Shaw Nature Reserve

Jun 11

The best place for a flower lover is Shaw Nature Reserve. Whether you’re wanting to walk amongst the flowers, twirl down a pathway, or sit next to your favorite blooms, you’re bound to fall in love with the abundance of flowers that grow here. And if you’re mainly looking for flowers, but want a little more than that, there’s a couple of wood buildings, a brick building, lake, and plenty of woods for more of just a one with nature feel.

Check out my list of the top senior picture locations in St. Louis, MO to get inspired by more locations to have your senior pictures taken.

Senior-Girl-Looking-Over-Shoulder-Holding-Bouquet-In-Flower-Field

The Best Part About Shaw Nature Reserve

Whitmire Wildflower Garden is the highlight of Shaw Nature Reserve and for good reason. With its abundance of wildflowers, you’re sure to capture exactly the flower vibe you’re looking for. With the variety of colors and species of flowers, you won’t be disappointed.

The garden is beautifully decorated with logs and rocks throughout the garden. These make for the perfect spots to stand and sit amongst the flowers so you can help preserve them for the next person, while also being surrounded by them. There are also benches and steps along the path that are great for sitting along the edges of the flowers.

Walking down the pathway is also beautiful as you stroll through the midst of flowers. Portions of the path are gravel while others are a paved stone, helping keep that naturalesque feel. The path makes for great walking back and forth photos as you’re surrounded on both sides with flowers.

Featured in the garden are also a few buildings. There’s a large, wooden gazebo that you can view from many angles. You can stand in front of it, sit under it, or lean against the rock wall below it. A small building with a wooden door is also on the property. You can stand in the doorway for some poses or lean up against the door. The 1879 Joseph H. Bascom house is the large, brick building with a small porch that features white polls to lean on or peak around, beautiful benches to sit on, and a white doorway to stand in.

Nearby the garden is also a lake that is great for sitting in the grass or standing in front of. Surrounding the garden are plenty of woods with some trails to walk down to feel surrounded by nature, peak around trees, or squat on the pathway. There’s also plenty of wide-open grasses to twirl around in.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

With flowers being the highlight of Shaw Nature Reserve, spring is a fantastic time to capture all those wildflower vibes. Having fields of flowers blooming and patches of a variety of flowers growing around Whitmire Wildflower Garden, you’re bound to find not only flowers you love, but be surrounded by them as well. The garden can be a popular spot on the weekends with prom groups taking pictures around April.

Summer

June is peak bloom for the flowers at Whitmire Wildflower Garden, so if you’re looking for a warm day for your senior pictures while being surrounded by flowers and nature, summer is the perfect time to visit. There are also a variety of shady areas from trees and other buildings that can help you get out of the sun for a bit. The woods are also a great, shady area for woodsy and nature senior pictures out of the sun.

Fall

Fall has a different variety of flowers blooming than spring and summer. While flowers are still blooming, there aren’t wide open fields of them, but smaller patches around the garden of select wildflowers. With a large number of trees and forest, you’ll have plenty of fall leaves as well.

Winter

Shaw Nature Reserve is pretty dead during the winter. Not much is really growing. Some tall grasses will still be growing, the lake makes for a great background, and the exterior of the Joseph H. Bascom house is great for incorporating architecture. The amount of nature and forest does create a perfect snowy day backdrop though.

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Pricing and Accommodations

Shaw Nature Reserve costs $5 per person. If you have a Botanical Gardens Membership you can get in for free. There are bathrooms located at Whitmire Wildflower Garden just a short distance past the Joseph H. Bascom House.

Hours vary by season and the last entry is 30 minutes before closing:

January - March: 8am - 5pm
April - May: 8am - 7pm
June - August: 8am - 8pm
September: 8am - 7pm
October - December: 8am - 5pm