Blog Posts from Discover Nature Notes - 2018

Everyone likes to root for a champion.  And when that champion is rooted in the ground, it’s an award-winning affair.  For 50 years, Missouri has registered champion trees with state records in over 100 species around the state.  A record tree is decided on a point system that includes height, crown, spread, and trunk size.  The largest tree on record is a bald cypress tree in southeast Missouri. Trees are the largest and oldest living organisms and often mark milestones in our lives and communities.  Learn more about champion trees, how you can view and nominate them, and watch a video of a special champion with its own Facebook page and caretaker family in this week's Discover Nature Note.

MOREL HUNTING:  They can be harder to find than an Easter egg, but morel mushrooms are worth the time and effort to find.  They seem to pop up overnight in late spring.  Morels can be found in moist woods, river bottoms and on south-facing slopes.  Try searching near dead elm trees, in old orchards or burned areas.  Remember to properly identify morels, like any wild edible, before consuming. Learn about morel mushrooms, what makes mushrooms edible, and watch a recipe for morel polenta in this week's Discover Nature Note.

FROG CHORUS: You can hear their chorus rising up on warm, rainy spring nights. From backyards to wetlands, frogs create a symphony of spring sound. Learn the notes of the spring peeper and western chorus frog in this week's Discover Nature Note. Frogs are also quite tasty and fishable. Learn some basics to Frogging 101 and about the adventure of fishing for frogs.

SPRINGING TO LIFE:  Robin Williams joked that "Spring is nature's way of saying, Let's party!" It's definitely a moveable feast for the ears and eyes.  Songs fill the air from backyard trees to prairies, forests, and ponds.  Flashes of color pop here and there.  Animals are moving around and competing for mates, even on those March days where poet Robert Frost notes, "The sun was warm but the wind was chill."  You can't help but be inspired and entertained by the sights and sounds of spring courtship.  See who you might observe dancing and singing this March in this week's Discover Nature Note. 

SALAMANDER SWAY FOR VALENTINES DAY: 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 and other salamanders in this week's Discover Nature Note.-- Peg@MDC

With their own holiday and the most watched weather forecast of the year, groundhogs have reigned through folklore as a predictor of how much winter is left in the season. In some places, people gather to see if they will see their shadow on February 2. A lesser known fact about groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, is that they are also excellent home builders. Learn more about groundhogs as well as the answer to the age old question of "how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" in this week's Discover Nature Note.

OUTDOOR WINTER ADVENTURES:  If you're having cabin fever, looking for ways to get fit, or spend time with family and friends, consider heading outdoors this season.  There's a lot to see and do during the winter in the Show Me state.  You can find out how and where to try out three different outdoor adventures in this week's Discover Nature Note.