Hopewell Prairie Fen

Points of Interest:

• See one of the rarest wetland types in Missouri, a prairie fen.

• Look for a diversity of dragonflies zipping over the prairie fens in the summer.

• Enjoy the colors and textures of the prairie grasses and wildflowers in late summer and fall.

Natural History:

This natural area features prairie fens, an imperiled wetland natural community type. Fens occur where groundwater seeps to the surface, creating a wetland. Prairie fens are unusual in that they combine a mixture of prairie plants such as big bluestem and compass plant with wetland plants such as sedges, rushes, and orange coneflower. Only twenty prairie fens are currently known in Missouri. The prairie fens provide habitat for four plant species of conservation concern. The fens and groundwater fed creeks provide habitat for sixteen dragonfly and damselfly species, including the gray petaltail, a species characteristic of high-quality fens.