Date: 2/8/26 11:22 am From: Joseph Neal <0000078cbd583d7c-dmarc-request...> Subject: Tridens strictus
Tallgrass Prairies in southwestern Missouri lie adjacent to Northwest Arkansas City near Joplin, Missouri, an easy drive north on I-49. Our trip Saturday February included several tracts of Tallgrass Prairie owned and protected by Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri Prairie Foundation.
Both open to the public. We also stopped in at George Washington Carver National Monument. A sign on the visitor center door includes a warning for those with peanut allegories. Took me a minute to catch up on that one. If you are still wondering, check out Carver’s history, so well told in that space.
At Diamond Grove Prairie and Carver Prairie: Northern Harrier working grasslands. A shrike had impaled a huge black beetle and a small snake along the fence. Down the road, a flock of at least 25 White-crowned Sparrows.
Perched unfortunately too far away or close study: a reddish-tinged Red-tailed Hawk. I have no good idea about proper subspecies ID.
Then it was off to Joplin’s Wildcat Park, including Shoal Creek Glade (Conservation Education Center), walking trails, and adjoining Wildcat Village, a hands-on natural history demo and playground aimed at the young and families.
Formal education center was closed for the day, but not education itself, as things worked out. Feeders had lots of visitors: House Finches, Northern Cardinals, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-winged Blackbirds, +++. The Center’s picture windows are covered with a dot pattern. This warns flying birds, helping reduce impact deaths, a key cause of bird mortality.
A flock of Eastern Bluebirds were performing a vigorous interaction in a wonderful old Post Oak. The ground under it is covered with native curly Poverty Grass. Vernal-Witch Hazel was in full bloom.
A perfectly installed bench allowed comfortable views of Education Center bird feeders. Then with just a little turning, a landscape view of Silver Creek flowing into Shoal Creek. A Red-shouldered Hawk was keeping watch, too. The bench is out on the glade where, in summer, it should be possible to see Eastern Collared Lizards.
On the short walk to Wildcat Village we noticed a native grass much favored by birds for bunches of small seeds: Tridens strictus. This is the season of visible seeds. Got me thinking about everywhere the seeds of tomorrow and tomorrow and ...
… I enjoyed recently installed artwork including a butterfly chair. From there I had great views of a couple of White-throated Sparrows in dense vegetation. A Downy Woodpecker perched on the dense stalks of last season’s sunflowers.
At my age it seems worthwhile to just watch children playing. Reminds me, and probably you too, the future of all these seeds is in their hands.
On the way out we stopped to enjoy a Chimney Swift tower. My friend — and in my view the father of Arkansas birding — Doug James, always had in mind building something like that in Fayetteville. We don’t have it done, yet. But here at Shoal Creek we see at least one more nudge, a seed in the right direction.
