Get Outside

• What’s the Word Hummingbird? Look for Hummingbirds around your feeders and flowers. Whether they’re feeding from a nectar feeder or from flowers in your garden, it’s hard to find a bird more delightful to watch.
• Berry Sweet — Blackberries are ripening by July 1. Go out and find enough to make a pie or eat on top of your favorite ice cream. Summer never tasted so sweet!
• Sound of Summer — Listen for the song of the katydids. You may not see them, but you are sure to hear them from their perch high in the treetops. Missouri’s nighttime chorus of insect sounds has been likened to a symphony. If that’s the case, then katydids certainly perform some of the loudest solos during our hottest summer nights.
• Kansas City Region: A Day at the Range — Saturday, July 22 • 12–6 p.m. Lake City Range 28505 E. Truman Road, Buckner, MO 64016 For more information, call 816-249-3194 Bring your family to the range for a day of free shooting. Improve your skills at trap and/or skeet shooting, get your guns sighted in for the upcoming seasons, or dust off your bow and bring it out to the archery range. If you haven’t been to the range for a while, this is a great opportunity to come and join in the fun.
• Southeast Region: Watering Wildlife: Concrete Birdbaths Saturday, July 22 • 1–3 p.m. Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center 2289 County Park Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Registration required; call 573-290-5218 by July 21 Refresh your backyard wildlife by making a nature-inspired birdbath to take home. You will discover the many types of inhabitants that will be drawn to your backyard oasis. Adult supervision is required for ages 12–17.
• Blazing Glory — Look for blazing star blooming along the roadsides and prairies. These violet colored flowers spruce up the Missouri landscape!

Natural Events to See This Month

Here’s what’s going on in the natural world.

• Blackeyed Susans bloom
• Squirrels bear summer litters
• Goldfinches begin nesting as thistles go to seed.
• Mink kits travel with their mothers along streams.
• Wild black cherries and plums ripen.

Find more events in your area at mdc.mo.gov/events

Check out the Rod and Reel Loaner Program

Get hooked on fishing

The Rod and Reel Loaner Program lets you check out free fishing poles and tackle boxes. Offered at 90 locations throughout Missouri, the loaner program makes basic fishing accessible to everyone.

Brought to you by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

To find a loaner location near you, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/ZJq.