PHOTO GALLERY: Rains bring small improvements to Missouri

After recent rains, plants sprout from the cracked earth on South River Road north of Wilton on Monday afternoon.   |  Stuart Palley

Tony Perri mows the lawn Monday in front of Major Brands, an alcohol distributor where he works. "As soon as that drought hit I didn't have to mow for like three months," Perri said. Now, with the recent rain, he said he has had to mow nearly every week.   |  Benjamin Hoste

Silos and a tree sit near a field of soybeans on South River Road near Wilton on Monday afternoon.   |  Stuart Palley

A dry tree shows the impact of the summer's drought Monday afternoon on Hitt Street in Columbia. The drought had widespread effects on wildlife and crops throughout the Midwest.   |  Marysa Greenawalt

Forested areas have been affected by drought Monday in Capen Park. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the drought will be hardest on old trees and those already weakened by disease or parasites.   |  Naveen Mahadevan