Exploring the Ozarks Outdoors: freshare.net

I hadn’t wet a line in a while, so my plan was to ply the waters of Capps Creek for a couple of hours in search of a few rainbow or brown trout. Capps is a location where I’ve either…[more]

I don’t have a fear of snakes. But I won’t be the first one in line to hold one either. In fact, I may not get in line at all. If I see one in the wild, I am curious…[more]

Camping in the Ozarks this time of year means being prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions. That’s written from experience. Last time around, the trip included ancient sleeping bags that were probably rated for mild 50 degree temperatures, not the…[more]

For me, the emergence of May apple plants in early spring signals the start of morel season. I look for colonies of these umbrella-shaped plants as pretty reliable barometers of mushroom picking time. But this time of year, it’s the…[more]

When I moved to Arkansas some years ago, I worked the four to twelve shift in a factory in town and attended classes at the university during the day. Sleep was at a premium for me, but a pileated woodpecker…[more]

Most of us have heard that a group of wolves is called a pack, that whales travel together in pods and that quail hang around in a covey. But did you know that a school of trout isn’t a school…[more]

Last year, I built a couple of bluebird houses but the only occupants were families of sparrows that filled the space with grasses and raised their young inside. While sparrows are nice, I more enjoy bluebirds with their spectacular coloring…[more]

Last season, dry weather conditions played havoc with those of us who searched the forest floor hoping to find succulent morel mushrooms. The thought of a tasty batch cooked in butter or breaded and fried is enough to keep spirits…[more]

While reading my newsletter from the Ozark Natural Science Center this week, I discovered something I never realized. Those redbud blooms that I wait for as early signs that spring has arrived are actually edible. Naturally, I headed out to…[more]

I have a great time watching squirrels. Their behavior is so erratic it’s captivating. And, although they cost me quite a bit of money during the winter as they rob my bird feeders of sunflower seeds, I put up with…[more]