Opens for MoIP's 2026 Callery Pear Buyback Program

–March 19: Winter Ecology Hike at MPF’s Stilwell Prairie in Vernon County, Missouri

–MPF Job Opening: Prairie Stewardship Technician

–March 27: Grow Native! Southwest Illinois Workshop: Purposeful Prairie Plantings

–Call for 2026 MPF, Grow Native!, & MoIP Award Nominations

–March 28: Jefferson City Native Plant Sale – Runge Conservation Nature Center & Other Upcoming Grow Native!/MPF Sales

–Grow Native! Professional Certification Program: Testing Opportunities in 2026

–Prairie Postcard: MPF's La Petite Gemme Prairie

Sincerely,

The MPF Team



Stop by and say hello at these upcoming events where MPF will have a presence—we'd love to visit with you!

–February 28: Kirkwood Tree of the Year. Find event information here.

–March 6-8: Conservation Federation of Missouri 90th Annual Convention. Find event information here.

Collage of photos from MPF prairies with credit, clockwise from top-left: Bruce Schuette, Linden’s Prairie; Lloyd Grotjan, Linden’s Prairie; Bruce Schuette, Noah Brown’s Prairie; Erica Ballard, La Petite Gemme Prairie; and Frank Oberle, Runge Prairie  

Thank You Grow Native! 2026 Sponsors

The generosity of 2026 Grow Native! members and sponsors provides vital financial support for the Grow Native! program's mission to increase the use of native plants across the lower Midwest. Learn more about Grow Native! program sponsors and about the native plant products and services offered by 2026 sponsors and professional members in the Grow Native! Resource Guide.

Are you part of a business or organization that provides native plant products and services, or part of one that would be interested in becoming an institutional supporter of the Grow Native! program? Consider joining the lively Grow Native! professional community and take advantage of year-round professional member benefits.

February 25: MPF Webinar: Missouri Bird Challenge

Missouri launched its first-ever Missouri Birding Challenge in May, 2025 with a mission of engaging new birders and getting people of all ages excited about birding in Missouri. The challenge gave birders a two-week timeframe to log birds through the citizen science app eBird and compete with other birders and birding teams. The first-ever challenge was a big success with over 600 people and more than 400 teams signing up.

Join Sarah Kendrick for a webinar on the Missouri Birding Challenge and learn about its origins, who participated, and what’s new for the 2026 Missouri Birding Challenge.

This free webinar, to be held via Zoom, will include a presentation and a live question-and-answer session. The webinar will be recorded, and a link to the recording will be sent to all registrants and posted to the MPF YouTube channel.

Wednesday, February 25 at 4:00 p.m. 1 GNPCP CEU. Register here.

Photo of a Grasshopper Sparrow by MDC

The Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM), of which MPF is an affiliate member, will hold its in-person, 90th convention March 6 to 8, 2026, in Lake Ozark, Missouri.

CFM Resource Advisory Committees will hold virtual meetings before the convention. MPF's Executive Director Carol Davit is chair of the CFM Grasslands & Prairies Resource Advisory Committee and invites all CFM convention registrants to attend this virtual meeting on Thursday, February 26, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. to learn about and discuss important national and statewide grassland issues. See confedmo.org for details.

March 4: MPF Workday at Morton Family Prairie

Join MPF for a volunteer workday at Morton Family Prairie Wednesday, March 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. MPF Director of Prairie Management, Jerod Huebner, will lead this workday to cut and pile invading trees and brush from draws.

Dress for fieldwork with gloves and closed-toed shoes. Learn more, and RSVP to MPF Conservation Program Associate Lilly Germeroth at lilly@moprairie.org or via text or call at 314-390-5035. We are grateful for help with this important work!

Willow-leaved aster (Symphyotrichum praealtum), at right, is one of many prairie plants that can occur in prairie swales and draws. Removing invading woody growth from the low-lying areas of upland prairies increases plant diversity as well as the diversity and abundance of insects and other animals that depend on these plants. Photo by Bruce Schuette

March 11: Grow Native! Webinar: Native Fruits to Diversify Your Farm and Garden

Join Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall for a presentation and question-answer session on beginner-friendly native fruit trees to grow in your yard or farm, including wild plums, persimmon, serviceberry, elderberry, black cherry, and others. Nadia has grown many native fruit trees in demonstration areas at Lincoln University and in her own backyard and will share her lessons learned. Identification tips, growth requirements, maintenance, when and what to harvest, as well as fruit tree value to pollinators, birds, and other wildlife will be discussed.

Note: This webinar on native fruits is intended as general information only. As with any food, there is a potential for allergic reactions when consuming native edibles. Always seek the advice of a health professional with any questions about touching or eating any plant matter.

This free webinar, to be held via Zoom, will include a presentation and a live question-and-answer session. The webinar will be recorded, and a link to the recording will be sent to all registrants and posted to the MPF YouTube channel.

Wednesday, March 11 at 4:00 p.m. 1 GNPCP CEU. Register here.

Photo of wild plum by Mervin Wallace

Registration Open for Partners for Native Landscaping 2026 Events & Webinars

Grow Native! is a proud participant of the Partners for Native Landscaping (PNL). Each year, the partners present a program featuring in-person and virtual opportunities designed to inspire and help individuals create gardens that are beautiful and provide habitats for native wildlife.

On Saturday, February 28, PNL will hold their annual Workshop & Plant Sale at St. Louis Community College–Meramec. Although the workshop is sold out, all are invited to attend the native plant sale from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Get details here.



On Wednesday, March 18, PNL will host a Native Plant Advocacy Panel: How to Be a Native Plant Champion at the Clark Family Branch Library (Room D), 1640 S Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63131 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Free event. 2 GNPCP CEUs. Register here.

Finally, in cooperation with St. Louis County Library, PNL will continue to offer a virtual webinar series throughout 2026 exploring the many benefits of landscaping with native plants. Register for upcoming opportunities here.



Graphic provided by Partners for Native Landscaping

Winter Issue of State of Invasives Available & 
2026 Callery Pear Buyback

The Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP) has set the date for its 2026 Callery Pear Buyback event as April 21, 2026, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Registration will be open March 16 through April 16, 2026.

Read more about this event—this year in 23 communities—in the winter 2026 issue of State of Invasives, MoIP's quarterly e-newsletter. Subscribe to State of Invasives here.

March 19: Winter Ecology Hike at MPF’s Stilwell Prairie in Vernon County, Missouri

Join MPF Technical Advisor Jeff Cantrell for a look at life and eco-relationships at MPF’s Stilwell Prairie in Vernon County, Missouri on Thursday, March 19, 2026

Limited to 12 participants. Although this hike is free, registration is required.

For those who are part of the Grow Native! Professional Certification Program (GNPCP), this opportunity counts as 2 CEUs.

Thursday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m.

Location: MPF’s Stilwell Prairie in Vernon County, Missouri

Learn more and find registration information here.

Frost on prairie grass over a mammal burrow by Bruce Schuette

MPF Job Opening: Prairie Stewardship Technician

MPF seeks a motivated, hard-working self-starter to help steward some of the rarest and most beautiful habitat on the planet, right here in Missouri.

MPF's Prairie Stewardship Technician position is seasonal and full-time, beginning approximately May 15 through August (position will accommodate academic schedules). The duties of this field position include scouting for and treating invasive plants on MPF prairies, primarily in southwestern Missouri.

Application deadline is April 1. Read more about this job position and find application instructions here.

Photo of MPF's Penn-Sylvania Prairie by Ethan Freese 

March 27: Grow Native! Southwest Illinois Workshop: Purposeful Prairie Plantings

Register now for the Grow Native! Southwest Illinois Workshop: Purposeful Prairie Plantings, Friday, March 27, to be held from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Lewis & Clark Community College in Edwardsville, Illinois.

This year's workshop will highlight the vast ecological and community benefits that native prairie plantings bring to our region, while inspiring and equipping participants with important information needed to become purposeful prairie planters. Throughout this half-day event, participants will hear from speakers with first-hand experience establishing, stewarding, and advocating for diverse prairie plantings, from small-scale residential projects to hundreds of acres of land.

Jean Ponzi, Green Resources Specialist at Missouri Botanical Garden’s EarthWays Center, will emcee the event, which opens with a keynote presentation by Bob Gillespie, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Grassland Ecologist. Speakers to follow include Jerod Huebner, MPF Director of Prairie Management, Anna McAtee, Land Conservation Manager with Heartlands Conservancy, Joann Fricke, Clifftop Membership Chair, Bob Weck, Clifftop President, and Scott Moss, Restoration Ecology Instructor with Lewis & Clark Community College.

Topics to be covered include:

• The historical significance and present-day ecological impact of prairie
• Prairie's relationship to people, wildlife, and water quality
• Native prairie plant species lists
• Tips for planting your own residential prairie patch
• Site preparation, establishment, and stewardship of seeded prairie plantings
• Continued ways to stay involved in the native plant movement

Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for sign-in, Grow Native! merchandise sales, exhibitor tables, and buffet breakfast. Presentations begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. and continue until noon.

Cost: $25 for Grow Native! members, $15 for students with valid student identification, and $30 for non-members (a buffet breakfast is included in the cost). Register here.

For those who are part of the Grow Native! Professional Certification Program (GNPCP), this event counts as 4 CEUs. See details about earning GNPCP CEUs here. For landscape architects who participate in LA CES, this event will count for 3.5 PDHs.

Photo of a prairie planting by Cassi Holcomb

Call for Award Nominations

MPF, its Grow Native! program, and the Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP), administered by MPF, are now accepting nominations for MPF awards (Prairie Pioneer, Prairie Professional, Prairie Communicator, Prairie Volunteer, and Prairie Landowner); Grow Native! awards (Grow Native! Ambassador, Native Plant Pioneer, Native Plant Protector); and MoIP Invasive Plant Action Awards.

One need not be a member of MPF to be nominated for an award. Current MPF board and staff members are not eligible to receive an award. If you nominated someone in the past who was not selected for an award, we encourage you to renominate that individual. All nominations must be received by April 30, 2026. MPF intends to present awards at in-person events this summer and fall.

Questions? Call 888-843-6739.

March 28: Jefferson City Native Plant Sale – Runge Conservation Nature Center

On Saturday, March 28, a wide variety of native perennial wildflowers, grasses, sedges, vines, shrubs, and trees supplied by five native plant vendors will be available for sale at the Runge Conservation Nature Center, 330 Commerce Dr., Jefferson City, Missouri from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Plants, trees, and shrubs for sun, shade, dry and moist soils will be available from Gaylena’s Garden, Grindstone Wildflowers, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery, Ozark Soul, and Prairie Hill Farm. More information on this sale, including updates of participating vendors and pre-order details, can be found here.

Vendors will donate a portion of plant sale proceeds to benefit MPF's Grow Native! program.

Make plans to attend one or more of the other MPF spring sales, and peruse the grownative.org website to find inspiration and resources to create native plant shopping lists:

• Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., MU Bradford Research Center, 4968 S. Rangeline Rd., Columbia, Missouri
• Saturday, April 18, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., World Bird Sanctuary, 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Rd., Valley Park, Missouri
• Saturday, April 18, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Missouri
• Saturday, May 2, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Bass Pro Shops Sportsman’s Center®, 1 Bass Pro Dr., Springfield, Missouri
• Saturday, May 9, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Bass Pro Shops Sportsman’s Center®, 3101 Bass Pro Dr., Columbia, Missouri
• Saturday, May 9, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Remington Nature Center, 1502 MacArthur Dr., St. Joseph, Missouri
• Saturday, May 16, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave., Kansas City, Missouri
• Saturday, May 16, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., The Nature Institute, 2213 S. Levis Ln., Godfrey, Illinois
• Saturday, May 23, 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Mother's Brewing Company, 215 S. Grant Ave., Springfield, Missouri

Photo of roundleaf groundsel (Packera obovata) by Carol Davit

Grow Native! Professional Certification Program: Testing Opportunities in 2026

Testing dates and locations for 2026 continue to be scheduled, and include:

–February 27, 2026, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri

–March 13, 2026, Drury University, Springfield, Missouri

–March 27, 2026, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri

–April 3, 2026, Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, Kansas City, Missouri

–October 23, 2026, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri

For details about the professional certification program, including registration deadlines, upcoming test specifics, the study guide, and CEU requirements, please visit the GNPCP web page here.

Please email projects@moprairie.org to receive information about how to register for testing opportunities in 2026.

In 1974, MPF acquired its fourth property, a 37-acre remnant prairie near Bolivar, Missouri, that was once a prairie knob in the middle of an expanse of prairie about 14 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. This prairie remnant was given the French name of La Petite Gemme, meaning little gem, in recognition of the French heritage of Missouri. 

La Petite Gemme Prairie is mostly a limestone/dolomite prairie community, a very uncommon type of prairie that has some similarities with limestone/dolomite glades. La Petite Gemme Prairie is a designated Missouri Natural Area, dedicated in 1977. This very diverse prairie supports 335 native plant species with an average CC value of 4.28, and an incredible 53 remnant-dependent plant species—the most on any MPF prairie.

For directions and further information, including plant and bird surveys of the site, visit our prairie page here.

Photo top: The hillside of La Petite Gemme in early summer is scattered with wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium), pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida), sensitive briar (Mimosa quadrivalvis), amongst many other plants that will bloom as the season progresses. Credit: Bruce Schuette. Photo left: A large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) on spider milkweed (Asclepias viridis) at La Petite Gemme. Credit: Bruce Schuette.