Fall Seed Dispersal in the Missouri Ozarks
Fall seed dispersal keeps the Ozarks moving—waxwings strip the dogwoods, squirrels forget their acorns, and that’s how forests plant themselves.
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The Little Bird With the Hidden Ruby Crown Is Passing Through Missouri Right Now
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are passing through the Ozarks right now, and I want to tell you about the hidden red crown I’ve only seen three times.
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The Frog Chorus Is Back: And Your Great-Grandmother Knew What It Meant
The spring peeper frog chorus is back, and I want to tell you what Missouri settlers knew: those tiny frozen-and-thawed frogs are your planting calendar.
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The Whip-poor-will’s Return: A Sound You Can’t Unhear
I counted a whip-poor-will’s return at 73 calls before it paused—and that sound told Ozark farmers exactly when to plant corn.
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The Flower That Bleeds: What Bloodroot Taught Me About Showing Up Before You’re Ready
A White Square on the Forest Floor I found my first bloodroot of the season yesterday morning, tucked against the base of an oak where the leaf litter had pulled back just enough. Eight white petals, arranged in that odd square shape that makes you do a double-take. By the time I walked back that…
