ST. LOUIS – When it comes to autumn, the changing leaves are often thought of as the showstopper. But you’re also going to want to look down for some beautiful fall color.
One of the best places to see wildflowers in the St. Louis area is the Whitmire Wildflower Garden, nestled inside Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit. The U.S. Forest Service says there are around 20,000 wildflower species in the United States. For many, fall is when they flower.
“We have wildflowers that bloom all the way through the end of November and sometime even on into December,” Shaw’s Native Plant Initiative Coordinator, Erin Goss, explained.
She says the variety of colors they display will include blue and white asters, yellow goldenrods, and more.
“We have about five different species of blazing star, and those are taller plants that kind of rise above a grass layer, and they will be a plume of purple,” Goss said. “They are butterfly magnets. They are absolutely amazing plants.”
It is not just the flowers; native grasses will also see a color change.
“In the fall, we get coppers, we get bronze. We sometimes get reds and oranges and yellows,” Goss added.
Native wildflowers can be a great addition to your home garden, according to Goss. Wildflower beds typically require less maintenance and you’ll be providing a space beneficial to pollinators.
“That is what feeds our birds…sometimes our birds, but definitely our bees and butterflies. They’re collecting all kinds of nutrition, getting ready for winter months. Some are collecting nutrition so they can migrate south,” she said.
Fall is a wonderful time to refresh garden beds with new plants.
“Those plants have a longer time to develop their root systems,” Goss noted. “So, they develop their root systems over the winter months and into the spring, and then they are ready to face the heat and humidity of our summers.”
Not sure where to start? The experts with the Missouri Botanical Garden have it all online for you. But if you just want a place to enjoy the symphony of colors that fall offers, take a drive down Interstate 44.
“Please come out and visit us at Shaw Nature Reserve. We would love to have your come visit,” Goss said.
The colors of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden are just the beginning. They have more than nineteen miles of hiking trails for you to explore. You’ll be surrounded by red maples, yellow oaks and buckeyes, reddish purple viburnums, and sumacs galore.
“When you are looking for a red, orange, or purple fall color, sumacs are really hard to beat,” Goss said. She adds you’ll see lots of sumacs on your drive down the interstate.
To view the Missouri Department of Conservation Fall Color tracker, click here.
To view the Illinois Fall Color information, click here.
