• Common name: Walking stick. • Scientific name: Order Phasmida (sometimes listed as Phasmatodea). • Nicknames: Devil’s darning needle, witch’s horse. • Claim to fame: These insects are best known for their unique, twig-like shapes, a form that have given them the common name of “stick bugs.” Walkingsticks are commonly seen in late summer and…
• Species: Horned lark. • Scientific name: Eremophila alpestris. • Nicknames: Shore lark. • Claim to fame: In birding circles, horned larks are known as North America’s only “true” larks. (Meadowlarks are closely related to blackbirds and grackles and are not taxonomically classified as larks.) Horned larks’ love of open areas has made them one…
• Species: Bobcat. • Scientific name: Lynx rufus. • Nicknames: None. • Claim to fame: Bobcats are one of the animals included in the state’s trapping season (also known as furbearer season). This season runs from November 15 through Jan. 31 for most species (see Wildlife Code of Missouri for details). As predators and scavengers,…
• Species: Six-spotted fishing spider. • Scientific name: Dolomedes triton. • Nicknames: None. • Claim to fame: These long-legged, dark-colored spiders are set apart from their arachnid cousins by their unique hunting method – they can dive underwater in search of aquatic prey. Though the venom of these spiders is toxic enough to kill a…
• Species: Dragonfly. • Scientific name: Order Odonata. • Nicknames: Darners, skimmers. • Claim to fame: Dragonflies are familiar sights to Ozarkers throughout the summer. Though they look like creatures that could sting and/or bite, they do neither to humans. On the contrary, these large-winged insects perform a beneficial service to people by preying on…
• Species: Virile crayfish (also called the northern crayfish). • Scientific name: Faxonius virilis. • Nicknames: Crawdad, crawfish. • Claim to fame: Virile crayfish are the most commonly found species of crayfish in the Ozarks and throughout much of Missouri. Crayfish have gained prominence in the Ozarks for several reasons. One is that they are…
• Species: Rainbow trout. • Scientific name: Oncorhynchus mykiss. • Nicknames: None. • Claim to fame: Rainbow trout are a popular sportfish in Missouri. They’re in the news March 1 thanks to Missouri’s March 1 trout park opener, but this isn’t the only time Missourians fish for rainbow trout. Studies have shown trout fishing in…
• Species: Blue-winged teal. • Scientific name: Anas discors. • Nicknames: None. • Claim to fame: This small duck’s migratory flights through this area each fall provides waterfowl hunters with an early hunting opportunity. Most of Missouri’s waterfowl seasons start in late October or November (depending on what zone you hunt in), but the state’s…
