Discover Nature Notes

They are stealthy, savvy and hard to outsmart. Campsites and backyards are common scenes for their night raids.   Raccoons are furbearers with an amazing ability to break into containers and garbage cans.  Their long fingers on their front paws are perfect for picking locks and latches.  They also have an uncanny ability to remember these feats and mimic them from watching each other.  Learn more about raccoons and their special skills and value in this week's Discover Nature Note.

INTOXICATED WILDLIFE:  When might some birds need a designated flyer? When their food is overripe.  Favored fruits can become fermented.  For birds and insects consuming rotten fruit or overripe nectar, this temporary impairment can leave them vulnerable to injury and predators.  Learn more about this natural phenomena and what you might do if you observe this behavior in this week's Discover Nature Note.

While on the holiday road, look for these roadside dive-bombers. They may be perching on highway signs, telephone wires and polls, or dive-bombing the ground for their dining preferences. American Kestrels are the smallest and most colorful raptors and are a common winter sight in open areas and alongside roadways. They nest in cavities, usually older, dead trees. Learn more about these pint-sized predators, what they look and sound like, and how you can build a nest box to attract a pair and watch them raise a family in this week's Discover Nature Note.

Celebrating 40 Years of Natural Areas: Did you ever wish you had a time machine? You don't need one to visit many of Missouri's original landscapes that still look the same as when early Native Americans or Lewis and Clark traversed them. These are some of Missouri's most scenic spots and feature rare plants, animals and geography. You can still walk through an old majestic forest, canoe through a primitive swamp, or photograph wildflowers among tall prairie grasses by visiting some of these 184 special places around the state. Learn more about Missouri's Natural Areas and pick your favorite to visit in this week's Discover Nature Note.