For the 24 years that I have operated Missouri Wildflowers Nursery, customers have asked, "What made you get into this business?"

I have given several andwers in the past, none of which included getting rich. While these answers were usually related to the environment, something was missing. They didn't seem to get at the real "meaning of life." I am finally close to the right answer, and it is worth sharing.

I do a lot of wild havesting of seeds from native prairies and glades (a modern hunter gatherer!). Wild harvesting is a relaxing activity, just as any activity that gets you out in a natural environment. It is also educational and thought provoking.

For example, while on a glade near Branson this year, I began to wonder how long the big rocks lying on the ground had been in their positions. That is an important question when you realize that, up to this point in time, no human has ever moved them. Heavy equipment will surely move them in hte very near future, as the nearest fast food restaurant is only a few hundred yards away. The real significance of this thought is that when the rocks go, so will the native plant communities we have left unturned.

So, why do I have a wildflower nursery? Every species of native plant and animal, no matter where in the world, is here today because they have survived a very long genetic trip through geologic time. Since its beginning, a viable reproducing population of each species has always been alive to pass on the genetic material that makes it distinct from other species.

Now that the human species has gotten the upper hand on planet Earth, we have the ability to determine which of the remaining species will continue the journey through time with us. Every day we make land use and management decisions that exclude native species from the land. We oftem make these deciesions without the knowledge and awareness that we can easily live with most native species. They need our help.

I am supplying native plants that are as "wild" as I can produce them, because I feel it is a way to help native species continue their journey through time. May each species live long and prosper.

 

Mervin Wallace, owner