Wildcat Glade Natural Area
NEWTON 117 Wildcat Glade
Fame Flower (Talinum calycinum)
Creek running through Wildcat Glade
A 27-acre area on the southwest edge of Joplin on the west side of Wildcat Park. Part of the SW1/4, SE1/4 of Section 27, T27N, R33W, Joplin West 7.5 min. topographic map. Designated February 17, 1984 and June 26, 1990.
Natural Features
This and another chert glade in Wildcat Park are the largest and best examples of this rare natural community type of the Springfield Plateau Section of the Ozark Natural Division. This colorful glade has formed on beds of chert of the Grand Falls formation. Outcrops of solid chert are restricted in Missouri to a small region in this part of the state. The glade vegetation forms a mosaic ranging from lichen-covered rocks to patches of gnarled, stunted oaks. The glade plants are especially colorful in the spring and include prickly pear, glade wild onion, rock pink and the unusual Barbara's buttons. Lichen grasshoppers blend with the lichen covered rocks, becoming visible only when they jump. Wildcat Glade is owned and managed by the City of Joplin and the Department of Conservation. For further information contact the District Forester, Neosho Forest District, 1510 S. U.S. Hwy 71, Neosho, MO 64850, phone 417/451-4158.
