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CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Darters have been described as the hummingbirds of the fish world: colorful, small, and quick. But have you ever drawn one? Sign up now so you can create your own version of a stippled darter with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center from 1 – 4 p.m. on July 9.
Register online here: https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/185230
Participants will receive instruction on drawing a stippled darter from start to finish using colored pencils. Colored pencils will be provided, but you can also bring your own if you prefer.
“Show up ready to learn about the stippled darter and its range, habitat preferences, and adaptations for where it lives,” said MDC Education Regional Supervisor and program instructor AJ Hendershott. “We won’t be focusing on perfection with these pieces of art; it’s all about originality.”
Like other Missouri members of the perch family – including the larger walleye, sauger, and yellow perch – darters are slender, cylindrical fish with rough-edged (ctenoid) scales, he said. “There are about 44 species of darters recorded for Missouri.”
Some darters are widespread, said Hendershott, and occur in a variety of aquatic habitats, while others are restricted to certain stream systems — some of those are rare and endangered.
If you are participating in Cape Nature Center’s “A Year in Color,” this program earns a purple art bead.
Stay connected
Questions about events can be emailed to MDC Cape Nature Center Manager Laci Prucinsky at Laci.Prucinsky@mdc.mo.gov.
The Cape Nature Center sends program registration reminders and updates to those who sign up by texting “MDC Nature” to 468311. An online subscription is also available to “sign up for updates” at www.mdc.mo.gov. A variety of updates are available at this option, but Cape Girardeau specific updates are available under facility updates and news for southeast region.
Cape Girardeau Nature Center is located at 2289 County Park Dr. in Cape Girardeau, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. White Oak Trace Trails are open daily, from sunrise – 10 p.m.
