Harold Prairie
/One of the topics that came up in the last Missouri Master Naturalist chapter meeting was the need for some maintenance for Harold Prairie - the last native remnant in Greene County, Missouri. Shortly after the meeting, an email was sent out offering a tour and about 8 of us walked around the prairie the next Sunday between Highway 123 and the Frisco Highline Trail northeast of Willard, MO.
We caravaned from one of the trailhead in Willard. The long and narrow prairie had been recently mowed (road to the right in the picture….trail to the left behind the brush that had not been mowed). The prairie plants were coming up in the thatch.
We saw wildlife right away in the fringe of brush at the side of the trail:
Ornate box turtle
Gray tree frog – Missouri’s most common species of tree frog
A few things were blooming!
Most of the plants were just green...emerging and growing rapidly with the warmer spring days.
We talked about a plant survey in June and burning in the fall. There could be some manual woody plant removal required too.
One such woody plant that I was pleased to photograph: a black cherry. It was on the other side of the trail from the prairie but maybe the goal will be to extend the prairie to be both sides of the trail in some areas. We’ll see.
I am looking forward to what will likely be the next activity – the plant survey in June. Hopefully I won’t have a conflict…and the weather will cooperate!
