Eli The Nature Guy

I am a student at Missouri Western State University working towards my degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management. I love everything about the outdoors and love to share it even more.

[elithenatureguy]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Although it's not a turkey, this is a commonly eaten game bird called a Gamble Quail. A common bird in the American southwest, they are roughly the same size as doves. These birds feed on seeds and other plant parts. The males have a darker brown head and a clear white halo. These quails don't live in groups; they are monogamous and only travel with there mate. #quail #thanksgiving #etng

[elithenatureguy]

The saguaro cactus are a slow growing cactus found in the Sonoran Desert - located in Arizona, California, and Mexico. They can grow up 70 feet tall and be over 150 years old. The cactus pictured here is easily over 100 years old. Many birds dig out holes in the sides of these for nesting. The flower of the saguaro cactus is the state flower of Arizona, and appear April through June. Many animals feed on the nectar of these flowers including: doves, bees, and bats. The flowers turn into a red fruit at the end of June and are eaten by birds, and even tortoise if it is knocked off of the cactus. This iconic cactus of the southwest is not endangered, but due to its limited range it is protected by the government. Causing any harm to them is against the law. #ETNG #EliTheNatureGuy #Saguaro #Cactus #Arizona #SonoranDesert #🌵

[elithenatureguy]

Earlier today, someone sent me this picture on Facebook asking what kind of snake it is. What we have here is a Midland Brown Snake. They are fairly common and found state-wide and throughout this region. A full grown Midland grows to be about 9-13 inches long. Their main food is earthworms and slugs. Find me on Facebook by searching Eli the Nature Guy and let me know if you have any strange critters wondering around! #elithenatureguy #wildlife #etng #snake #nature

[elithenatureguy]

This is a Freckled Crayfish, a fresh water crayfish that lives in the Missouri Ozarks region. It is an endemic species to Missouri, which means it only lives in our state. Due It's limited range, the population is considerably limited, making this species a conservation concern. #elithenatureguy #etng #crayfish #endemic #mdcdiscovernature #freckledcrayfish #nature #wildlife

[elithenatureguy]

The frost is coming! Many places across the Midwest are beginning to fall victim to this year's first frost. Some people dread this moment knowing that winter is just around the corner, but really it is the start of exiting events and changes! Frost marks the time when most of the tree leaves begin to change to their autumn colors. It is also a good indicator as to when the deer mating season will start. On top of that, we can look forward to some uncommon birds starting to fly overhead as they migrate south for winter. #elithenatureguy #etng #frost #nature #winter #fall

[elithenatureguy]

This little guy is a type of writing spider, sometimes called a yellow garden spider. They live throughout many parts of the Americas and even in Hawaii. It is called "writing spider" because of a distinct zig-zag pattern it makes in its web. Though pretty non-aggressive, if handled improperly, this spider will bite. They are slightly venomous and their bite is comparable to a bee sting. #etng #elithenatureguy #spider #wildlife #nature #gardenspider

[elithenatureguy]

Happy Red Thursday KC! Here we have a Chinese Hibiscus. These flowers are commonly used in laboratories to study floral characteristics. #redthursday #kansascitychiefs #chiefskingdom #hibiscus #flower #etng #elithenatureguy

[elithenatureguy]

This is a Clark's Nutcracker. These birds live in forested areas west of the Rocky Mountians, from Canada to Mexico. Their main source of food is pine nuts - their beak is specially designed to break into pine cones. I saw this guy while I was out fighting wildland fires in Wyoming. It was surprising to see how much wildlife had returned right after a fire. #elithenatureguy #etng #clarksnutcracker #bird #wildlife #nature

[elithenatureguy]

Here we have a Virginia Opossum (Latin: Didelphis Virginiana). Commonly called possums, they are the only marsupial in North America. Marsupials are mammals that raise their young in a pouch after birth. As you can see here in this photo, we were able to pull the babies out of the pouch to check their health, all while the mother is sedated. #rang #elithenatureguy #opossum #mammal #marsupial #nature #research #feildwork (at Missouri Western State University)

[elithenatureguy]

Hello everyone! Hopefully you didn't forget about me while I have been off in Washington helping prevent the spread of wildfires. I was stationed near this lake, Lake Chelan, which was the clearest lake I have ever seen! #Washington #lakechelan #wildfire #etng #lake #mountains

[elithenatureguy]

At Dunn Ranch in northern Missouri, American Bison (commonly called Buffalo) are able to roam freely over 20,000 acres of prairie. This herd survives with extremely minimal human contact, meaning they are not fed, sheltered, and so on. Even in the winter months, no warmth is provided, after all, American Bison are built to be tough and withstand the harsh Midwest climate. #etng #elithenaturegut #missouri #buffalo #bison #wildlife #nature #dunnranch #prairie

[elithenatureguy]

Happy Friday, everyone! Today I am going to head up to Dunn Ranch to help @moconservation set up for Prairie Days, going on this weekend! There will be a social and movie shown tonight, and tomorrow there will be tons more activities starting as early as 6AM. Bird watching hikes, prairie plant identification hikes, and Missouri mammals (including bison) and reptiles, are among several activities that the family can participate in. Come visit me tomorrow hanging out with the mammals! #mdc #mdcdiscovernature #dunnranch #prairie #elithenaturegut #etg #mdcprairedays #nature #wildlife #tgif #missouri

[elithenatureguy]

For this fine #FlashbackFriday I've got a picture of this guy, an American Alligator. I took this picture several years back while on a family vacation to Sanibel Island, Florida. The only other species of Alligator is the Chinese Alligator, which doesn't grow to the same size as the American. #etng #elithenatureguy #americanalligator #alligator #sanibel #florida #nature #tgif

[elithenatureguy]

For this fine #FlashbackFriday I've got a picture of this guy, an American Alligator. I took this picture several years back while on a family vacation to Sanibel Island, Florida. The only other species of Alligator is the Chinese Alligator, which doesn't grow to the same size as the American. #etng #elithenatureguy #americanalligator #alligator #sanibel #florida #nature #tgif

[elithenatureguy]

Here we have a Leopard Frog, a name used for 14 different species of frog. If you are looking for something to do this weekend come visit this little guy at #Herp-o-Rama at the Northwest Regional Office of the Missouri Department of Conservation. The event will be Saturday, June 13, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. This is a fun and educational event that is free to the public. This year’s event will include Casey’s Creatures, educational presentations in an outdoor amphitheater, face painting, and the opportunity to touch or hold LIVE native and exotic amphibians and reptiles. See you there! #etng #elithenatureguy #leopardfrog #frog #tgif #MDCdiscovernature @moconsecration

[elithenatureguy]

Today I headed up to the Dunn Ranch Prairie near Albany, MO with @moconservation to help in preparation for the upcoming #prairiedays. We set up reptile cover boards and set up a grid for (safe) mammal traps. I hope everyone can make it out to Prairie Days in a couple of weeks! More information can be found on mdc.mo.gov. #MDCdiscovernature #GRGprairiedays

[elithenatureguy]

Spent all day out on the trails! Looking forward to next year...or just next week! Happy #NationalTrailsDay #Hiking #hahatonka #etng #elithenatureguy