Missouri Conservationist June 2019

MISSOURICONSERVATIONISTVOLUME 80, ISSUE 6, JUNE 2019SERVING NATURE & YOU

3 Things You Can Do to HelpMonarchs1andPollinatorsPlant NativesNative plants are a food sourcefor monarch butterflies andother pollinators. Add the plantsshown below to your landscape.2Keep it BloomingKeep something in bloom eachseason. Some species bloomall year, others only in Apriland May, still others in Julyand August. Learn more atmdc.mo.gov/monarch.3Get InvolvedProtect native grasslands,provide nesting places, andbecome a wildlife gardener.To learn how, visitGrowNative.org.Common milkweedNew England asterShowy goldenrodPrairie blazing starWild bergamot

ContentsMISSOURICONSERVATIONISTJUNE 2019V O L U M E 8 0, I S S U E 610ON THE COVERSpotted salamander: : NOPPADOL PAOTHONG100mm macro lensf/16, 1/250 sec, ISO 100GOVERNORMichael L. ParsonTHE CONSERVATION COMMISSIONCHAIR Marilynn J. BradfordVICE CHAIR David W. MurphySECRETARY Don C. BedellMEMBER Wm. L. (Barry) OrschelnDIRECTORSara Parker Pauley16DEPUTY DIRECTORSMike Hubbard, Aaron Jeffries,Jennifer Battson WarrenMAGAZINE STAFFEDITORAngie Daly MorfeldASSOCIATE EDITORLarry ArcherSTAFF WRITERSBonnie Chasteen, Heather Feeler,Kristie Hilgedick, Joe JerekCREATIVE DIRECTORStephanie ThurberART DIRECTORCliff WhiteFEATURES2210Spotted SalamandersLiving life undercover.by Jan Weise-Fales16Squirrel Hunting 101Becoming a squirrel hunter.by Dave Hoover22Speak Softly andCarry a Big StickA walk in the marsh whilelearning the art of frog gigging.by Lauren HildrethDESIGNERSLes Fortenberry, Marci PorterPHOTOGRAPHERSNoppadol Paothong, David StonnerCIRCULATION MANAGERLaura boxUp Front With Sara Parker PauleyNature LabIn BriefGet OutsidePlaces To GoWild GuideOutdoor CalendarBobolinkDownload thisissue to yourphone or tablet atmdc.mo.gov/mocon.Download forAndroid

InboxSubmissions reflectreaders’ opinions andmay be edited for lengthand clarity. EmailMagazine@mdc.mo.govor write to us:MISSOURICONSERVATIONISTPO BOX 180JEFFERSON CITY, MO 65102HOORAY FOR ARBOR DAYI want to thank the Missouri Department ofConservation for the trees my daughter received. Thefirst thing she said to me after school was that shehad received “two free trees.” During our very excitedconversation, she told me everything she knewabout her new red oak trees, and I learned that thedepartment was responsible for donating the trees toher class.I have thoroughly enjoyed the hours ofconversation these two little trees have inspiredbetween me and my daughter. Who would’vethought two little trees would mean that much to ayoung girl and inspire her like they have.On a side note, my 6-year-old daughter recentlyaccompanied me on a paddlefish snagging trip. Shewas able to aid me in reeling in a 48 lb. paddlefish.Another wonderful experience for a Missouri youth.Thank you not only for the two trees, but for allthe opportunities the department helps to create formy family.Western foxsnakeSNAKE THIEVESI was interested in your article regarding illegalsnake trade in Missouri [Snake Thieves, April, Page22]. I was unaware of the problem. I am, however,very aware of the killing of snakes by people thatconsider them to be a nuisance or even a threat.As a child growing up near Forest Park in St.Louis in the 50s, I enjoyed seeing gartersnakes inthe park. Probably the neatest snake I have seen inthe wild in Missouri was a speckled kingsnake.Ken Piper via emailI really enjoyed reading your article about snakes.I have been playing with snakes since I was a kid.I always try to tell people, please don’t kill them!Snakes are good. Leave them alone. Thanks again.Jeff Berendzen via emailHUNTING FOR HUCKLEBERRIESAPRIL ISSUEMy husband saysthe April issue isthe best he hasever read. He hasbeen reading theConservationist formore than 40 years.We’ve been married35 years and havereceived a monthlycopy of it since.Barbara WholeyKansas CityYour article on Huckleberry Ridge Conservation Area[April, Page 30] brought back 80-year-old childhoodmemories of going to that area, then locally knownas Huckleberry Special, to pick the delicious berriesthat grew not far off the old gravel road. We wouldcome from the neighboring town of Jane with ourlard buckets to gather a supply to enjoy eating ingrandmother’s huckleberry cobbler. The berrieswere plentiful. It’s a shame they are so scarce today.Gerald Nichols Houston, TexasThough huckleberries may be scarce, they have notdisappeared from the landscape at HuckleberryRidge Conservation Area. Several patches have beenfound already this season in the area. —the editorsConnect With Us!/moconservation@moconservation@MDC online2 Missouri Conservationist June 2019Edward Hanrahan FlorissantTALKING TURKEYMy grandson and I attended a Youth Turkey Clinicin Clinton. Neither of us have ever been turkeyhunting. I was impressed with the enthusiasm andprofessionalism of the staff and instructors. Wehad a great time and learned a lot. Thank you forthe opportunity to explore a new hobby with suchknowledgeable people.Steve Epstein and Ethan Perrin via emailCORRECTIONDuck Creek Conservation Area is located southwestof Cape Girardeau, not southwest of Joplin aswas stated in the May issue of the MissouriConservationist [Page 30]. In addition, the fishinglake is 1,800 acres, not 18,000.Conservation Headquarters573-751-4115 PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180Regional OfficesSoutheast/Cape Girardeau: 573-290-5730Central/Columbia: 573-815-7900Kansas City: 816-622-0900Northeast/Kirksville: 660-785-2420Southwest/Springfield: 417-895-6880Northwest/St. Joseph: 816-271-3100St. Louis: 636-441-4554Ozark/West Plains: 417-256-7161WESTERN FOXSNAKE: NOPPADOL PAOTHONGLetters to the EditorHave aQuestion for aCommissioner?Send a note usingour onlinecontact form atmdc.mo.gov/commissioners.

UpFrontWant to see your photosin the Missouri Conservationist?Share your photos on Flickr atflickr.com/groups/mdcreaderphotos-2019,email Readerphoto@mdc.mo.gov,or include the hashtag #mdcdiscovernatureon your Instagram photos.with Sara Parker Pauley11 Brownthrasher byRaDel Hinckley,via Flickr22 Rabbitkits by DeanSchuchardt, viaemail3 Nature meetup by they.were.born.wild, viaInstagram3What a glorious spring it was with tales of successfulturkey hunts and the haunting memories of birds that gotaway! More important was the time afield, gazing at the nightsky and listening to the whippoorwills before first light painteda contrasting picture of the woods.Perhaps the most treasured of spring memories was time inturkey camp with dear friends, where turkey tales and savoredmeals were shared. One night, even poetry was recited. Myselection was The Man from Snowy River by Banjo Patterson,one of my favorites. One line in the poem aptly describes theend of my turkey season. As the rancher sees the wild horsesgo out of site, he claims to the other riders, “We may bid themob good day!” On the last day of the season, as the bird I’dbeen chasing preferred the neighbor’s green pastures to thewoods on my side of the fence, I uttered, “We may bid the gobbler good day!”There is always next year, and, until then, there is much todo now that summer is upon us. Our Missouri lakes are alivewith bass, blue gill, catfish, and more. The woods and fieldsare full of melodies and colors for our bird-watchers. And let’snot forget that squirrel hunting opened on May 25 (read moreon Page 16).Dishes and laundry can wait, my conservation friends. Outdoor summer memories are yours for the making.SARA PARKER PAULEY, DIRECTORSARA.PAULEY@MDC.MO.GOVMISSOURI CONSERVATION arryOrschelnThe Missouri Conservationist (ISSN 0026-6515) is the official monthly publication of the MissouriDepartment of Conservation, 2901 West Truman Boulevard, Jefferson City, MO (Mailing address: POBox 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102.) SUBSCRIPTIONS: Visit mdc.mo.gov/conmag, or call 573-5224115, ext. 3856 or 3249. Free to adult Missouri residents (one per household); out of state 7 per year;out of country 10 per year. Notification of address change must include both old and new address(send mailing label with the subscriber number on it) with 60-day notice. Preferred periodical postagepaid at Jefferson City, Missouri, and at additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send correspondenceto Circulation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180. Phone: 573-522-4115, ext. 3856 or 3249.Copyright 2019 by the Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri.Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Missouri Department of Conservation is available to all individuals without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestry,age, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability. Questions should be directed to the Department ofConservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102, 573-751-4115 (voice) or 800-735-2966 (TTY), orto Chief, Public Civil Rights, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW,Washington, D.C. 20240.Printed with soy inkmdc.mo.gov 3

NatureLABby BonnieChasteenEach month, we highlight researchMDC uses to improve fish, forest,and wildlife management.FOREST HEALTHGypsy Moth Monitoring“What’s at stake?” asked MDC Forest Entomologist Robbie Doerhoff. “More than 12 million acres ofoak-dominated forest.”She’s talking about Missouri’s annual efforts tomonitor the gypsy moth. This European species wasaccidentally released in the Boston area in 1869, andit has since become one of the most destructive forestpests in the U.S.Currently, the gypsy moth ranges from Maine toWisconsin, through northern Illinois, and into Ohioand Virginia. Every year, gypsy moth caterpillarsdefoliate over a million acres of forest and cost citizens an estimated 868 million in damages.While Missouri has no current infestations, monitoring efforts detected gypsy moths in Dent andTaney counties in the 1990s. These infestations weresuccessfully eradicated.MDC Forest Pathologist Natalie Diesel noted thatthe gypsy moth caterpillar eats 300 species of treesand shrubs, “but it loves oaks.”Forest EntomologistRobbie Doerhoffchecks traps for malegypsy moths.Annualefforts keepinvasivepest fromdevastatingMissouri’soak forestsGypsy MothMonitoringMonitoringpartners:10Number ofseasonalmonitoring staff2–10Number ofmale gypsymoths detectedannually12.2 millionAcres of Missouri oak forests at risk4 Missouri Conservationist June 2019MissouriDepartment ofAgricultureU.S.Department ofAgricultureU.S.Army / FortLeonard WoodMissouriNational Guard6,000–8,000Number of traps deployedevery summerLearn more at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZSkRESEARCH: NOPPADOL PAOTHONG;. GYPSY MOTH: JIM RATHERTYear gypsy mothmonitoring began2019 TargetCountiesMissouriDepartment ofConservationat a Glance1967After this pest becomes established in a new area,its numbers can periodically reach outbreak levels.“Millions of caterpillars devour all the leaves offof trees — even entire forests — in early spring. Thisfeeding damage is a major source of stress, whichcan make trees vulnerable to an array of secondaryinsect and disease issues,” Doerhoff said.“Our traps contain a pheromone lure that attractsmale gypsy moths,” Diesel said. “Once inside, mothsare captured by the trap’s sticky inner walls.”Monitoring efforts have captured about 500 malegypsy moths over the last 51 years. “With annualstatewide monitoring, we have a shot at eradicatingthis pest if we detect it early,” Doerhoff said.