Get Outside in May

Where There’s Smoke… There’s Flowers?

An American smoke tree is a small-to-medium tree that flowers in May. The flowers are small and not showy, but once they fall away, the tree is left with the “smoke” — long, red or purple, hairlike stalks that create a smoky appearance in crowded clusters.

Black Gold

Missouri is the world’s top producer of black walnuts. In fact, black walnuts are so important that they were designated as the state’s official tree nut. These walnuts, which appear in the fall, are dependent upon the tree’s spring flowers, which may go unnoticed. Both male and female flowers appear on one tree. Male flowers, or catkins, hang in yellow-green clusters while female flowers appear as spikes.

May is for Mom

Mother’s Day is commemorated in May. But moms in the animal kingdom are also doing their part and should be acknowledged. 

• Female crayfish lay eggs in the spring but adhere them with a gluelike substance to their swimmerets under the abdomen. Even after hatching, the young remain attached to their mother’s swimmerets until they have completed two molts. She’s not getting a moment’s peace!
• Female beavers leave the den with their month-old kits and start swimming with them. As any mother knows, that’s a stressful proposition.
• Female woodchucks watch as their young, born in March, venture out of the burrow to play, and often wrestle. These are times when siblings have to figure things out for themselves.
• Female grackles nest in evergreens and other bushy trees, raising young. At first, the young make cheeping sounds, but their demanding voices become louder and creakier as they grow. A sound every mother loves.

Be Bee Aware

Each year, May 20 is World Bee Day. It calls attention to the critical importance of the world’s diversity of pollinators, most of them bees. Learn more about Missouri’s bees through MDC’s online Field Guide at short.mdc.mo.gov/4gM.

Trees Work 

To Grow a Little Joy

Taking a break from busy schedules allows us to connect with nature in a way that brings calm and a sense of well-being. 

Learn more about how trees work for you at TreesWork.org

Natural Events to See This Month

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

• Red-spotted purples fly through October.
• Bowfin spawn in southeast Missouri.
• Rocky Mountain toad breeding peaks in mid-May.

The hawthorn, our state flower, blooms through June.