Get Outside

Tree Buds

Redbud trees, one of Missouri’s showiest native flowering trees, bloom in late March and continue through early May. In fact, their bare branches will be covered in rose-purple flowers before any leaves appear. Not only do these blooms help paint the spring landscape, they are also edible. The buds have a nutty, sweet taste similar to sugar snap peas that can be added to salads, either raw or pickled.

Forget Tiptoe Through the Tulips — Walk Through the Wildflowers

If you are interested in Missouri’s native wildflowers, March is your month! There is a multitude of wildflowers blooming across the state this month. Take a walk through the woods, near a field, or at your closest conservation area and see how many you can find. Use the list at this site as a starter guide: short.mdc.mo.gov/Zaq.

Stoneflies Emerge

Most people are completely unaware that stoneflies exist — unless they happen to see a large group congregating near a stream — but they are a favorite food of many types of fish. Anglers, especially fly-fishers, take note. This is the time to employ lures that closely resemble these stonefly species.

Trout Time

March 1 has been the opening day of trout season in Missouri for nearly a hundred years. The earliest recorded account of the opening day of trout fishing in Missouri trout parks is 1926, at Bennett Spring State Park. The first formal Missouri trout park opener ceremony occurred at Roaring River State Park in 1932. Get out there and be part of this long-held tradition. For more information on trout fishing, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/Z5r.

Native Plants

Thursday, March 18, 12–1 p.m.

Virtual event at Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave., Kansas City, MO 64110

Registration required at the Deep Roots website at deeproots.org/native-plants-at-noon

We’ll virtually tour the native landscape at MDC’s Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center. Guided by native landscape specialists Alix Daniel and Cydney Ross, this monthly series features a live look at native plants of interest throughout the year. This program is a partnership with Deep Roots.

Find more events in your area at mdc.mo.gov/events

Natural Events to See This Month

Here’s what’s going on in the natural world.

• Crayfish become active in streams
• American mink breed
• Paper wasps are one of the earliest insects to become active in spring
• Eastern gartersnakes breed
• Red-winged blackbirds pair off, begin defending breeding territories