Get Outside in November

Ways to connect with nature

Battling Bush Honeysuckle

Once most of the fall color is gone, you may see some green remaining in the forest understory. That is likely invasive bush honeysuckle, which will remain green well into December. Because bush honeysuckle stays green after most plants have gone dormant, and in spring greens up before other species leaf out, and then grows aggressively, bush honeysuckle outcompetes native wildflowers and other plants and prevents regeneration of forests. Help to control this problematic shrub. For ways to help in the fight, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/ZCi.

It’s Hunting Season

Mushroom hunting season, that is! Take an autumn hike and keep an eye out for mushrooms, which decorate autumn woodlands the way wildflowers do in the spring. Here are some choice edibles you may find:

• Oyster mushrooms fruit year-round, growing in overlapping clusters on stumps, logs, and trunks of deciduous trees.
• Hen of the woods are large mushrooms that grow on the ground at the base of oak trees. They are often found on the same tree year after year, so if you find some, remember your spot for next year.
• Sulfur-colored chicken of the woods and pale chicken of the woods mushrooms develop through November in overlapping clusters on dead or dying deciduous trees, stumps, buried roots, or living trees. They are orange to yellow, fleshy, fan-shaped structures.

Natural Events to See This Month

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

• Eastern witch-hazel flowers.
• Most species of crayfish breed.
• Eagles soar over lakes, rivers, and marshes.

Give Your Rake a Break

Before you grab that rake for another back-breaking day of yard work, think about this — allowing fallen leaves to remain on the ground is friendly to wildlife. Fallen leaves provide refuge and food for backyard wildlife, including insects that are essential food for nesting songbirds in spring and butterflies and other pollinators. In addition, those leaves nourish the soil around a tree, creating a mulch layer that helps rain and snow soak into the ground. So, kick back and enjoy your day knowing you have helped nature. 

Conservation Families: Where Can I Learn More About Nature?

Wednesday, Nov. 13 • 12–12:30 p.m.

Online only

Registration required by Nov. 12. To register, call 888-283-0364 or visit short.mdc.mo.gov/4a5.

All ages

There are many MDC nature and education centers throughout the state. We will highlight each center during this program.

Nature Art: Root Head Decoys by Artist Jim Barksdale

Friday, Nov. 1–Saturday, Nov. 30 • 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Runge Conservation Nature Center, 330 Commerce Dr., Jefferson City, MO 65109

Registration is not required. For more information, call 573-526-5544 or visit short.mdc.mo.gov/4aw.

All ages

Root head decoys were early duck decoys made from driftwood or dead tree logs for the body, and tree roots and limbs for the head. Jim Barksdale’s carvings demonstrate his efforts to simulate these historic and creative works of art.

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

Hunters, Help Us!

November 16–17

Mandatory sampling of deer opening firearms weekend in select cwd management zone counties. Get information on chronic wasting disease and find sampling locations at mdc.mo.gov/cwd