Springfield Conservation Nature Center — The 21st Century Matriarch

One of the places I wanted to see while I was in Springfield, Missouri was the Conservation Nature Center. The weather was wet and cold when we arrived. I took a few pictures of the oak trees in the parking lot – noting a school bus (a group that might have been on a field trip) too.

The triangular logo was on the building as we made our way to the door. The emphasis is on conservation rather than natural resources or nature as in Maryland where we have a Department of Natural Resources. It seems to be a semantic difference that may have some broader implications although it wasn’t obvious looking at the displays in the Springfield Conservation Nature Center.

The foyer space was used for bird shapes – on the floor and overhead. It was a good display to compare relative sizes of birds.

There was a wall of windows that looked out onto a small pond and bird feeders. The November birds in Missouri are the ones I recognize from my feeders in Maryland: titmouse, Carolina wren, downy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, nuthatch. I talked with the volunteer there about the types of naturalist groups in Springfield…and volunteer opportunities. It would be easy to find similar volunteer gigs in Springfield that I have in Maryland; another bit of information for when (and if) we move to Missouri.

There were some live exhibits – turtles, frogs and snakes….some fish.