Discover Nature: Recent Episodes
Josh Hartwig
Every week there are new marvels to look for in the outdoors, and Discover Nature highlights these attractions. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s Candice Davis brings us the stories of river otters, luna moths, red buds, and other actors as they take center stage in nature’s theater.
If you're looking for a new adventure this summer, especially one that is healthy, tasty, and can involve the whole family, berry picking may be right for you.
Just think: If badgers could help us with our gardening activities, our plants would always be in tip-top shape.
As you drive country highways, it sometimes seems that hawks are everywhere -- perched on telephone poles and fence posts or circling overhead.
If you venture out near the woods after dark, you might hear the high-pitched cry of a flying squirrel.
Discover Nature this week with Missouri’s dabblers and divers. Dabblers and divers are two main types of ducks, and you can tell them apart by the way they eat, fly and look.
Discover Nature this week with Missouri’s dabblers and divers. Dabblers and divers are two main types of ducks, and you can tell them apart by the way they eat, fly and look.
November is prime mating season for white-tailed deer. It's not too hard to see deer today, but around 100 years ago they were hard to spot.
Throughout history, owls have established a solid place in storytelling. Today, we appreciate owls for their role in the environment and for their enjoyable calls.
Throughout history, owls have established a solid place in storytelling. Today, we appreciate owls for their role in the environment and for their enjoyable calls.
You might steal a kiss under its green branches, but in nature, mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attaches to and steals nutrients from trees.
While on the road this holiday season, be on the lookout for these roadside dive-bombers: American kestrels.
Our most common native evergreen is the eastern red cedar, a cone-shaped juniper with a spicy yuletide aroma. It's prickly, scale-like leaves are quite different from those of spruce, fir, or pine. But it's symmetrical shape and fresh scent make cedar a yuletide choice.
Blue jays are relatively large songbirds (about the size of a robin) with blue upperparts and whitish underparts. A blue crest on the head can be raised or lowered depending on the bird’s mood.
As you drive country highways, it sometimes seems that hawks are everywhere -- perched on telephone poles and fence posts or circling overhead.
If you venture out near the woods after dark, you might hear the high-pitched cry of a flying squirrel.
Look around the Mississippi flyway this fall, and you may see the greater or lesser scaup ("SKOPP"). Scaups are diving ducks that can fully submerge and swim underwater for food.
November is prime mating season for white-tailed deer. It's not too hard to see deer today, but around 100 years ago they were hard to spot.
Discover nature this week with Missouri's caterpillars. While all bears are preparing for the winter, it's the familiar fuzzy caterpillar known as the woolly bear that clearly signals that cold weather is just around the corner.
Discover nature this week with Missouri's caterpillars. While all bears are preparing for the winter, it's the familiar fuzzy caterpillar known as the woolly bear that clearly signals that cold weather is just around the corner.
A speedy wanderer has returned to Missouri's skies. The Peregrine falcon was nearly wiped out in the mid-1900s due to pesticide poisoning. Historically, peregrines nested in small numbers on bluffs along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Gasconade rivers. By the late 1800s, only a few pairs remained in the state.
A speedy wanderer has returned to Missouri's skies. The Peregrine falcon was nearly wiped out in the mid-1900s due to pesticide poisoning. Historically, peregrines nested in small numbers on bluffs along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Gasconade rivers. By the late 1800s, only a few pairs remained in the state.
If copperheads are a fear factor for you, there is hope and help. Since they don’t look like other Missouri snakes, they are easy to identify and avoid.
If copperheads are a fear factor for you, there is hope and help. Since they don’t look like other Missouri snakes, they are easy to identify and avoid.
Persimmons are a sweet fall treat often used in breads, puddings, and pies. They're also a favorite for wildlife (so you may have to race the raccoons to harvest them).
Persimmons are a sweet fall treat often used in breads, puddings, and pies. They're also a favorite for wildlife (so you may have to race the raccoons to harvest them).
Persimmons are a sweet fall treat often used in breads, puddings, and pies. They're also a favorite for wildlife (so you may have to race the raccoons to harvest them).
Persimmons are a sweet fall treat often used in breads, puddings, and pies. They're also a favorite for wildlife (so you may have to race the raccoons to harvest them).
Persimmons are a sweet fall treat often used in breads, puddings, and pies. They're also a favorite for wildlife (so you may have to race the raccoons to harvest them).
Persimmons are a sweet fall treat often used in breads, puddings, and pies. They're also a favorite for wildlife (so you may have to race the raccoons to harvest them).
Fall is a great time for hiking. The weather is cooler, the colors are changing, and our conservation areas offer many choices.
Fall is a great time for hiking. The weather is cooler, the colors are changing, and our conservation areas offer many choices.
Fall is a great time for hiking. The weather is cooler, the colors are changing, and our conservation areas offer many choices.
Fall is a great time for hiking. The weather is cooler, the colors are changing, and our conservation areas offer many choices.
Fall is a great time for hiking. The weather is cooler, the colors are changing, and our conservation areas offer many choices.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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.
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.
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 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 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 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.
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.
Discover Nature this week with Missouri’s wildlife survival skills. Life among nature’s creatures is not all sweetness and delight. There are conflicts in the wild over food, nest sites and mates. And these conflicts can result in life or death.
Discover Nature this week with Missouri’s wildlife survival skills. Life among nature’s creatures is not all sweetness and delight. There are conflicts in the wild over food, nest sites and mates. And these conflicts can result in life or death.
Discover Nature this week with red, white, and blue in Missouri. This week, in honor of Independence Day, we celebrate red, white, and blue in nature.
Discover Nature this week with red, white, and blue in Missouri. This week, in honor of Independence Day, we celebrate red, white, and blue in nature.
Discover nature this week with Missouri's grasshoppers. Did you know there’s an unofficial song of summer? And it comes from one insect: the grasshopper. Their calls are the elevator music of summer.
Discover nature this week with Missouri's grasshoppers. Did you know there’s an unofficial song of summer? And it comes from one insect: the grasshopper. Their calls are the elevator music of summer.
Bird eggs sport an amazing variety of sizes, colors, and shapes. Their colors could fill an artist’s palette, from robin's egg blue to a buffy pink, from purple to green.
Bird eggs sport an amazing variety of sizes, colors, and shapes. Their colors could fill an artist’s palette, from robin's egg blue to a buffy pink, from purple to green.
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 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 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'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In February and March, male red-wings travel north from their southern wintering grounds and find good spots for nesting and feeding.
Discover Nature this week with fire in Missouri. Fire is an important part of our lives. To some, memories of campfires bring warm and pleasant feelings, but others remember the horrors of wildfires.
Discover Nature this week with fire in Missouri. Fire is an important part of our lives. To some, memories of campfires bring warm and pleasant feelings, but others remember the horrors of wildfires.
The meadowlark is a familiar sight throughout the farmlands of the Midwest, most often found living its best life in open grassland habitats such as hayfields or prairies. You also might catch one perched prominently on top of a fence post.
The meadowlark is a familiar sight throughout the farmlands of the Midwest, most often found living its best life in open grassland habitats such as hayfields or prairies. You also might catch one perched prominently on top of a fence post.
Discover nature this week with Missouri's mushroom. Late March and April showers bring… mushrooms? Yep! Showers and warm nights make morels grow and send folks to their favorite mushroom-hunting spots.
Discover nature this week with Missouri's mushroom. Late March and April showers bring… mushrooms? Yep! Showers and warm nights make morels grow and send folks to their favorite mushroom-hunting spots.
There is a Midwest fruit as sweet as bananas and as fragrant as papayas. If you guessed “pawpaw,” you are correct!
Discover nature this week with Missouri's starlings. When Shakespeare wrote the play Henry the Fourth in 1597, he had no way of knowing the trouble it would bring to modern-day North American birds.
Discover Nature this week with Missouri's Toads and frogs. You see and hear them near water and wooded areas, but how can you tell the difference between these two amphibians?
Discover Nature this week with subtle signs of spring. If you’re yearning for signs of spring, look at the swollen buds on the branches of backyard trees and shrubs.
Animals are trying to beat the "Survivor" odds to outwit and outlast the hardships of winter (and to also outplay their opponents).
The sway of spotted salamanders is a perfect ritual dance for Valentine's Day (which is this week, just in case you need a friendly reminder).
Recycling is critical in our “throwaway society” -- and the same is also true in nature.
In the early 1970s, America’s bald eagles were headed for extinction, and had become an endangered species. Although extinction is a natural process, the worldwide rate of extinctions has increased alarmingly due to human activities.
When winter winds chill us to the bone, we bundle up in sweaters, down vests and fleece parkas. Wild animals, on the other hand, must endure the cold.A mammal’s fur and its thick layers of fat provide insulation that conserves body heat.
Grab your coat, scarf and gloves and get outside to take in the true sounds of the season. We often think of winter as a quiet time in nature. Chilling winds suppress any desire to wander outside, but the sounds of winter are waiting to be heard -- if you choose to brave the cold.
Your car’s headlights reflect bright red eyes from a hunchbacked form ambling across the road. The black mask and ringed tail identify it as a raccoon, the “curious nighttime prowler.”
Birds and other wildlife can sometimes find their surroundings overripe for intoxication. Fruit can become alcoholic in several ways. Sometimes in the fall, fruit matures too much and ferments. In the winter, cold concentrates a fruit’s sugar, which then breaks down and produces alcohol.
You might steal a kiss under its green branches, but in nature, mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attaches to and steals nutrients from trees.
While on the road this holiday season, be on the lookout for these roadside dive-bombers: American kestrels.
Blue jays are relatively large songbirds (about the size of a robin) with blue upperparts and whitish underparts. A blue crest on the head can be raised or lowered depending on the bird’s mood.
As you drive country highways, it sometimes seems that hawks are everywhere -- perched on telephone poles and fence posts or circling overhead.
If you venture out near the woods after dark, you might hear the high-pitched cry of a flying squirrel.
Look around the Mississippi flyway this fall, and you may see the greater or lesser scaup ("SKOPP"). Scaups are diving ducks that can fully submerge and swim underwater for food.
November is prime mating season for white-tailed deer. It's not too hard to see deer today, but around 100 years ago they were hard to spot.
Discover Nature this week with Missouri’s creepy critters. It's that spooky time of year -- when plastic bats and spiders abound. But the real critters are not as scary as people think – plus, they bring benefits.