This week on discover nature, celebrate the first week of spring with a nature hike.
Spring brings new life to the outdoors: watch for young river otters near lakes and streams, bats leaving hibernation caves, wild turkeys, and turtles becoming active.
The sounds of spring, alone, offer reason to rejoice. Listen for pileated woodpeckers drumming to establish territories, mourning doves cooing from their crop field nests, and the serenade of spring peepers at sunset.
With longer daylight hours and warming weather, many wildflowers and trees will begin blooming across Missouri, and every corner of the natural world will carry new colors, smells, and sounds of growth and awakening.
Fortunate foragers may even find fresh morel mushrooms… Just be sure you know how to identify them before eating any.
Find a trail near your home and take a few quiet moments to appreciate the return of spring in nature.
Visit your local Conservation office or Nature Center for maps of nearby hiking trails and information on the changing sights, sounds, and smells you’ll encounter. You can also access an interactive database of trails and public lands with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online atlas.
Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
