Information on potential new state champion trees comes voluntarily from the public as well as state foresters who happen to notice candidates for the honor.
Scott Woodbury
GRAND ADDITION: This queen-of-the-prairie is one plant species adapted to Missouri’s landscape living along the river bluffs. It is typically found in the Northeast and Canada. Grow Native: Plants are adaptive, but some native species offer gardeners staying power.
More species of plants exist in the Ozark Highlands one of the oldest mountain ranges on the planet than anywhere in the lower Midwest. Why? Because the Ozarks are an ancient crossroads for migrating plants. They are a tapestry of plants, uprooted and on the run from ever-changing climate and advancing glaciers.
Over the years, many plants and animals migrated to the warmer climate of the Ozarks as they were pushed south and west by advancing glaciers. As the climate warmed, and glaciers retreated back north, most cool-loving species followed.