Get Out!

Don't miss the chance to discover nature at these fun events!

1. Learn about early Missouri hunting at Atlatls and Archery: Primitive Hunting in Missouri. Central Regional Office in Columbia. March 7, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Register at 573-815-7900.
2. With a compass, find true north at Orienteering: Quest for Leprechaun Gold. Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. March 7, 10–11:30 a.m. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 573-290-5218.
3. Meet Missouri’s lizards at Creature Feature: Reptiles Rock. Northeast Regional Office in Kirksville. March 25, 3:30–4:30 p.m. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 660-785-2420.
4. Talk turkey at Introduction to Turkey Hunting. Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center in Joplin. April 1, 6–9 p.m. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. Register at 417-629-3423.
5. Bag some bull’s-eye basics at Beginning Archery. Jay Henges Shooting Range in High Ridge. April 21, 6–7:30 p.m. Youth must be accompanied by an adult. Advance registration required. Call 636-938-9548.

With winter almost gone and spring right around the corner, there’s plenty to discover outside in March and April. Watch for these natural events around the following dates.

• MARCH 1 Ducks and geese migrate north through mid-April.
• MARCH 14 Wild turkeys gobble through early May.
• MARCH 16 Spring peeper calling is at its peak.
• APRIL 4 Total lunar eclipse occurs.
• APRIL 18 Whip-poor-wills begin calling.
• APRIL 20 Look for flowering dogwood trees.
• APRIL 23 Turtles crossing roads. Watch out!

Looking for more ways to have fun outside? Find out about Discover Nature programs in your area at xplormo.org/node/2616.

What is it?

1. Looking for my spores is never a bore.
2. Watch your toes — that’s down where I like to grow.
3. I pop up after a warm spring rain.
4. People squeal when they see me because I’m a “fun guy.”

In spring, mouth-watering morel mushrooms start popping up on forest floors throughout Missouri. So head to the woods for some fungi fun! Scout the forest floor carefully — morels are only 3 to 4 inches tall. Morels are easy to ID. With an adult’s help, morels are easy to cook and are delicious. Get hunting and ID tips at mdc.mo.

Critter Corner

Green Treefrog

When you hear the guank, guank call of the green treefrog, it sounds a lot like a duck. A chorus of green treefrogs can sound like Canada geese. Look for these thumb-sized, Kermit-green frogs with their vivid white stripes in bottomlands, swamps, and marshes in southeast Missouri. They spend most of the day resting, hidden among plants. At night, they hunt for insects.