Twin Pines Conservation Education Center
Winona, MO
Photos: Carol Davit and Reva Dow
Size: 442.2 Acres
Year established: 2007
Year induced: 2021
Category: Professionally managed
Entrance Fee: Free
Description: The Twin Pines Conservation Education Center serves school groups, youth organizations, and the general public by highlighting unique natural features of the Ozarks. The site takes the Ozarks’ logging history and importance of forests and puts it center stage to impress the vital link we all have with forests—past, present, and future. Historic buildings include a log cabin and a schoolhouse. On the grounds are four trails, including a tree ID trail and a nature hike; an archery range; and a small fishing pond. The education center contains exhibits about regional animal and plant life, a display depicting the history of local logging and an interior waterfall. A section of the grounds is landscaped with native plants, most of which are identified with labels.
What Makes this Garden Excellent:
The native gardens at Twin Pines feature a great variety of plants native to Shannon County and surrounding areas of the Ozarks. The beds are well maintained to keep individual species from outcompeting each other, and identification labels on most plants serve as educational tools to visitors. Appealing trails throughout the grounds meander among the native plant beds.
Ten Great Native Plants to See Here:
Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)
Asclepias purpurascens (purple milkweed)
Opuntia humifusa (prickly pear)
Callirhoe involucre (purple poppy mallow)
Echinacea pallida (pale purple coneflower)
Manfreda americana (American aloe)
Liatris scariosa (eastern blazing star)
Pinus echinata (shortleaf pine)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem grass)
Signage: Most native plants throughout the grounds have identification labels. Interpretive signs explain the natural history of the Ozarks.
Accessibility: The building is ADA accessible. The gardens are accessible for viewing from the sidewalks around the building and along the Mule Pond Trail. Small wood chip-covered trails allow for access into the middle of the beds for required maintenance etc.
Location:
20086 Hwy 60
Winona, MO 65588
Coordinates:
36° 59′ 54.312” N 91° 18′ 11.16” W
36.998420, -91.303100
For More Information:
Area Hours:
Sunday, 04:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 04:00 AM – 10:00 PM
For more information call 573-325-1381