The Ozarks experienced a weather phenomenon we haven’t seen in awhile: persistent sub-freezing temperatures. Shortly before Christmas the temperatures dropped, some snow fell, and the air remained very cold for about three weeks.

 I absolutely love the cold and snow. Wh...

On this cold, snowy weekend, I so want to get outside and explore.  The snow is so beautiful and being in nature regardless of the weather renews me - always. This is also Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s holiday - a day set aside to honor and remember him and the struggle...

Holy cow! It’s been SO LONG since I’ve written a blog post. Many reasons and no excuses, really!

The year of 2017 saw a few changes in NatureHood activities. For the first time since 2014 we did not hold our Butterflies and Bees Celebration. It just seemed time to move...

As dawn crept across the prairie, three amazing birds gathered in an open field to battle

each other and establish territory.  These males fought not only for territory - but for the attention of females.  Late winter and early spring are critical for the procreation o...

Springfield, Missouri is now, officially, a Monarch-friendly community!  On Thursday, March 9, 2017, Mayor Bob Stephens read a proclamation committing Springfield to efforts to save the Monarch.  Specifically mentioned was removing Milkweed (Asclepias spp) from the cit...

The weather in Southwest Missouri on Saturday, February 11, 2017 was unusually warm for late winter.  The temperature rose to the lower 80s with just enough humidity to make it feel like spring.  As a result many of the college students in my community took the the out...

For the past few weeks I’ve been taking a free MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)  offered by the University of Alberta called Palaeontology: Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds. This class was well-structured, interesting, and, with a little stick-to-it-iveness,...

Early September brings cooler weather, the new school year, and a three day celebration of everyday people like you and me - hard working folks who keep this country and this economy going and growing.  Labor Day.

So, in honor of this special occasion, I would like to t...

It's election season again, and things are heating up!  Not only is it time to think about political

decisions, this is also the time to think about our environment and things we can all do to help our environment and leave a positive legacy.

This is the perfect time of...

On Saturday, June 18, we held our third annual Butterflies and Bees Celebration in the

Rountree neighborhood. Despite the heat and glaring sun, approximately 100 people joined us to learn more about butterflies and bees.  The little ones enjoyed making crafts.  Over 40...