Quail Forever in Arkansas

05/15/2026

Forb Friday • Pale Lobelia (𝘓𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢)

Pale Lobelia is an annual forb that belongs to the Bellflower family (Campanulaceae). It can be found fairly statewide, however, it is absent from some of the northernmost counties. Pale Lobelia occurs is a variety of grassland habitats including woodlands, flatwoods, and prairies. This forb has a very slender stem that is typically unbranched. The floral spike consists of numerous pale blue to white small tubular flowers. The flowers are typically in bloom from May - June.

Similar to other members of the 𝘓𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢 genus, Pale Lobelia is more than likely pollinated by long-tongued bees. Other species in the genus are also visited by butterflies, skippers, and beetles.

Arkansas has at least 6 native species of Lobelia! Have you seen any of our native species of Lobelia in bloom this year? If so, please let us know in the comments below. 👇We love hearing from you!

📸Small Inset Picture: CC-BY-NC - odobenine, inaturalist.org/people/odobenine; Background Picture: CC-BY-NC - Jordan Broadhead, inaturalist.org/people/jbroadhead

05/14/2026

Quail Forever on Capital Hill! Big Rock Chapter President Stuart Smith is one of a handful of chapter leaders representing The Habitat Organization in Washington DC this week as part of QF’s Upland Caucus. He’s putting a voice and face to our grassroots chapter model and quail conservation concerns with our elected representatives, and even handing out a few bobwhite stress toys along the way. Thanks so much, Stuart!

05/13/2026

🌟𝗔𝗥𝗪𝗜’𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀🌟

As you read through our Arkansas Roots To Wings Initiative, you will come across 7 ‘ARWI’ Pillars that are the cornerstones to the conservation work we complete in Arkansas. We will be diving into each pillar a little more, one at a time!

☀🌼🐦𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝟯: 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 ☀🌼🐦

Quail Forever in Arkansas remains a strong voice for implementing ecologically sound management practices for upland habitats across the state. Upland habitats are critical for supporting populations of Northern Bobwhite, songbirds, and pollinators, and are known for diverse native plant communities! Here are a few examples of our efforts across the state:

☀ Emphasizing the importance of low basal area ‘Open Pine’ habitats in Southern Arkansas!

🌼Identifying historical Woodland, Savanna, and Glade sites on private and public lands, and recommend best management practices to increase sunlight and plant diversity in these systems!

🐦 Establishing diverse wildlife habitat plantings and identifying opportunities to restore remnant prairies!

☀ Promoting the use of Native Warm Season Forages in livestock operations!

🌼Conducting Spring Breeding Bird Surveys, Fall Quail Covey Counts, and deploying Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs) to see if we are making a difference!

Follow the links below to see more, link to read the full ARWI, and contribute.
Please note - this is not a registration event, but rather an invitation to learn more and help with our efforts in AR. 👇

📖 - https://tinyurl.com/vu89e3sa
🔗 - https://tinyurl.com/36jr6u7p

❗Follow along this week to learn more about ARWI and how YOU can support our habitat mission ❗

05/12/2026

Congrats to the Ozark Prairie Chapter of Quail Forever on hosting a successful Hands On Habitat volunteer workday!

05/12/2026

‼️THIS SATURDAY ‼️

If you are interested in joining this fun birdwatching adventure, please be sure to register! The link is available below.

Really excited to see you there!

🐦𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗦!🐦

Explore the diverse breeding bird species of the Ozarks on a guided tour led by a wildlife professional. Enjoy an easy 2-mile hike through various habitats with great birdwatching opportunities and learn about practical conservation efforts.

📍Gene Rush WMA (Newton County) Address: 737 NC 4817 (Tatanka Timbers Road) Mount Judea, AR
📅 Saturday, May 16th
⏰8:00am - 12:00pm (actual length may vary)

✨This event is FREE and OPEN TO ALL!✨

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼:
- Due to the length of the hike, this event is probably best suited for ages 8+.
- This is an outdoor activity, and restroom facilities will not be available.
- Please remember to wear appropriate field clothes and shoes!
- It is highly recommended to bring enough water to last the entire event.
- Extra binoculars will be available to borrow!

‼️Space is limited! If you are interested in attending, please register! Register here: https://tinyurl.com/GeneRushBirds

If you have any additional questions about this event, please reach out to Josh Castle at [email protected].

05/11/2026

🌟ARWI’s Pillars🌟

As you read through our Arkansas Roots To Wings Initiative, you will come across 7 ‘ARWI’ Pillars that are the cornerstones to the conservation work we complete in Arkansas. We will be diving into each pillar a little more, one at a time!

🐝🦋Pillar 2: Monarch & Pollinator Conservation🐝🦋

Quail Forever in Arkansas is proud to be one of many great leaders of Monarch and Pollinator Conservation in Arkansas, including promoting the efforts of the Arkansas Monarch Conservation Partnership! Here are a few ways we are supporting pollinators across the state:

🐝Partnering alongside and being a leader in the Arkansas Monarch Conservation Partnership, a 40+ partner-driven collaborative to implement the Arkansas Monarch and Pollinator Conservation Plan!

🦋Encourage the restoration of remnant grassland systems in Arkansas, and advocate for native floral diversity to support our native pollinators, including 450+ native bee species across the state!

🐝Promote the establishment of diverse, ecologically crafted seed mixes on private and public lands specific to Arkansas ecoregions following ‘Best Management Practices’ (BMPs) as outlined in the USDA NRCS Arkansas Pollinator Conservation Planning Handbook!

🦋Support our partners in a statewide native seed initiative to increase the availability of genetically appropriate, locally sourced ecotype seed!

🐝Provide outreach and educational materials to promote pollinator conservation to the public!

Follow the links below to see more, link to read the full ARWI, and contribute.
Please note - this is not a registration event, but rather an invitation to learn more and help with our efforts in AR. 👇

📖 - https://tinyurl.com/vu89e3sa
🔗 - https://tinyurl.com/36jr6u7p

❗Follow along this week to learn more about ARWI and how YOU can support our habitat mission ❗

05/08/2026

🌟𝗔𝗥𝗪𝗜 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗘𝗦 🌟

As you read through our Arkansas Roots To Wings Initiative, you will come across 7 ‘ARWI’ Pillars that are the cornerstones to the conservation work we complete in Arkansas.

We will be diving into each pillar a little more, one at a time!

🔥𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝟭: 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲🔥

Quail Forever in Arkansas supports and promotes Prescribed Fire as one of our most important management tools on private and public lands from corner to corner in Arkansas!

Here are a few ways we are supporting Prescribed Fire today:

🔥Quail Forever provides funds to The Arkansas Prescribed Burn Association for purchasing enclosed trailers and equipment! All 14 PBAs in Arkansas have an enclosed trailer, and more are on the way!

🔥Quail Forever sits on the AR Prescribed Fire Council to provide input on burning efforts across the state! Have you ever heard of ‘Burn School’? That is a one-week training course at Camp Robinson Military Installation every fall that provides training for our burning professionals!

🔥Quail Forever supports our State Agency leads, AGFC and AFD, on hosting Qualified Prescribed Burn courses for landowners! These are very helpful, very informative courses that will provide you with Civil Liability Protection in line with Act 695!

And finally, you may see Quail Forever helping put on private and public land burns! Keep an eye out on our page for pictures of our staff dragging a drip torch on a WMA, or alongside a landowner on a PBA burn! And you will not want to miss one of our Prescribed Fire Coordinator’s PBA Burn Plan Writing classes either!

Follow the links below to see more, link to read the full ARWI, and contribute.
Please note - this is not a registration event, but rather an invitation to learn more and help with our efforts in AR. 👇

📖 - https://tinyurl.com/vu89e3sa
🔗 - https://tinyurl.com/36jr6u7p

❗Follow along next week to learn more about ARWI and how YOU can support our habitat mission ❗

05/08/2026

Forb Friday • Baldwin's Milkvine (𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘺𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢)

Baldwin's Milkvine (also known as Baldwin’s Milkweed, White Spinypod or White Climbing Milkweed) is a climbing or trailing vine that belongs to the Dogbane family (Apocynaceae). It has a limited distribution in Arkansas occurring in western or northwestern counties. Baldwin's Milkvine grows in a variety of rocky, well-drained soils in open woodlands, ravines and overgrown areas. The leaves are quite large with heart-shaped bases, the plant is densely hairy, and the inflorescence consists of a cluster of white flowers. The flowers are in bloom from April - June.

Baldwin's Milkvine is a larval host plant for the Monarch Butterfly caterpillar. It is also a food source for Milkweed Bugs and Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars.

This plant also has a conspicuous spiny seed pod - similar shape and structure to Milkweed (𝘈𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘢𝘴 spp.) seed pods. Easy to identify!

If you want to learn more, check out this article written by the Arkansas Native Plant Society 👉 https://anps.org/know-your-natives-baldwins-climbing-milkweed-and-anglepod-milkvine/

Have you seen Baldwin's Milkvine in bloom this year? If so, please let us know in the comments below. 👇 We love hearing from you!

📸Small Inset Photo: CC-BY-NC - friendsofferns, inaturalist.org/people/friendsofferns; Background Photo: CC-BY-NC - Theo Witsell, inaturalist.org/people/theo_witsell

05/06/2026

✨ 𝙀𝙓𝘾𝙄𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎! ✨

Conservation matters. Those are two words we must remind ourselves as we move forward restoring native habitats, wildlife populations, and natural resources in Arkansas. That is why Quail Forever in Arkansas, collectively with our staff, chapter volunteers, and organization membership, is proud to make the announcement of our brand new Arkansas Roots to Wings Initiative (ARWI)!

ARWI is Quail Forever’s collective campaign for moving the conservation needle in the Natural State. Roots span the deep underground root systems of native prairies to deep-rooted traditions of life-long Arkansans. Wings represent a flushing covey of quail and our impact on conservation across landscapes, people, and wildlife. Whether you are an urban farmer or a third-generation rancher, an avid bird hunter or a curious birdwatcher, upland habitat is important to us all. If we do not work to restore and enhance these lands, we risk losing them forever.

The ARWI mission is to positively impact habitat through:

🌟Flagship Species Awareness
🌟Landscape Conservation & Restoration
🌟Outreach and Education

To do this, the combined work that our staff, chapter volunteers, and organization membership accomplish will fall under 7 pillars:

1️⃣Prescribed Fire
2️⃣Monarch & Pollinator Conservation
3️⃣Open Pine, Woodlands, Savannas, and Grasslands
4️⃣Private Lands – Incentive Programs & Technical Assistance Delivery
5️⃣Conservation Delivery Networks
6️⃣Public Lands – Wildlife Management Areas
7️⃣Outreach

We invite each of you to support ARWI and join the momentum we have created across Arkansas to help us restore upland wildlife habitat for Northern Bobwhite and other priority wildlife!

Follow the links below to see more, link to read the full ARWI, and contribute.
Please note - this is not a registration event, but rather an invitation to learn more and help with our efforts in AR. 👇

📖 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xjWRWoLa9YlF72xXhfm3_3IqaZcPLNx0/view

🔗https://events.quailforever.org/events/arkansas-roots-to-wings-initiative-fy26-online-funding-drive/a1844643-cde9-4678-9096-46a027780132 =ed501302-55c4-4ddf-bca3-28c3e9a40300

❗Follow along the rest of the week to learn more about ARWI and how YOU can support our habitat mission ❗

05/05/2026

✨TWO UPCOMING POLLINATOR EVENTS ✨

Quail Forever in Arkansas is helping host two back to back events in central Arkansas to celebrate Pollinator Month!

Habitat After Hours is a new event that we are hosting in partnership with Arkansas Wildlife Federation and the Little Bee Lab! This event will shine a light on our nocturnal wildlife species including some of our beloved pollinators. This will be a night time event.

📅Friday, June 12th
⏰7:30pm - 9:45pm
📍Lake Conway WMA (formerly Camp Robinson SUA) Multipurpose Building
GPS Coordinates: 34.9927, -92.3597

This is a FREE EVENT! Kids are welcome to attend.

Space is limited. Registration is required for this event!
🔗 - https://events.pheasantsforever.org/events/habitat-after-hours-discovering-nocturnal-wildlife/110bd472-b31f-4642-afec-005ad06a8731

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Our beloved Pollinator Palooza is back for the 5TH YEAR!

This event is a celebration of our native pollinators and their habitat! Just like previous years, we will have exhibitors, native plant sellers, and habitat field tours across the WMA!

📅Saturday, June 13th
⏰9:00am - 1:00pm
📍Lake Conway WMA (formerly Camp Robinson SUA) Multipurpose Building
GPS Coordinates: 34.9927, -92.3597

This event is FREE! Anyone is welcome to attend. Folks can come and go as they please.

We will have door prizes! We will also have plenty of water and snacks.

Learn more here - https://events.pheasantsforever.org/events/pollinator-palooza/122ef966-4393-46be-841d-63b8f92e20b5

Have questions? Please reach out to Morgan Meador at [email protected]!