2nd week of Master Naturalist Core Training

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The second week for Missouri Master Naturalist Core Training focused on ecosystems and populations…particularly water and streams (and riparian zones). The class session started with a gathering outside to play a web-of-life game (note the string). The light was beginning to wane by the time we finished!

The field trip was to a place along Bull Creek south of Springfield. We organized carpools since the road should not be attempted by low clearance cars!

I enjoyed some quiet time after the flurry of activity getting everyone organized into groups and out to their first rotation.

Then I went on a short hike into the woods with one of the groups.

During the last rotation time – another quiet time for me, I noticed some yellow and orange butterflies in a sun filled area and went over to investigate. Sleepy orange butterflies!

I looked around…and almost stepped on the senna – which is the food plant for their caterpillars!

When the gear was brought back from the creek – there was a container with a large dragonfly larva….a great finale for my field trip pictures!

Ten Little Celebrations – September 2026

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September always seems to be a busy month – but this year seems busier than most with the overlay of the Missouri Master Naturalist core training that I am facilitating. There has been a lot to celebrate within the increased level of activity!

Wild Ozarks video – again. Before the core training started, I watched the video again since we were asking the students to view it. I celebrated it all over again!

Core training started. I celebrated when we finally got the roster finalized and got the training started. There were 2 classes and 2 field trips in the last weeks of September.

Cooler morning butterfly house shift. Toward the end of September, the days finally started to be a little cooler. I celebrated that it only got into the low 80s….warm enough for the butterflies to be active but comfortable for humans too!

Rockspan. It was a wonderful place for a field trip – even though the day was hot. I celebrated the breeze, the special location, and that the core training students seemed to enjoy the nature journal session that I hosted for one of their rotations.

Green Heron at Ha Ha Tonka. Seeing a Green Heron is always a celebration for me. Of course, the state park has a lot of great things to see…this was just my favorite for that visit.

Imperial Moth Caterpillars. Celebrated seeing another species that has large caterpillars.

Tree ID workshop. Celebrated seeing so many cuttings from native trees…and the lecture pointing out characteristics to clinch the id.

Field trip to Bull Creek. Another special place…new to most of the core training students. I always find something to celebrate there and this time it was probably observing the students experience it for the first time.

Woodland management in action. I celebrated a field trip to see places where the strategies described in webinars I’d viewed had been applied.

Butterflies. There are more butterflies in my yard than last year…maybe because of the native plants I’ve added. Cause for celebration!

Hot Afternoon in the Forest (2)

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Continuing our hot afternoon in the forest….

It was too hot to hike so I took a few pictures of wildflowers near the cabin

And looking up from my chair in the shade.

We stayed until just before dusk when the fireflies were beginning to come out…and I took a few pictures across the field as I got into the car. The moon was up and there were some clouds in the sky. Some year I’ll stay longer to see the moths that are active at night – but not this year since I had signed up for the next morning shift in the Butterfly House.

As we made our way back on the rutted road, it got darker. We somehow didn’t notice when we passed the cemetery.  The road obviously wasn’t bumpier than when we drove toward the cabin, but we went a bit slower in the gloom and were glad when we got back to the paved road.

Hot Afternoon in the Forest (1)

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The potluck event I wrote about yesterday was for the volunteers and staff that support the Roston Native Butterfly House. It was a very hot day, but we persevered to experience the forest along Bull Creek south of Springfield. After the turn off from the paved road, the way is a rutted historic road which should not be done in a low-clearance vehicle (my daughter has an SUV, and it handled the road well at low speed). Parts of the creek are visible from the road!

The trees form an arch over the road. There were three cars in our group. I shared my insect repellent spray when we got there – didn’t want anyone to get bitten by a tick.

One of the first things I did was see how far along the spicebush fruit was (I knew where there were some female trees from a previous visit). There was one red one and the rest were still green.

The moss on the shed and well roof shingles was about the same as I remembered.

I was glad I brought plenty of water and a peas/corn side dish (cool) for the potluck….and appreciated that the food was in the air-conditioned cabin.

The high point of the evening was seeing some young bluebirds that had been rescued after their parents abandoned them in the their nest box. They were being hand fed and would fledge soon.

More about the adventure tomorrow -