In Brief

By MDC | October 1, 2024
From Missouri Conservationist: October 2024
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Go Native!

Buy native tree and shrub seedlings from MDC’s George O. White State Forest Nursery

Need trees and shrubs for your landscape? Go native with seedlings from MDC’s George O. White State Forest Nursery. Native trees and shrubs can help improve wildlife habitat and soil and water conservation while also improving the appearance and value of your property.

The state nursery offers a variety of low-cost native tree and shrub seedlings for reforestation, windbreaks, erosion control, wildlife food and cover, and other purposes. The nursery provides mainly 1-year-old, bare-root seedlings with sizes varying by species. Seedling varieties include pine, bald cypress, cottonwood, black walnut, hickory, oak, pecan, persimmon, river birch, maple, willow, sycamore, blackberry, buttonbush, hazelnut, redbud, ninebark, elderberry, sumac, wild plum, witch hazel, and others. Order early for the best selection.

Seedlings are available in bundles of 10 or increments of 25 per species. Prices range from 40 cents to $1.17 per seedling. Sales tax will be added to orders unless tax exempt. There is a shipping fee and a $9 handling charge for each order. Receive a 15 percent discount, up to $20, off seedling orders with a Conservation Number or Permit Card. Orders will be shipped or can be picked up at the nursery, located near Licking, from February through May.

Learn more from our 2024–2025 Seedling Order Form, available in the September issue of the Missouri Conservationist, at MDC regional offices and nature centers, or by contacting the state nursery at 573-674-3229 or StateForestNursery@mdc.mo.gov.

Order online through April 15, 2025, at mdc.mo.gov/seedlings.

Even if a species is listed as “sold out,” you can still place an order for those seedlings because other orders may get cancelled, freeing up inventory. You won’t be charged for seedlings unless they are available to ship.

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Agent Advice
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Luke Armentrout
Wayne County
Conservation Agent

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If you are preparing for this fall’s turkey season, you will want to have at least these four items on the list — a good call to attract a bird, camouflage to conceal yourself from a bird, hunter orange to safely haul decoys in and harvest out of the woods, and a permit. That permit is a little different this year. You will purchase a Turkey Hunting Permit for the fall season, which will cover both firearms and archery turkey seasons. You can harvest two birds of either sex — hen, jake, or tom. Always scout your location before you hunt, be mindful of your surroundings, and be courteous to fellow hunters. Have a safe season!

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Invasive Species
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Invasive nonnative species destroy habitat and compete with native plants and animals. Please do what you can to control invasive species when you landscape, farm, hunt, fish, camp, or explore nature.

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Beefsteak Plant

by Angela Sokolowski

Beefsteak plant (Perilla frutescens), an invasive annual in the mint family, grows 1–6 feet tall with a square stem and spade-shaped leaves with purple undersides.

White-purple flowers bloom July through August on spikes up to 6 inches long. Dry stalks stay upright through winter and heads rattle with seeds.

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Beefsteak Plant
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Jim Rathert
Right to Use
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Why It’s Bad

Beefsteak invades roadsides, woodland edges, pastures, and other areas of disturbed soil, displacing desirable native vegetation. It can cause respiratory distress or death to cows and small ruminant livestock.

How to Control It

It can be pulled, dug, mowed, or sprayed. Plants remain toxic to livestock even after treatments, including in hay.

  • Mechanical: Hand pull, dig up, or mow before plants go to seed. Repeat if needed.
  • Chemical: Spray in spring and early summer using nonselective herbicides with glyphosate or broadleaf-selective herbicides, such as those with 2,4-D or triclopyr. Always follow label instructions.
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What is it?
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Carolina Mantis

Despite its name, the Carolina mantis is the most common mantis found across North America. This native species is a gardener’s best friend, consuming hordes of pests that would otherwise destroy produce. The Carolina mantis sits in wait for its prey, keeping its front legs in a prayerlike pose. Then those legs strike, securing the prey until feeding ensues. This species is much smaller than other mantises, only reaching about 2.5 inches.

This Issue's Staff

Magazine Manager - Stephanie Thurber
Editor - Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor - Larry Archer
Photography Editor – Ben Nickelson
Staff Writer - Kristie Hilgedick
Staff Writer - Joe Jerek
Staff Writer – Dianne Van Dien
Designer - Marci Porter
Photographer - Noppadol Paothong
Photographer - David Stonner
Circulation – Marcia Hale