Get Out!

Fun things to do and great places to discover nature.

• On May 23, smallmouth bass season opens on Ozark streams. Slip a canoe in the water, tie a crayfish lure onto your fishing line, and cast it toward places where a hungry smallmouth might be hiding, like behind boulders or near fallen trees.
• In April and early May, some of Missouri’s most colorful visitors pass through the state. Warblers are a group of lively, brightly colored, insect-eating songbirds. About 30 different kinds turn up in Missouri. How many can you spot?
• The twilight twinkle of fireflies is a sure sign summer’s on its way. Look for the blinky-bottomed beetles beginning in late May in weedy backyards, pastures, forest edges, and along streams. Male fireflies twinkle their tushies to court females hiding in low-growing vegetation. If a female likes what she sees, she blinks back.
• In May, monarch butterflies arrive from the south and begin laying eggs. Search the undersides of milkweed leaves for tiny, crystalline eggs, each just a bit bigger than a grain of salt. If you find one, check the leaf again in a few days. You might spot a tiny, yellow-and-black-striped caterpillar munching away.
• In June, white-tailed deer have babies. If you find a fawn on your lawn, don’t worry. It isn’t an orphan. Mama whitetails often leave newborns by themselves for several hours. Keep your pets inside, don’t bother the little guy or gal, and mom will soon return.

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