August 9 - August 15 Discover Nature this week as you use the song of Fall Field Crickets to calculate the temperature. When we think of watching wildlife, we usually think about birds or deer or turkeys. But our state has many insects, like crickets, that are just as interesting and just as beautiful as other wildlife. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, a male field cricket will make a slow series of chirps on warm nights to attract a mate, when the temperature is around 77

July 25 - July 31 Discover Nature this week as you explore the possibilities of bowfishing. Archery is a simple sport that evolved from stick-and-string technology. Bowfishing boasts the same simplicity, but you have to add a reel to store a longer string, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Most bowfishing takes place in shallow water. Once a fish is arrowed, barbs hold onto the catch so you can retrieve it. Use a boat or creep along the shoreline to sight fish. Aim low,

Learn how to discover nature with ease as you take the itch out of summer. Every Missourian knows chiggers are the worst pests in the summer months. First they appear as annoying red bumps then the itch begins and spreads. Chiggers are not bugs or any other type of insect. They're a juvenile form of a specific family of mites. Although they're almost invisible to the unaided eye...when several chiggers cluster together near an elastic waistband or wristwatch you might see their bright red color.

July 12 - July 18 Discover nature and learn about a bird that was likely one of the earliest inhabitants of our continent. According to fossil records, the great blue heron inhabited our continent around the same time as mammoths and saber-toothed cats. Found in Missouri’s wetland areas, this elegant bird will stand tall at attention, creating no ripple. He waits for his prey to approach, then spears it with his bill before flipping it into the air and swallowing it whole. He then resumes his

Discover nature this week in Ursus americanus, or the American Black Bear – the largest and heaviest wild mammal in Missouri. The black bear is the only bear found in Missouri and most of them live south of the Missouri River. For black bears in Missouri, the fur is predominantly glossy black; the muzzle is brown, and there is usually a white patch on the chest. Males and females look alike, though females are usually smaller than males. Black bears can weigh anywhere from around 100 to 900

June 28 - July 4 Get outside and discover nature as bats begin to bear their young this week. One way you can discover nature is by helping to protect the Indiana bat. The nocturnal habits of bats, their affinity for eerie places like caves, and silent, darting flight have made them the subjects of folklore and superstition. They’re the only mammals capable of true flight, and they’re active at a time when most people prefer to be indoors. The Indiana bat is known as the "social bat". It summers

Discover nature this week and take the sting out of summer. The perception that stinging insects are instinctively aggressive at any time and place is wrong, and blinds us to the role they play in nature's balance. Many stinging insect species are essential for the pollination of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Others are important predators of pest insects that eat both wild and cultivated plants. However, a sting from a bee, wasp, or hornet is never a pleasant experience. Though Missouri has

Discover nature this week in the belted kingfisher. If you’ve spent much time along Missouri’s streams, you’ve probably heard the chattering call of the belted kingfisher. Missouri Department of Conservation biologist, Danny Brown, wrote about the belted Kingfisher for Missouri’s Conservationist Magazine. He described the bird as one of Missouri’s avian jewels, which you can see for yourself this summer if you keep watch along Missouri’s streams. The kingfisher is often heard before it is seen

June 13 - June 19 Discover nature this week as American toad tadpoles turn into toadlets and leave the water. This is the perfect time to start watching local fishless ponds and witness the transformation through the week. All Missouri toads and frogs must return to a body of water to reproduce and most select fishless bodies of water for breeding. Flooded fields, ditches, woodland and prairie ponds, and temporary pools are their favorite breeding places. Most eggs hatch within 10 to 14 days of

June 7 - June 13 Discover nature this week as snapping turtles lay their eggs deep in the sand. Turtles are generally harmless. Those that live in water eat plants, crayfish, snails, insects, and carrion. They are an important part of the lifecycle in any body of water. Alligator snapping turtles live only in the few natural aquatic habitats remaining in Missouri’s Bootheel. It’s the largest species of freshwater turtle in the world and is said to be very shy. Common snapping turtles are found