50-Acre Prairie

Missouri was once home to 15 million acres of tallgrass prairie.  More than 1/3 of the state including 40% of present-day St. Louis was prairie.  Most of that has disappeared, and has been replaced by agriculture, cities, and highways, leaving only scattered remnants in the state. Efforts are being made by groups and individuals to restore prairie where possible for the benefit of wildlife and the environment, as well as human needs and enjoyment. 

“Prairie” is a French word meaning “grassy meadow,” but a prairie is much more than a lot of grasses.  The prairie ecosystem depends on a diversity of plants and animals to exist.  Prairie plants include more than 150 types of grasses and over 300 varieties of “forbs,” the term for prairie wildflowers.  The type of plants in a particular prairie is determined by many factors, including the amount of rainfall, the type of soil, the climate, and terrain. 

Plants that live in prairies have adapted to conditions that include extremes of heat and cold as well as less rainfall than forested areas. One of these adaptations is the fact that roots of prairie plants are exceptionally long (up to 15 feet), so that they can reach water deeper in the soil. 

Fort Belle Fontaine Park added a 50-acre prairie to its habitats to increse diversity of the plants and animals of the park as well as the enjoyment of visitors to the park. Look for a variety of grasses, prairie flowers, and birds as you make your way along the trail.

Fire is one of the most valuable components of a viable prairie. Controlled burns are used as an important management tool in parks like Fort Belle Fontaine. Fire burns quickly over the grassy prairies, which clears the area of accumulated dead grasses, kills encroaching tree saplings, and enriches the soil with released nutrients. Prairie plants, with most of their growing area underground, are not injured by fire, but grow back quickly in the new season. The open space cleared by the fire also provides room for more new plants to grow, thus increasing biodiversity.

Due to controlled burning to manage this prairie, the cache container is safely tucked into the nearby tree line. It should be an easy find once you arrive at the correct location.

Park hours are 8 a.m. to one half hour past official sunset. The park shares property with a state facility, so there is a guard gate at the entrance of the property. Sign in as a park visitor.