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 as

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 in