“Creatures of the Night” Hike

By Teala Sadler (2025) 

On June 26th, the Heartland Conservation Alliance’s first Summer Night Hike was held at Alex George Wetland. In preparation for this event, flyers were distributed on community boards throughout the city. People noticed, and almost 40 individuals from around the metro showed up. This is the third hike that I’ve led as the 2026 Blue River Nature Guide (BRiNG) liaison for 2026 and each event has increased in attendance, I think largely due to the circulation of analog infographics. People seem to be much more excited to engage in their communities in offline formats, which is great news for those who want to inspire others to get outside. This season’s hike focused on “creatures of the night,” such as birds, bats, and bugs. Having just attended several informational sessions at the Master Naturalist Conference in St Louis, I was happy to relay some of the things I had learned from Don Phiken, from Dark Sky Missouri, as well as Shelly Colatskie, a bat ecologist for MDC. As we strolled along the paved Blue River Greenway, I pointed out a crepuscular indigo bunting, as well as several evening bats flying above the open fields of summer grass and wildflowers. Some participants got to see some deer sneaking through the woods, and the fireflies decorated the trees as we returned to our starting point. As we ended the hike, a barred owl bid us a good night with his call, and close to 40 people, many of them new to Missouri and the wonder of Alex George Wetland, were inspired to notice the beauty around them, day and night.