Wildcat Glades Conservation Center

Native grasses and Wildflowers
Cave along the trail
Looking up through the leaves

Limestone Boulder Sitting In Shoal Creek

Last Sunday my wife and I wandered over to The Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center just south of Joplin Missouri. The new Facility is a state of the art "green" building with classrooms, interactive displays and a really green roof, it has grass growing on it! We hiked along a tree covered trail that follows Shoal creek. It was a warm fall day, a breeze kept our hike cool as we hiked along a few miles of the trails in this unique area. As we walked we kept looking down to our right watching the creek. On the other side of the trail steep limestone hills and bluffs looked over us. Shoal creek is considered a true Ozarkian stream. We passed western painted and soft shell turtles sunning themselves on logs, and other hikers who as they passed smiled and said "beautiful day isn't it?".
Also found here are Chert Glades. According to our trail map; " The Chert Glades here are a globally unique habitat type found primarily in southwest Missouri. Approximately 60 acres of this habitat are left in the world: 27 acres are within Wildcat park. Glades are very dry places with thin soils - Missouri's own deserts."

For more information go to http://www.wildcatglades.audubon.org/