Missouri Native Grasslands Collaborative

06/06/2026

Time to celebrate! Happy National Prairie Day!!

06/06/2026

Here is a good guide for telling poison hemlock from similar plants. While Giant Hogweed isn’t found in Missouri to any extent just yet, it is nextdoor in southern Illinois.

06/05/2026

Do you know the difference between big bluestem and Indiangrass in your new planting? You can learn more about the differences between big bluestem and Indiangrass at https://youtu.be/sJA0QK1o0a4?si=HOC0BD9cTOgOxlbf

06/04/2026

Our June Newsletter is on the street! You can find it here:

Email from Conservation Federation of Missouri Missouri Native Grasslands Collaborative June 2026 Newsletter     The MoNGC Misson The mission of the Missouri Native Grasslands Collaborative is to prom

06/04/2026

Looking for more effective ways to handle invasive species in our grasslands? While the technology is still developing, drones are being used more and more to treat infestations of invasives like musk thistle or sericea lespedeza. Several qualified companies in Missouri and neighboring states are using mapping drones to identify and map infestations and that information is fed into a larger spray drone. Musk thistle is best mapped and sprayed while in the rosette stage and sericea is best mapped just prior to bloom. An acquaintance used such a service and said they can do in a few hours what he previously took most of a day to accomplish from the seat of a tractor, with very little overspray on non-target species. Companies I know that are using the technology include Airgro, Agrispray, and Monarch Drone Solutions. You can find all of them via the web. I know there are others. They charge $12-16 per acre, but have a minimum charge per project. The technology to pinpoint a single plant and spray it accurately is coming and some have already adopted the software to do it.
Have you used a drone spray service to treat your invasive species issues?

06/03/2026

There has been more glade habitat restored in Missouri on private land during the last 20 years than at any time in history. Thanks to efforts by Quail and Pheasants Forever, the Missouri Department of Conservation, landowners and other partners finding creative programs and funding to keep the momentum going. Awesome work!

06/03/2026

Bloooming in June! Missourians will see a couple of invasive, non-native thistles showing up this month. While these might attract some pollinators, they are aggressive enough to crowd out other pollinator plants and decrease pollinator diversity. In pastures or wildlife plantings they decrease the amount of desirable/palatable forages. Common native thistles in Missouri are not aggressive and are perfectly timed for the late August emergence of most queen bumble bees and the thistle longhorn bee. Learn more about invasive, non-native thistles at https://extension.missouri.edu/news/bristle-for-thistles-that-run-amok
Graphics from Oklahoma State University Natural Resources Extension

06/02/2026

June 6, 2026 is National Prairie Day!!!

Founded by Missouri Prairie Foundation in 2016, National Prairie Day is the first Saturday of June every year. This special national day is to:

• Enhance public awareness of what prairie is, educate about its value, and motivate all who learn about prairie to be inspired to support prairie protection, conservation, restoration, enjoyment, and the ecological concepts found there.
• Create curiosity and celebrate and encourage a national dialogue around the common ground of the historic and current value of prairie.
• Recognize the vital importance of conserving the original prairie that remains, and the need to reconstruct native grasslands where appropriate.
• Celebrate what we can learn, and have yet to discover, from prairie.
• Discover how each of us benefits from this complex ecosystem.

How will you celebrate?

06/01/2026

A success story from Landry Jones at MFA. Find out more about native forages at https://www.mongc.org/native-forages

05/28/2026

Rattlesnake Master is another commonly planted native forb in both pollinator plantings and diverse forage mixes. It may look like a wide grass blade, but notice the spines on the edge of the leaves? Despite these flexible spines, it is highly palatable to livestock. The round ball-like blossoms also attract not only native bees, but also solitary wasps (they won't bother you) and beetles. You can learn more about planting native forbs at https://www.mongc.org/
Learn more about rattlesnake master athttps://grownative.org/native_plants/rattlesnake-master/