Have you been wondering how our local birds can survive the bitter cold temperatures this winter? Birds are warm blooded, just like humans, meaning they can produce their own body heat. They take it a step further though. Birds have a higher metabolic rate than us, allowing them to stay at a higher temperature (around 105 degrees […]

Are you wondering how cold this winter will be? Some people believe that banded woolly bear caterpillars can give us that answer. It is thought that if a woolly bear has longer black stripes than red, the winter will be colder and thus, if it has a wider red stripe, the winter will be mild. I won’t […]

Park guest Lisa spotted this hopping mad frog at Glenwood Gardens earlier this fall. It’s cool to see a not-quite-grown frog still with its tail, but this guy also has an extra leg! We asked our nature interpreters what may have caused this odd phenomenon. Though we can’t say for sure what caused this frog […]

At Great Parks, we strive to protect aquatic ecosystems and preserve the natural beauty of our waterways. An important part of this effort includes cleaning up litter from river and stream banks. Discarded trash is extremely damaging to waterways worldwide — it harms aquatic life, degrades physical habitat, transports concentrated chemical pollutants and can interfere […]

May 22 is recognized as International Day for Biological Diversity. Areas or ecosystems with high biodiversity have a wide variety of species present, across multiple groups, such as trees, wildflowers, birds and mammals. Undisturbed natural areas typically have high biodiversity, while those modified by humans tend to have much lower biodiversity. You may have seen […]

Animals experiencing albinism lack melanin. But have you encountered animals with leucistic traits? Conservation Biologist Zuri shares how in the animal kingdom, things are not always what they appear.

Did you know that the Shaker Trace Loop trail at Miami Whitewater Forest is nearly eight miles of paved, shared-use trail that winds through prairies, wetlands and woods? Whether you run, walk or pedal, you’ll have an excellent opportunity to see the amazing flora and fauna in these habitats. Spring, summer and fall they are […]

Stripes may look good on your cat, but don’t get the striations from Mephitis mephitis mixed up with your pet. You might end up with an acrid stench you won’t be able to easily get rid of. About the same size as the average pet cat, striped skunks have a small head and short legs. […]