Ready to add more native plants to your yard or containers? Shop from a wide selection of Missouri native wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, vines, sedges, and trees suitable for all soil, moisture, and light requirements grown by local nurseries in the metro St. Louis area at the Shaw Nature Reserve Spring Wildflower Market.
Warmer weather has many area families longing for new outdoor adventures. Check out what's "springing up" at area parks:
While spending time in nature can be a great way to get active and connect as a family, the thought of camping, kayaking, fishing and canoeing can be a little daunting your first time. Here are a few fun ways to explore new activities, develop new skills and build confidence in the outdoors.
Shaw Nature Reserve will welcome spring with a new 5K (3.1 miles) trail run or walk called Spring into Nature, Saturday, March 23 from 9 a.m.-noon.
The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House is hosting a series of summer camps that are perfect for insect-loving super sleuths!
While it might be tempting to give Old Man Winter the cold shoulder, St. Louis offers plenty of great excuses to embrace the ice, snow and colder temperatures. Skip the annual hibernation and opt for these winter-themed events and cold-weather activities.
Wandering through fields of sunflowers has become an annual summer tradition in the St. Louis area. Several local farms and conservation areas plan to have fields full of these beauties again this summer, though as with most crops, their growth is weather dependent.
The Saint Louis Zoo has announced plans for a new experience for children and families. Slated to open in 2026, the new 2.8-acre Henry A. Jubel Foundation Destination Discovery will feature an Underground Cities habitat, an Animals and Us building, a network of Forest Families treehouses, a Freshwater Wilderness and Water Play area, and an Education building. Destination Discovery is designed with the youngest guests in mind, emphasizing close-up encounters with animals in an immersive and hands-on learning environment for guests of all abilities.
While a picnic table, a swing and a nice shade tree are more than sufficient for an hour of play, occasionally the weather warrants something more. For those days when blue skies and a warm breeze are beckoning you to spend a full day outside, these St. Louis-area parks will happily oblige. Read on for our 10 favorite parks in the St. Louis Metro, then pack a picnic basket and a bottle of sunscreen and head out on an adventure.
There is truly no place in Missouri quite like Pickle Springs Natural Area. A National Natural Landmark, Pickle Springs is between Ste. Genevieve and Farmington and boasts a 2-mile hiking trail with more than 12 geological features. The natural area is also home to numerous uncommon plant species and plenty of aquatic animals.