Discover Nature Notes

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.