Healthy Forests

Our Glorious Forests: Little Lost Creek CA

Size: 2,899 acres

Location: In Warren County, 5 miles south of Pendleton on Route B.

Highlights: Little Lost Creek is a forested area with scattered glades, savannas and fields. Aside from hunting, recreational opportunities include scenic viewing, primitive camping, picnic tables, bird watching and a 5-mile, multi-use trail.

Find more info: visit our online atlas, keyword "Little".

Little Lost Creek Conservation Area is rich in both natural and cultural history. A partially spring-fed Ozark stream, Little Lost Creek accounts for much of the area’s natural diversity. It is home to brilliantly colored Ozark fish species, such as bleeding shiners, Southern red belly dace and stippled darters. Deep valleys feature intermittent waterfalls, chutes and outcrops of St. Peter sandstone, which support numerous fern species. Woodland wildlife, such as deer, turkey, squirrels and ruffed grouse, are year-round residents. Management activities such as forest thinning and prescribed fire ensure a continuing diversity of quality wildlife habitat. The area is steeped in history. Artifacts found in and around some of the fields indicate that several tribes of Native Americans might have hunted in the area. Daniel Boone homesteaded a few miles southeast of Little Lost Creek, and it is likely that he hunted game here.

Arbor Day

Planting a tree is a great way to celebrate.

A good way to celebrate Missouri’s Arbor Day, April 4, and National Arbor Day, April 25, is to plant a tree. But before you buy, explore the related links listed below. There you will find help selecting the right trees for your growing situation, as well as guidance about putting them in the right place and planting them correctly. Starting with species that will thrive in your growing conditions and placing them appropriately will ensure healthy trees and years of benefits to your property.

We All Live in a Forest

Celebrate spring, tour the state to see flowering trees.

Although we’re accustomed to celebrating the annual show of fall color, Missouri’s flowering trees of spring deserve as much fanfare. The sight of redbuds and plum blossoms can banish the last of your winter blues. All trees produce flowers, but only a few of our native trees are showy enough to attract attention. These are serviceberry, Eastern redbud, wild plum, wild crab, red buckeye, flowering dogwood and hawthorn. Their peak of bloom moves from south to north and from lower to higher elevation as the average daily temperature rises. A good time to take a driving tour to view these trees is during the last two weeks of April. But any time from now through June, you can look for this parade of showy woodland trees.