Get Out!

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

• Snap a great outdoor photo at Nature Photography Workshop. Twin Pines Conservation Education Center in Winona. May 9, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Register at 573-325-1381.
• Reel in a keeper at Fishing Basics. Rutledge Wilson Farm Park in Springfield. May 16, 9–11 a.m. Register at 417-895-6880.
• Sculpt and paint your own decoy at Duck Decoy Carving. Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center. May 29, 6–10 p.m., and May 30, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. $15 fee. Register at 573-290-5218.
• Plink targets at .22 Rifle Shooting Basics. Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center near Springfield. June 6, 8:30–11:30 a.m. Register at 417-742-4361.
• Learn bow basics at Archery Day Camp. August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center in St. Charles. June 24 and June 25, 8:30 to noon. Register at 636-441-4554.

Summer’s aflutter and nature is on the move. Watch for these natural events around these dates.

• MAY 1 - Jack-in-the-pulpits bloom in woods.
• MAY 10 - Bobolink birds migrate from Argentina, and some nest in northern Missouri.
• MAY 14 - Watch for lightning bugs on warm evenings.
• MAY 15 - Baby deer, called fawns, are born now through late June.
• MAY 24 - Listen for the chorus of gray treefrogs.
• JUNE 2 - Look for tarantulas crossing roads in southwestern Missouri.
• JUNE 20 - American toad tadpoles turn into toadlets and leave the water.

What is it?

1. Just add water and sun, and I’m on the run.
2. Some say I have a big mouth.
3. f you’re fishing for a hint, I’m fin-ominal.
4. The biggest I get is 4 inches long.

The orangespotted sunfish is a cousin of the more common longear sunfish and bluegill. This sunfish’s dazzling colors and small size set it apart. After growing for a year, it’s only as big as your thumb. It’s a feisty little fish, so you’ll still have fun reeling one in. You might think you landed a baby fish, but you may be eye to eye with a full-grown orangespotted sunfish.

Critter Corner: Least Bittern

This recently hatched fuzzball is a least bittern, still covered in downy feathers. Least bitterns are Missouri’s smallest herons, measuring only a foot long when fully grown. Listen for this secretive bird’s soft coo-coo-coo-coo at dawn and dusk. Look for them among the cattails, where they hunt for frogs, tadpoles, and insects. When spotted, a least bittern will “hide” by freezing, squeezing in its feathers, and pointing its bill straight up.