Discover Nature Notes

Spring brings some colorful visitors through the Show Me state.  Discover what birdwatchers know about spotting these wayfaring warblers as they make their journey form Central and South America in this week's Discover Nature Note.

Discover the beneficial ways fire can help natural habitats and private property in this week's Discover Nature Note.

You can't miss the male red-winged blackbird while on stakeout.  To defend their territory from predators, including human approaches, the males will trill loudly from their perch and lift the leading edge of their wings to show off their patch of red.  Red-wings are fierce defenders during nesting.  Learn more about these showy competitors in this week's Discover Nature Note.

Get to know the black bear and how you can be bear aware in Missouri in this week's Discover Nature Note.

The sights and sounds of spring are emerging this time of year.  From flowering plants to flitting butterflies and a chorus of frogs and toads.  Learn more about the signs of spring in this week's Discover Nature Notes blog.

There are thousands of ferns out there with very creative names and amazing superpowers. You can now officially go "gaga" over them with a new genus of 19 plants named after Lady Gaga, so named because one of her costumes resembles a unique life stage. Learn about the amazing feats of fabulous ferns in this week's Discover Nature Notes blog.

Some are showy, some are not. To attract insects for pollination, some tree flowers put on a colorful spring show. Tree flowers pollinated by wind are more plain and subtle. Dogwoods and redbuds are more striking, but oaks, maples, elms and other trees also bloom in the spring. Learn about flowering trees in this week's Discover Nature Note.

The bluebird is in the house! Our Missouri state bird is known for its vivid blue coloring. They are seen more often in rural areas in open grasslands with scattered trees or fences. Their populations have done well in our state with help from people who put up special nest boxes for them to raise their young. Learn more about bluebirds and how you can build a nest box in this week's Discover Nature Note.

Survivor, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are popular game shows, but in our backyards the struggle for survival and beating the odds is a challenging reality for many species of wildlife.  Learn how animal populations rise and fall through the seasons in Missouri in this week's Discover Nature Note.

The song "Sway," first made popular by Dean Martin, would choreograph well with the ritual water dance of spotted salamanders. Shortly after Valentine's Day on the first warm rains of late winter/early spring, hundreds will gather in ponds and sway and swim with a marimba type rhythm. It can look like a flash mob during this brief window of their breeding season. Learn more about spotted salamanders in this week's Discover Nature Note. -- Peg@MDC