Get Out!

• Who cooks for you? Listen for the barred owl hooting this question at night.
• Search for frost flowers after the first hard frost. These beautiful blossoms are actually ribbons of ice.
• Pecan pie for Thanksgiving? You bet! Gather ripe wild pecans on conservation areas this month.
• Take a shot at squirrel hunting now through February 15. Get an experienced hunter to show you how.
• Try Winter trout fishing. In early November, grab your favorite grown-up and find a stocked community lake near you at short. mdc.mo.gov/ZoH.

Looking for more ways to have fun outside? Find out about Discover Nature programs in your area at mdc.mo.gov/events.

What is it?

• In winter, I’ll fly to your feeder.
• In spring, for a mate I’ll compete.
• In summer, I’ll probe lots of anthills.
• Because ants are my favorite treat!

This winter, you might see the northern flicker at your suet feeder. In spring, male flickers perform a “fencing” duel. They face off and stab the air with their beaks while females look on. Members of the woodpecker family, flickers live in open areas with scattered trees. During the warm months, however, they probe the ground for ants. They hammer at the soil the way other woodpeckers drill into wood. Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/field-guide.

Critter Corner: Bobcat

If you hear a hissing growl in the woods this winter, it could be a bobcat looking for love. These
medium-sized wildcats look for mates in December. After mating, bobcats lead solitary lives.
They live in the woods, where the mama cat will den up and raise her kittens. Should you fear the bobcat? Only if you’re a wild turkey, one of the bobcat’s favorite foods. Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/field-guide.