This week on Discover Nature, take a moment to admire and appreciate Missouri’s many gifts from nature.
Picture the vast geography of our state, as avian migrations pass over our prairies and plains, Ozark forests, big river systems, and marshy lowlands.
Each ecoregion supporting its own array of animal and plant species that have constituted our state’s natural heritage from long before settlers set foot on Missouri soil.
From bald eagles to wild turkeys and white-tailed deer – all once nearly eliminated from our state – countless natural communities here, again abound with wildlife.
As autumn leaves lay a colorful carpet on lawns and woodlands, look closer and observe the tiny wonders of insects and invertebrates, microbes and mushrooms, turning leaf litter into lawn fodder, and fertilizing the forest floor.
This week, whether walking in the woods, or gathered around a wild harvest at the dinner table, pause, and give thanks for the many ways Missouri’s great outdoors feed us and benefit our lives.
Find great ways to get outside and discover nature near you with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Discover Nature page, and keep up with daily happenings in the outdoors with MDC’s Natural Events Calendar.
Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.