discover nature

Discover Nature with Missouri's fish fathers. Father’s Day comes around during a popular time of year for family fishing. And two of our more popular fish make pretty good fish fathers.

Discover nature this week with Missouri Hummingbirds. A “glittering fragment of the rainbow” is how an early American naturalist described the hummingbird. He must have been impressed with its shimmering green plumage and crimson throat feathers.

Discover nature this week with Missouri's caterpillars. The bright wings of butterflies catch your eyes, and many people notice. But few notice naturally drab caterpillars.

Discover nature this week with Missouri wrens. Wrens are among the smallest songbirds, yet they make their presence known in a big way. They are both loud and persistent singers.

All wildlife requires three elements to survive: food, water, and shelter. You can attract the greatest variety and amount of wildlife to your backyard by providing a variety of those sources.

If you’ve been driving through the countryside lately, you may have noticed box turtles sharing the pavement. Spring rains and warm weather make this the season that box turtles wander. As they search for food and mates, these harmless land turtles must cross roads that pass through their home areas.

Bird song is a form of advertisement, sending two messages to other birds of the same species. One message is a form of courtship. The singing male tells females he is available. The other message warns other males to stay out of his nesting territory.

Color is important to fish. It’s used for camouflage, mate selection and defense. While easily seen in tropical aquarium fish, our native fishes also have special colors.

Ticks are small, blood-sucking parasites related to spiders and mites. They’re often found in great numbers in areas where animals are abundant. Ticks will be active in these areas from April through September.

In February and March, male red-wings travel north from their southern wintering grounds and find good spots for nesting and feeding.