Find Nature In Missouri

Additional Wildlife of Missouri

To flesh out your understanding of the region’s natural history, here is a breakdown of the specific taxa you can expect to encounter in the Show-Me State.

Birds (Avifauna) see birds page Missouri is a stronghold for the Eastern Bluebird, the state bird, which has benefited immensely from a statewide culture of putting up nest boxes on fence posts. In the remnant prairies of the southwest, conservationists are fighting to save the Greater Prairie-Chicken, a grouse species known for its elaborate booming displays on communal breeding grounds called leks. The large reservoirs and rivers attract massive numbers of Bald Eagles in the winter, making Missouri one of the top states for eagle viewing during the colder months.

Mammals see mammals page The Elk has returned to the Missouri Ozarks after a 150-year absence. A restoration program at Peck Ranch has established a free-ranging herd that is now successfully reproducing. The Black Bear is also recolonizing the southern part of the state, moving north from Arkansas. A more recent arrival is the Nine-banded Armadillo, which has expanded its range northward due to milder winters, becoming a common, albeit often road-killed, sight in the southern counties.

Insects see insects page The Monarch Butterfly is a central focus of conservation in the state, particularly the effort to plant milkweed in the agricultural “desert” of the northern plains. The Regal Fritillary is a striking orange and black butterfly that serves as an indicator species for high-quality tallgrass prairie; its presence signifies a healthy, diverse plant community. In the Ozark streams, the Hellgrammite (larva of the Dobsonfly) is a top invertebrate predator, growing up to four inches long and serving as a favorite bait for anglers chasing smallmouth bass.

Plants See plants page The Flowering Dogwood is the state tree, creating a white understory haze in the oak-hickory forests during April. On the rocky glades, the Missouri Evening Primrose produces massive yellow flowers that open in the late afternoon. The Pawpaw is common in the deep river bottoms, producing large, tropical-tasting fruit that was a staple for indigenous peoples and early settlers.

Fungi See Fungi Page Missouri is arguably the epicenter of Morel hunting culture in the United States. The “sponge mushroom” season in April drives thousands of people into the woods, looking for the pitted caps near dying elms and ash trees. In the late summer, the Lion’s Mane mushroom is a prized find on hardwood logs. The Indigo Milk Cap is also present in the oak woodlands, easily identified by the brilliant blue milk it exudes when damaged.

Missouri Biodiversity Profile

Missouri is ecologically defined by its role as the “Confluence State,” where the two longest rivers in North America—the Mississippi and the Missouri—meet. This massive hydrological junction creates a corridor of biodiversity that funnels genetics and species from the northern plains, the eastern forests, and the southern delta into a single mixing zone. The floodplains here are historically vast, supporting backwater sloughs and bottomland forests that serve as critical rest stops for the Mississippi Flyway.

South of the Missouri River, the landscape rises into the Ozark Highlands. This is an ancient, uplifted plateau that has been deeply dissected by water over millions of years, creating a rugged terrain of steep ridges and clear, spring-fed streams. Known as the “Cave State,” Missouri sits atop a porous limestone foundation that has dissolved to form thousands of caves, springs, and sinkholes. These subterranean systems are stable, constant-temperature environments that host unique, pigmentless species like the Ozark Cavefish and grotto salamanders, which live their entire lives in darkness.

Interspersed within the Ozark woodlands are the Glades, often called “micro-deserts.” These are areas where the bedrock comes to the surface on south-facing slopes, creating hot, dry conditions where trees cannot grow. Instead, these biological islands support scorpions, tarantulas, and prickly pear cacti, along with a stunning array of prairie wildflowers that rely on the intense solar exposure.

To the north and west lies the Osage Plains and Dissected Till Plains, the eastern edge of the Great Plains. While the vast majority of the tallgrass prairie that once covered this region has been converted to agriculture, the remaining unplowed tracts (virgin prairie) are incredibly diverse, hosting deep-rooted grasses and rare pollinators like the Regal Fritillary butterfly. This region represents the battleground between the forest and the grassland, a boundary historically maintained by fire and bison grazing.