Get Outside

Ways to connect with nature.

Sky Watching

Get your telescopes trained toward the night’s sky on Nov. 17. The Leonid meteor shower peaks on that day, beginning at midnight.

Try Trout

Winter may be fast approaching, but that’s no reason to hang up your fishing poles. Missouri’s trout parks open to catch-and-release on Nov. 8. The season runs through Feb. 10, 2020, at Roaring River State Park, Bennett Spring State Park, Montauk State Park, and Maramec Spring Park. Roaring River State Park

• Bennett Spring State Park
• Montauk State Park
• Maramec Spring Park

For more information, visit short.mdc.mo.gov/ZAd.

Central Region

Beginners Fly Fishing

Saturday, Nov. 9 • 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Cosmo-Bethel Lake • 4500 Bethel St., Columbia, MO 65203 Registration required. Call 888-283-0364 or register online at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZQp before Nov. 9.

Come out to Cosmo-Bethel Lake and join us for some fly-fishing! In this clinic, we will teach the basics of fly-fishing. There will be an intro to fly-fish portion where we will go over some of the history behind it, then go into what you need to get started. We will also be going over the difference between using flies and using lures. You will learn how to cast and then get to do some fishing. If you are 16 or older, you must have a fishing license. This will be catch and release only.

Is That a Leaf or a Bat?

Rather than migrating during the winter, red bats choose to stick around during Missouri’s coldest months. And unlike other species of bats that roost in caves, red bats will tough it out amongst the trees, tree hollows, underneath shaggy bark, or even on the ground beneath fallen leaf litter. Their reddish coat helps them blend into their chosen hibernation spot.

Milkweed Mania

Milkweed pods burst in November, releasing hundreds of seeds attached to parachutes of white, silky hairs that carry them on the breeze. Collect the fluffy seeds and spread them wherever you’d like to see monarch butterflies next summer.

St. Louis Region

Winter Hound Hike

Saturday, Nov. 16 • 10–11:30 a.m. Rockwoods Reservation 2751 Glencoe Rd., Wildwood, MO 63038 Registration required. Call 888-283-0364 or register online at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZQG. All ages (must be able to hike 1.8 miles)

Hike the Trail Among the Trees with your canine best friend! This is a 1.8-mile guided hike. We ask that your dog companions be (typically) friendly with other dogs and vaccinated. Please bring proof of vaccinations with you to the hike. This can be in the form of paper print out, email, etc. Please be prepared and dressed for the weather. This trail is moderate in difficulty.

Natural Events to See This Month

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

• Look for scaup, mallards, and ringnecked ducks
• Pecans begin to ripen
• Woodchucks and eastern chipmunks are asleep in underground nests