Living on the Edge

Living on the Edge. The Best of Two Worlds. , A Place to Call Home , Many animals depend on habitat along the edge of where field meets forest. They use the open field to hunt or forage and the woods for cover. Wildlife such as foxes, turkeys, hawks, owls, songbirds, rabbits, squirrels, and other small rodents can be found in edge habitats. These habitats have tall grasses, shrubs, and small trees that provide food such as berries and seeds for native wildlife. The habitat also offers shelter for nesting and protection from weather and predators. , Life Finds a Way , This area was covered with demolition debris from the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex in the 1970s. Since then, pioneer species have returned to grow on the bare ground and recreate ecological communities on this site. People need to actively maintain the site so it does not become overgrown with invasive plants. Great Rivers Greenway removes invasive plants so native plants and wildlife have a chance to thrive., Prairie Power , The prairies of North America once covered more than 200 million acres including much of the St. Louis region, but less than 1% of prairie habitat remains today. Great Rivers Greenway and Missouri Department of Conservation are working together to reconstruct the native prairie at this site. The prairie provides food and shelter for a diversity of pollinators. , (captions:), ·The species in this ecological community are changing over time as the short-lived pioneer species reach the end of their life cycles and are replaced by longer-lived trees., ·Some plants are native to this part of Missouri have roots up to 16 feet deep. The deep roots store carbon, prevent erosion, and absorb water during heavy rains. In fact, one acre of prairie plants can store 22.5 tons of carbon and prevent 1.7 tons of soil from moving each year!