Stay in Touch with MDC news, newsletters, events, and manage your subscription
Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
Cole Camp, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will host a guided spring wildflower hike from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 15, at the Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area southeast of Cole Camp. Join MDC biologists as they look for early blooming wildflowers such as Dutchman’s breeches, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and many others. The area has a variety of wildflowers with more than 20 spring ephemerals. Flowering dogwoods may be blooming on the forested hillsides.
MDC biologists will answer questions about wildflowers and the area’s forest and woodland ecology. Big Buffalo Creek, a small Ozark stream with clear water, flows through the area. The hike will also showcase how MDC manages the variety of natural communities found in the hilly, 3,612-acre conservation area. The conservation area is part of the larger Big Buffalo Creek Priority Geography, where MDC staff works with private landowners and on public land to enhance natural communities and preserve stream water quality in the watershed.
The spring wildflower hike is open to all ages. Hiking will be on terrain with moderate difficulty. The area does have some steep uphill grades to traverse. Participants should dress for the weather and bring cameras, sturdy hiking shoes, tick repellent, and water.
Space is limited to 30 participants. The hikers may split up into three guided groups after the start. Registration is required. To register, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4QG.
