Get Out!

Fun things to do and great places to discover nature.

• Flowering dogwoods sprout beautiful white blooms in mid-April. Look for this showy shrub on hillside forests throughout Missouri.
• Luna moths emerge from cocoons in early April. But you’ll need to stay up late to see one fluttering around your porch light. The lime-green beauties are active about midnight.
• If birds could win Oscars, the killdeer would earn best actor. To lead predators away from its nest, the dramatic bird pretends to have a broken wing. To see this performance, look for killdeer in mowed pastures and gravel parking lots.
• Don’t throw away dandelions you pluck from your lawn. The weed’s tender leaves can be tossed into salads or steamed with creamy pasta. Just make sure nobody has sprayed the lawn with chemicals!
• Warm spring days are the perfect time to go on a turtle safari. Look for box turtles crossing roads, search streams for river cooters, and check lake logs for red-eared sliders. How many of Missouri’s 18 shelled reptiles can you find?

Looking for more ways to have fun outside? Find out about Discover Nature programs in your area at mdc.mo.gov/events.