What to Look for in the Missouri Outdoors in August

If you're looking for ways to connect with nature in Missouri, here's some ideas of what to look for in August.

• Natural Events
• Snapping turtle eggs begin hatching
• Wild Cherries ripen
• Pocketbook mussels start breeding
• Badgers begin breeding

August means annual cicadas will emerge. They usually appear during the dog days of summer. You'll recognize the large, winged insects by their loud, raspy calls. Here's something you probably din't know about them. They make excellent fishing bait!

If you're traveling through the wooded areas, take note. Female copperheads will start giving birth to their babies in August. Remember, copperheads are venomous. If you happen upon one of these snakes giving birth, keep your distance!

Here's something to get the hunter's juices flowing. Male white-tailed deer rub the velvet off their antlers in August. You can take a hike through the woods and look for their rubs on small trees.

And last but not least. How about trying a different drink this summer? Instead of lemonade try a sumacade! Sumac is an alternative to making a cool summer drink. The shrub forms thickets along roadsides and fencerows. They produce a cone-shaped cluster of rusty red berries that are ripe for picking. According to the Missouri Conservationist:

• Collect a dozen sumac clusters and shake out out all the bugs.
• Submerge the clusters in a large bowl filled with water, and rub them until the powder that coats the berries turns the water pink.
• Strain the water through an old (but clean) tea towel into a pitcher.
• Add sugar and ice.

You now have a new twist on a refreshing summer drink!