Nature Comes Alive

By MDC | March 1, 2025
From Missouri Conservationist: March 2025
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Indian Paintbrush
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Nature Comes Alive
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Change can be hard for some people. Whether it’s a change of environment, a change in a career, or a change in a relationship, people can have a hard time adjusting. It’s a struggle not shared in the natural world. Our flora and fauna seem to flow from one season of life to the next with an ease that’s almost rhythmic. 

The pulse of that rhythm seems to quicken during spring when everything suddenly comes alive from the quiet of winter. Trees and flowers are in bloom with breathtaking color. Birds, frogs, and insects come together in a harmonious natural choir that fills the air both day and night. Furry mammals scamper about in search of mates in anticipation of the young to come.

Yes, change can be hard, but it also can be incredibly beautiful, wondrous, and magical. Get out and take it all in. What will you discover?

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Fiddlehead Fern

Noppadol Paothong

EF100mm lens • f/11 • 1/80 sec

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Fiddlehead Fern
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Dogwood Bloom

David Stonner

100mm lens • f/4 • 1/125 sec

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Dogwood Bloom
Credit
David Stonner
Right to Use
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Dogwood Leaf

David Stonner

100mm lens • f/6.3 • 1/125 sec

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Dogwood Leaf
Credit
David Stonner
Right to Use
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Indian Paintbrush

Noppadol Paothong

11-24mm lens • f/18 • 1/200 sec

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Indian Paintbrush
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Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Henslow’s Sparrow

Noppadol Paothong

600mm lens • f/11 • 1/500 sec

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Henslow’s Sparrow
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Wild Turkeys

Noppadol Paothong

300-800mm lens • f/7.1 • 1/500 sec

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Wild Turkeys
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Blue Phlox

David Stonner

100mm • f/8 • 1/100 sec

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Blue Phlox
Credit
David Stonner
Right to Use
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Fragile Fern

David Stonner

100mm • f/8 • 1/100 sec

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Fragile Fern
Credit
David Stonner
Right to Use
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Burr Oak Tree

Noppadol Paothong

24-70mm lens • f/11 • 1/125 sec

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Burr Oak Tree
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Ozarks Scenic Riverway

Noppadol Paothong

100-400mm lens • f/8 • 1/160 sec

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Ozarks Scenic Riverway
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Greater Prairie Chicken

Noppadol Paothong

300-800mm lens • f/7.1 • 1/400 sec

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Greater Prairie Chicken
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Spring Beauty

Noppadol Paothong

100mm lens • f/7.1 • 1/160 sec

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Spring Beauty
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Pelicans at Eagle Bluff CA

Noppadol Paothong

200-400mm lens • f/5.6 • 1/1000 sec

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Pelicans at Eagle Bluffs CA
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Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Red Fox

Noppadol Paothong

600mm lens • f/8 • 1/100 sec

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Red Fox
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use
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Red-Shouldered Hawk

Noppadol Paothong

600mm lens • f/8 • 1/1000 sec

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Red-Shouldered Hawk
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
Right to Use

Also In This Issue

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Catching a fish in a net
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Fishing challenges lead anglers to hidden gems

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Common Blue Violet
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Tiny titans contribute to spring’s emerging color palette and pollinator survival

This Issue's Staff

Magazine Manager – Stephanie Thurber
Editor – Angie Daly Morfeld
Associate Editor – Larry Archer
Photography Editor – Ben Nickelson
Staff Writer – Kristie Hilgedick
Staff Writer – Joe Jerek
Staff Writer – Dianne Van Dien
Designer – Marci Porter
Designer – Kate Morrow
Photographer – Noppadol Paothong
Photographer – David Stonner
Circulation – Marcia Hale