Fresh Afield

Those loud belching-croak sounds coming from my pond suggest an army of bullfrogs has appeared out of nowhere. I never really thought much about bullfrogs beyond enjoying their loud calls and an occasional taste of frog legs. But when I called Jeff Briggler, our Missouri Conservation Department herpetologist, he said the “army” most likely spent the winter right there in the muddy pond bottom.

Now they should be scattered like sentries guarding their territories around the edge. Occasionally a fight will break out when two equal-size bullfrogs meet at their territory borders. Though Jeff hasn’t seen such an event himself, he has heard that they push, shove and grapple with each other like sumo wrestlers. What an image….

Since bullfrogs are the biggest frogs in North America, growing to more than a pound, they’re the sumo bodies of our frog world too. (The green frog, which looks similar to bullfrogs, are about half their size, and overwinter under rocks in creeks and springs instead of in the mud of pond and lakes.)

Another thing that surprised me (besides the sumo wrestling image) was that bullfrogs can live up to 10 years. And they take 18 months just to transform from a tadpole into adult frog. That’s a big difference from other frogs that can make the change in just 3 weeks. So you won’t find bullfrogs using those little spring pools of water that dry up quickly—they need steady water year round. The many ponds Missourians have built over the years created some great bullfrog habitat. Jeff mentioned that bullfrogs historically were in the woodlands of eastern North America. People moved them further west, where they actually outcompete the more native frogs.

I asked if the best time to hear and see them (with flashlight in hand) is just after dark, but even though they’ll call in the evening, the best time to hear them may be in the darkness before morning light, maybe 4 a.m. I think I’d still settle for the evening chorus myself. If you want more than just a sight and sound—if you’d like a taste of frog—the frogging season opened June 30 at sunset and runs until Oct. 31. They really do taste a bit like chicken.

Summer is about to sizzle. If you have an ounce of curiosity (or have handy a 2 to 5 year old who’s in a constant state of magical wonder at all things life offers), you should consider adding the “Singing Insects of Missouri” to your CD collection. It comes with a colorful poster that identifies and explains 20 of the common summer insect sounds you’ll hear. The set is $8 plus shipping/handling and tax if you’re in Missouri. You can get it onlne at www.mdcnatureshop.com, or call toll-free 877-521-8632 to order it.

As summer progresses the insect calls will really be picking up. During the day there are some, but at night there will be even more. It’s worth stepping out into the dark to hear them. If you’re lucky enough to be near a grassy field or at the edge of woods you’ll see the fireflies too. Then throw in an occasional screech owl and you’ve got a free multi-sensory show of light and sound.

Last weekend was the perfect time to stroll along the edge of the woods for two reasons. First, the wild raspberries were ripe and practically jumping off the stems. Second, it was bizarrely cool and pleasant for a July day in Missouri. Since we’d had 3.5 inches of rain just a few days earlier, water was still flowing in the creek near the paths by the berries. I stopped and looked back up the creek and the water was sparkling and burbling as it rippled against the rocks. That, birds calling, and a container of berries in my hand was just about heaven.

The Missouri Natural Events Calendar mentions that the wild blackberries typically ripen the first week of July. They don’t seem to be ready yet where I live. But I could care less—they’re nothing to me compared to the bursts of berry (and less mess of seeds) in the wild raspberry. Plus, the gracefully arcing, dusky blue raspberry stems are a lot less nasty in terms of thorns.

Camping and boating travelers beware! You could be bringing some nasty hitchhikers into the state in your firewood or on your boat. The emerald ash borer and the zebra mussel are two creatures that will wreak havoc once they get a solid foothold in Missouri. Sometimes it seems like problems in nature are just too big to fix, but in these cases there really are things you can do to help protect our trees and our waters before it’s too late

Emerald Ash Borers (EABs) are a type of beetle from Asia that first appeared in Michigan in 2002. Since then they have spread to several states. More than 50 million ash trees have already been killed by EABs. All North American ash trees are susceptible, so this beetle could eventually kill of most of our ash trees.

A federal quarantine prohibits moving firewood from Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana into Missouri or other states. What you can do to help stop the emerald borer is use only local firewood. If you already brought some in from elsewhere, burn it quickly to kill the insects in it.

In the case of zebra mussels, once they start multiplying in an area, they’re almost impossible to eradicate. They’ll clog water intakes, disrupt aquatic life, and cost a lot to address the many problems they cause. The good thing is that you can avoid carrying these (whether they’re full-sized adults or the small larval form) by inspecting your boat, being sure to clean it off, drain water from the motor, boat, livewells, etc. and thoroughly dry it in the sun before you put it on another body of water. Zebra mussels have been found in the Lake of the Ozarks, Lake Taneycomo and in the Arkansas part of Bull Shoals Lake, so it’s especially important to avoid spreading them within the state to other bodies of water.

It’s easy to forget they’re lurking about, but ditching those hitchhikers is something you can do to keep Missouri’s woods and waters healthy.

Floating Missouri’s beautiful streams is one of the great outdoor pleasures in our state. The Ozark streams, with their rocky cliffs and natural springs flowing millions of gallons of water each day, are especially appealing. Unfortunately, visitors floating several of those streams, especially on weekends, have become less interested in that natural beauty and more interested in excessive drinking, loud partying and illegal behavior.

Larry Yamnitz, Missouri Department of Conservation’s Protection Division Chief, told me that today’s conservation agents see fewer people fishing the streams than they might have 10 to 15 years ago. “Now our tickets are just as likely to be for littering or minors in possession of alcohol than for not having a fishing permit.”

One hopeful note is that the National Park Service put new rules in place beginning last year for anyone floating the Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Current River, Jacks Fork River, etc.). I asked Brad Hadley, one of our Conservation Agents in Shannon County where those rivers run about the impact of the rules and he said, “Well, repeat visitors tell me they’ve seen a bit of an improvement. But it’s still better on the weekdays than on the weekends.”

Brad reminded me that Missouri has had a statewide law since 2004 against having glass containers on any of our waterways. That was one way to keep broken glass from littering the landscape. The bigger issue of how people use (or abuse) our streams and rivers is one that’s going to take more than an anti-litter law. It seems a sad waste of tax dollars to have the water patrol, National Park Service, and Conservation Department dealing with what is basically bad behavior. Of course there are lots of rivers where visitors are fewer and more interested in peacefully enjoying what the outdoors has to offer. And then there are still also the weekdays on the more popular streams…

A relatively new way to get involved in keeping nature healthy in Missouri is through becoming a Missouri Master Naturalist. The program began in 2004 and now has 8 chapters—and is growing. Syd Hime coordinates the program for the Missouri Department of Conservation. (The overall program is run jointly by our agency along with the University of Missouri Extension and the MU School of Natural Resources.)

Syd recently highlighted news of the great things that the people who have gone through the Master Naturalist training did the past year. With over 16,000 hours of volunteer service worth more than $333,000, they’ve had a real impact on a number of conservation projects around the state. That includes projects such as doing native plantings, monitoring grassland birds, or sharing what they’ve learned with others in their communities.

I asked Syd what’s most impressive to her about the Master Naturalist program. “It’s the people. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience…but most of all a passion to learn more, share and make a difference whether it’s in their communities or on a larger scale.”

A great thing about this is the opportunity for a variety of conservation groups to work together for common goals. Organizations that have partnered with local chapters include everything from the Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge to the Watershed Community of the Ozarks. The Master Naturalists in turn put their new skills and knowledge to use in volunteering for local conservation projects.

Even though I produced a movie on Missouri spring wildflowers and have seeded acres of fields with prairie flower seeds, I still grab my Missouri Wildflowers book off the shelf when I’m curious about a fabulous flower in bloom that I just can’t recall.

And now, with the sixth edition of Edgar Denison’s classic book “Missouri Wildflowers,” it’s going to be even more of a pleasure to do that. For the same price as the last edition ($12), the photos in this new version have been improved and the overall design makes it handier to use, with color tabs on the pages so you can quickly find the flower you’re looking for.

The information itself covers the same flowers as in the past, with tips on what they need to thrive and where in the state they’re found. The book itself is 296 pages with a soft cover.

Anyone with an interest in Missouri flowers needs this book. And anyone who had the old version but appreciates really good photos will want this new book too. As we move from spring into summer, it’s a perfect time to get outside and enjoy seeing (and now being able to identify) that great array of flowers you find in bloom.

Missouri’s free fishing days of June 7 and 8 are the perfect time to get outside and test the waters—and your interest in fishing (no Missouri fishing permit needed those 2 days). If you have a permit, but want to get a friend or family member who isn’t an angler to give it a try with you, now is a great time for that, too.

If you’re near Branson, visit the Missouri Conservation Department’s Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery for their 12th annual fishing fair on June 7 from 10-2. But there are also lots of other places to go fishing throughout Missouri.

If you’re the one with the permit and do want to introduce others to the sport, you might be interested in signing up for the Angler’s Legacy, a national program to recognize the value of personally passing on the pleasure of fishing to future generations.

The second highlight for this weekend is that June 7 is National Trails Day. For trails of interest to you on Conservation Areas across the state, check our online MDC trails guide. We also have our handy 102-page “Conservation Trails” guide book on sale this month.

Baby rabbits are hard to leave alone when you’re a kid and the neighbor’s dog is threatening to eat them. It’s not always easy to deal with the idea of letting nature take its course, especially if you haven’t grown up around hunting or living on a working farm. The idea of death as a natural and essential part of life has been edited out of the picture of modern living.

This is the time of year when lots of calls come in about what to do with young wild animals. Many people think a fawn laying in the grass is alone and abandoned, when the truth is that the doe is nearby but keeping the fawn safe by staying out of sight much of the day. Or they mistakenly think that birds will abandon their fledgling young just out of the nest. And of course there are the baby rabbits.

They came back to me personally when a girl recently emailed asking how to care for them. She was trying to keep some alive after they were threatened by a dog. Here’s what I told her:

“I hate to say this, but I think you should put them back where you found them (especially if the neighbor’s dog can be kept inside for a while). The parent rabbit will likely try to move them. If not, something else will probably eat them but that’s the painful balance of nature. Rabbits are a food for other animals like foxes, crows, coyotes. I expect, because the rabbits are so young, that they will die if you try to raise them. And if you did try to let them go free later, then they’d be eaten by something else because they weren’t used to being wild.

I had a similar experience when I was about 11 too. Crows got into a nest of baby rabbits in our yard. It was very upsetting Several neighbor kids (including me) tried to save the young ones that were left but they all died.

I live in the country now and see more of the cycle of life. I understand that everything needs to eat—and death and birth are part of it all. We’re lucky to live in a world where wild animals can live out their lives as they always have. Trying to protect them isn’t really a kindness in the long run.”

Well, her father responded to me that he had told her the same thing. She tried to keep them alive anyway but they did die some days/weeks later as he later reported. Some things you just have to learn on your own… I guess leaving animals to live wild and free is one of them.

(Another reason to leave wild animals alone is a more basic one: it’s illegal to take wildlife and keep them captive.)

I was joking with Warren Rose (Missouri Conservation Department’s Outreach and Education Regional Supervisor based in Springfield) about whether he had gotten a postcard reminding him to buy his fishing license. He said, “Well, no I didn’t because I have a Lifetime Permit.” He smiled hugely, clearly pleased with himself.

“Wow,” I said, “That’s impressive.” (I meant it, too, because he is really relatively young and I know that was an investment.)

“In fact I just bought it for my birthday with birthday and Christmas money I saved up.”

“Why did you buy it?” I asked.

“I always wanted one and figured it was a good buy for the money. I could lock in the prices. And if I ever moved out-of-state I could come back and hunt with my Dad with it. I bought my first permit when I was 8 or 9, so I’ve bought them for 30 years, and I figured now I’ll have one to last the next 30 years.”

Seems like a great gift for a milestone birthday. One thing Warren and I didn’t discuss—something that I think many hunting and fishing permit buyers don’t realize—is that it’s a gift that keeps on giving to conservation, too. Every year someone buys hunting and/or fishing permits, they’re counted once in each category—then our state gets a related percent of dollars from the federal government to do more for fish and wildlife. Actually, even if someone doesn’t end up using a hunting or fishing permit they bought, our state gets federal dollars because they’re part of the hunter/angler count. Warren’s lifetime permit means he’ll be counted in both categories for years to come. What a great gift in so many ways. Clearly, Warren thinks so.