MDC offers free Naturescaping Workshop March 16 in Blue Springs

Kansas City, Mo. – Native wildflowers, shrubs, and grasses originated in the woodlands and the prairies, but they can easily be adapted to urban landscaping uses for beauty, hardiness, and as havens for butterflies and birds. A free Naturescaping Workshop will be offered from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs. A native plant sale from 1 to 4 p.m. will follow the workshop and is open to the public on a walk-in basis.

Native plants are adapted to Missouri’s climate and soils. With planning and some care, they can be attractive landscaping plants for lawns and gardens. Experts will help participants match plant species with planting locations according to sunlight or shade, soil types, and moisture requirements. They will talk about arrangements of plant types in landscaping, such as varied plant heights or bloom times.

Songbirds and pollinators such as butterflies and moths also benefit from native plants. The birds often feed on insects that use native plants as a food source, such as butterfly caterpillars. Adult butterflies and moths often feed on nectar from flowers.

The Naturescaping Workshop is open to adults. Registration is required. Burr Oak Woods Nature Center is located at 1401 N.W. Park Road.

All visitors are welcome to attend the afternoon native plant sale. Representatives from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery and Green Thumb Nursery will offer plants for sale while supplies last.

To register for the Naturescaping Workshop, visit MDC’s event signup pages at https://mdc.mo.gov/events-s3. For more information, call 816-228-3766.

Information about using native plants in landscaping is available at https://mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants/native-plant-restoration.