Springfield News-Leader
The signature cacophony of cicadas chittering will be heard this year, but not quite to the degree states to the east will be treated with.
While Missouri may see straggler cicadas from other states, we won’t have the massive swarms of noisy insects because the state’s sleeping batch, referred to as Brood XIX, won’t emerge until 2024, said Francis Skalicky, media specialist with Missouri Department of Conservation.
Periodical cicadas not only emerge every 13 to 17 years in late May to early July while annual cicadas appear in late summer, they also have territories.
“It’s not like they roam around and migrate,” Skalicky said in a phone interview. “They have set territories.”
Springfield News-Leader
An Ash Grove man recently shot the latest state-record fish, surpassing his friend who held the previous record.
Alex Phillips was bowfishing at Table Rock Lake when he shot a two-pound, one-ounce redear sunfish April 28.
The previous record, caught by Phillips’ friend Josh Cole, was a one-pound, 12-ounce fish caught nearly two years ago to the day, per Missouri Department of Conservation.
“It’s quite a story,” Phillips said with a laugh.
As a fabricator, Phillips had just finished outfitting Cole s boat for bowfishing. Cole invited him out that night. They shot a lot of fish. Things were slowing down when Josh said he wanted to check that spot where he caught his record sunfish, Phillips recounted to MDC. I just happened to see four of them together one of them looked like a dinner plate.”
Springfield News-Leader
An Ash Grove man recently shot the latest state-record fish, surpassing his friend who held the previous record.
Alex Phillips was bowfishing at Table Rock Lake when he shot a two-pound, one-ounce redear sunfish April 28.
The previous record, caught by Phillips’ friend Josh Cole, was a one-pound, 12-ounce fish caught nearly two years ago to the day, per Missouri Department of Conservation.
“It’s quite a story,” Phillips said with a laugh.
As a fabricator, Phillips had just finished outfitting Cole s boat for bowfishing. Cole invited him out that night. They shot a lot of fish. Things were slowing down when Josh said he wanted to check that spot where he caught his record sunfish, Phillips recounted to MDC. I just happened to see four of them together one of them looked like a dinner plate.”
Springfield News-Leader
There may not be any reptile crossing signs posted, but turtles will be more visible as the weather warms.
Missouri Department of Conservation officials are urging the public to be cautious on the roads this spring and give turtles a brake, the department said via news release. These reptiles are often hit by cars during the warmer months, but are at special risk this time of year because they are more active, according to a news release.
The turtles spotted crossing Missouri roads are three-toed box turtles, ornate box turtles and snapping turtles. Most Missouri turtles can live up to 30 years, but the common box turtle can live up to 80, occasionally living more than a century, according to MDC.
Springfield News-Leader
Live camera footage showed raging waters at Roaring River following severe storms that swept the southwest region of Missouri Wednesday. This is a major, major flood today, said Paul Spurgeon, Roaring River Hatchery manager. We got about three inches in 40 minutes.
The canyon directly behind the fish hatchery pushed a wave of water and flushed through there pretty hard, Spurgeon said. It looked like it was still coming up, he added. When the water comes down and gets us from behind like that, it sweeps over the hatchery a little bit.
The main concern is the hatchery building, which rests on the lowest area and is full of fingerlings, or baby trout.