Seven members of the North Central Arkansas Master Naturalists (NCAMN) volunteered at Baker Prairie Natural Area (NA) earlier this month and helped with invasive plant removal, litter cleanup, and native seed collection. Joe Woolbright, Ozark Ecological Restoration Inc. (OERI), assisted Jennifer Ogle, ANHC land management specialist.

Woolbright trained volunteers to identify and remove the invasive plant, Queen Anne’s-lace (Daucus carota). Volunteers were also trained to collect mature seeds of native prairie June grass (Koeleria macrantha) and winecup (Callirhoe digitate).

NCAMN member Linda Glass had the big find of the day, royal catchfly (Silene regia) in full flower. Royal catchfly is imperiled within the state and vulnerable globally. Many will argue that it is one of the most striking of Arkansas’s wildflowers.

Baker Prairie NA is remnant of what was once a 5,000-acre tallgrass prairie located west and south of present day downtown Harrison. The prairie is home to a number of species of animals and plants of special concern in Arkansas.