During June and early July, it is not uncommon to come upon sometimes large snapping turtles while hiking in the parks. That is because it’s peak egg-laying season for Ohio’s largest turtle, the common snapping turtle, Chelydra Serpentina. While they typically reside in all types of freshwater habitat within the parks, females will move extensively […]

As spring progresses forward, so does the Taking Root campaign. So far, Great Parks has planted just over 34,000 trees! With the generous help of our many volunteers, we are now above the halfway point to our goal of completing 60,000 tree plantings by 2016. In case you were driving by an area of the […]

At Great Parks, we really love our trees. Lucky for us, with almost 17,000 acres of preserved green space, we have a lot to love. But our trees are in trouble. Invasive plants, hostile bugs and destructive fungus are all threatening the health and diversity of our local canopy. That’s why Great Parks became a […]

The arrival of spring is a time of renewal in natural systems. Flowers start to bloom, birds pair up and frogs call to one another to create future generations. Beneath the waves – escaping the notice of many park patrons – fishes throughout the parks are preparing to spawn as water temperatures rise. The fishes […]

Finally, the ice is thawing on a small wet depression in the forest floor called a vernal pool. In late winter, a timeless ritual begins as spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) begin to emerge from the leaf litter and move toward their ancestral breeding pool. Spotted salamanders spend their life burrowing through the soil and leaf […]

Recently, Great Parks has received a flurry of coyote sightings and even a few reports of pets being attacked, so we thought it is time for a refresher and update on our largest wild canine. Coyote have been in our midst for several decades, but are becoming more noticeable as the population increases and wild […]

What kind of forest will we leave for the next generation? These white tree tubes protect nearly 10,000 saplings that were planted by volunteers at Miami Whitewater Forest. The bright oak leaves in the foreground give us a hint at the fall beauty they will show future generations of nature enthusiasts. This reforestation work is […]

If you’ve been to Sharon Woods lately, you may have noticed that the lake looks a little different than usual thanks to one of the smallest flowering plants in the world: duckweed. Duckweed (Lemna minor) is a very small floating aquatic plant that is often mistaken for algae. While it may look like one solid […]