Oct
31
Five fabulous fall drives
Hawn State Park has the reputation as being Missouri’s prettiest, especially in fall. Ed Schott can look out the window of his office and see why.“There are lots of vibrant reds and yellows in the oaks and hickories, and we have one of the largest stands of shortleaf pines in the park system,” said Schott, who is the superintendent of the park in southeast Missouri.The pines mix with the hardwoods to create a mosaic of color that spreads across the rolling forested hills. Pickle Creek and River... Read more »
Oct
19
Prairie fire
by Tom UhlenbrockMissouri State ParksThe roadsides hinted at what the rolling landscape of northern Missouri looked like in autumn when the first pioneer wagons arrived in the early 1800s.Goldenrod and yellow sunflowers, with an occasional touch of purple courtesy of the blazing stars and Joe Pye weed, provided patches of color amid the grasses. Beyond were fields of corn, soybeans and sorghum stretching into the horizon.More than a third of Missouri, up to 13 million acres, once was prairie... Read more »
Oct
4
Five fabulous fall floats
By Tom UhlenbrockMissouri State Parks Fall is the best time for a float trip in the Missouri Ozarks. Summer crowds are gone, and the sparkling streams reflect the autumn colors.“It’s also the prettiest time of the year for wildflowers – you have all the yellow and red, even some purple blooms,” said Gene Maggard, president of the Missouri Canoe and Floaters Association.Maggard, who owns Akers Ferry Canoe Rental on the Current River, said fall colors start showing in early October.“You’ll... Read more »
