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Letters to the Editor

Submissions reflect readers’ opinions and may be edited for length and clarity. Email Magazine@mdc.mo.gov or write to us:

Missouri Conservationist

PO Box 180

Jefferson City, MO 65102

Cool Turtle

Your March issue with the three-toed box turtle on the cover by Noppadol Paothong was outstanding. What a talent! I have enjoyed his work over a period of years. We are fortunate to have him.
Al Williams
Herculaneum

Violets and Mosses

Kudos on a state-of-the-art publication! I enjoy reading it, cover to cover, each month.  I especially loved reading the March 2025 issue, with Malissa Briggler’s informative article, Violets of Missouri [Page 16]. Who knew there were so many varieties of this little wildflower? 

The pictorial article, Nature Comes Alive, [Page 22] was stunning, with the always amazing photography from Noppadol Paothong and David Stonner. And even the picture in the article on the Corkwood Conservation Area [Page 30] is noteworthy because redbud season is my favorite drive-around season in Missouri. Our native redbuds are so plentiful, whether you are a city dweller, live in a suburban neighborhood, or along a county road. 

Thanks for this excellent magazine and for the Xplor magazine, also. Your staff provides a wonderful benefit to all ages of Missourians.

Ardyce Nordeen

Independence

I enjoyed your March article on violets and your April article on mosses [Marvelous Mosses; Page 22]. I always like reading about the small native plants, mosses, and fungi of Missouri that go largely unnoticed. I thought the moss article was particularly interesting and I’m excited to learn more about mosses and lichens.

I always enjoy my Missouri Conservationist magazine, but March and April stand out as excellent editions in an already great magazine.
Mary Tanck
Pleasant Hill

Beautiful Butterfly

Thanks for featuring the falcate orangetip on your Wild Guide page in April [Page 32]. We first discovered this butterfly five years ago in a state park across the state line in Kansas. Now it has become our annual trek to any place we can find it. We discovered that it has a very short flight in the spring, and then it’s gone for the rest of the year.
Barry Jones
Harrisonville

Classroom Companion

As a retired Missouri Rockwood School District life science teacher, the April issue is the best teacher/student life science edition I have ever seen. I offered extra credit to my students who either received or signed up for the free magazine. I used it as a supplement to topics we covered in class. This edition covered trees, mosses, liverworts, etc. Great help to teachers and students. Thanks for a great educational magazine.

Paul Mallery
Ballwin