On Monday, November 17, 2025, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) invites Mississippians of all ages to celebrate the natural beauty of our state by participating in National Take a Hike Day on November 17, 2025. It’s the perfect opportunity for everyone to visit one of Mississippi’s State Parks and hike some of the most scenic trails in the southeastern portion of the United States. In fact, all across our state, MDWFP has the perfect spot for families and friends to come and celebrate this yearly national event that focuses on healthy exercise and the great outdoors.

Scientists often get carried away with using what I call “fifty-cent” words and phrases when we talk about our favorite subjects. I try not to do that without defining the terms when I use them, but I occasionally forget. I recently described a common tree as part of the understory of a forest, assuming that everyone would know what I was talking about. Well, a kind friend called me out by asking a simple question – what is the understory? I offer this explanation as penance for my sin of omission.

Mississippi State’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and Astronomy Club are hosting a special Halloween public viewing Friday [Oct. 24] at the university’s Howell Observatory.

If you happen to see what looks like a dust bunny moving across the leaf of your favorite plant, look again. Underneath what looks like a pile of trash is a vicious predator – the larvae of a Green Lacewing. Everything about this common group of insects is focused on eating other bugs, especially those we often view as pests on the plants we like to care for. The adults and the larvae of lacewings are commonly referred to as beneficial insects because of this diet.