Fans of coneflowers (Echinacea sp.) and other wildflowers will want to plan a trip to Shaw Nature Reserve this summer to see the hundreds of colorful perennials growing in the glades habitat.
This habitat at the Nature Reserve covers approximately 50 acres of grassy openings among the upper woodlands. The habitat consists of a hot, dry environment, few trees, and hordes of breathtaking wildflowers including coneflowers.
Glades are the only naturally occurring grassland type at the Nature Reserve. They are old-growth communities remnant of the area that have been left relatively undisturbed. The Nature Reserve is creating other grasslands such as a savanna and prairie.
They serve as a natural source for native plant and pollinator species for both glade and prairie restoration.
Glades have bedrock strata close to the soil surface, which results in fewer trees because they tip over in wind storms or cannot get enough water from deeper in the soil.
Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a tree species that can colonize glades when fire is suppressed, and the Nature Reserve removed our encroaching cedar in the late ‘90s to restore these glades.
These encroaching trees have been turned into the lumber now serves as the Glade Boardwalk. This boardwalk allows visitors a closer look at the habitat while protecting the fragile plant life and thin soil of this unique natural area.
Plants in the Glade Habitat
Herbaceous flora dominate the glades habitat, including breathtakingly beautiful wildflowers. Glades have been compared to deserts, but are actually much more similar ecologically to drier versions of the tallgrass prairie.
Did you know? Glades and prairies share 90% of the same flora.
Animals found in the glades
Animals typically seen in hotter, drier climates of the west call the glades home.
The six-lined racerunner lizard (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus), the plains scorpion (Centruroides vittatus) and the New Mexico tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi) are occasionally seen on Shaw Nature Reserve glades.
Usually present only in low numbers, every few years, the Gorgone checkerspot butterfly (Chlosyne gorgone) emerges in great numbers in the glades.
Hiking the Glade
While the glade makes up a smaller portion of the Nature Reserve, many hiking trails pass through this habitat, with some offering stunning views from Crescent Knoll Overlook and the Glad Boardwalk. We ask all guests to help us preserve the natural integrity of these habitats and keep themselves safe by staying on the trail.
Please keep heat safety in mind any time you are hiking in hotter weather.
- Distance: 3/4 miles (looped)
- Difficulty:
- Getting there: Park at the Maritz Trail House along Trail House Loop
This 3/4-mile loop trail originates at the Maritz Trail House and winds through upland woods noted for its diversity of spring wildflowers. The boardwalk near the trail head provides sweeping views of one of the Nature Reserve’s largest glades.
The trail also passes through Long Glade and along a sandstone bluff skirting the edge of the Meramec River flood plain. There is an option to connect to the Goddard River Trail.
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