Fall is a great time for hiking. The weather is cooler, the colors are changing, and our conservation areas offer many choices.

Discover nature this week with Missouri nuts. The beginning of fall is a great time to gather homegrown nuts in Missouri. Our top three featured nuts that fruit in September and October are black walnuts, pecans, and hickory.

Discover Nature this week with mushrooms in Missouri. As the fall air creeps up, mushrooms begin to make their way to the surface. Although spring is the most popular time for mushroom hunting, other edible mushrooms start to appear in late September.

Discover Nature this week with garden spiders in Missouri. It’s a shame that Little Miss Muffet was too frightened to meet the spider that sat down beside her. She would have discovered that spiders are exceptional creatures.

Discover Nature this week with Missouri’s nocturnal insects. Why is it that when insects hit your windshield, they seem to hit right where you are looking? Who are these insects, and why are they out flying around? The answer to the first question is pure coincidence. The answers to the other questions are a bit more involved.

They go by names such as the lady beetle or ladybird beetle, but you may be most familiar with one. There are more kinds of beetles than any other insect in the world. And of all the beetles, the most well-known may be the ladybug.

Discover Nature this week with Missouri’s wildlife impostors. All wildlife seeks to endure. But rather than hiding from predators, some harmless animals flaunt their presence.

Discover nature this week with crickets in Missouri. The cricket’s song can recall the carefree summer days of childhood. But usually, we reduce the chirping to background noise.

Discover nature this week with ants in Missouri. You see them as they scurry about on driveways, lawns, and sidewalks -- or maybe even in your home! Regardless, ants seem to be everywhere. Some tunnel underground, while others reside in rotting wood or leaf litter.

Discover nature this week with Missouri's crayfish. While coastal lobsters are famous, their downsized relative, the crayfish (also called crawdad) lives in obscurity right here in Midwestern waters.