‘Tis the season to be holly! While most of the plant world has dropped their leaves for the winter, some native plants keep pumping out oxygen all winter long like this holly, Ilex spp. The holly is specially adapted to hold its leaves through the winter with a thick cuticle that holds water in and […]

“There are two northern cardinals and three dark-eyed juncos on the trail!” Julie yelled back at me. I faithfully recorded the sightings into my log while the 14 kids between us all jostled to get a focus on the birds. My left hand was snug in its glove, but my right hand had to suffer […]

Winter in Cincinnati can seem drab and dreary if you only focus on your surroundings during the day. A great way to experience winter is to bundle up and go out when the dark velvety sky is dressed in its finest jewels: the stars. With longer hours of darkness and crisp, clear skies, winter is […]

On a cool, brisk morning in November, three busloads of second graders pull up in front of Sharon Centre ready to begin their day. As they unload, the teachers rush to count heads and split them into groups. I take the opportunity to observe the group in preparation for the program ahead. “Um . . […]

On a recent Sunday afternoon under a cloudy November sky, I joined some fellow naturalists for my first lesson in flint knapping. In its simplest terms, flint knapping is making arrowheads and spear tips from stone. Stone is broken away by percussion and pressure flaking, which were two terms new to me. Adam, the instructor, […]

The whisper of Vlad the Impaler spawns a morbid curiosity in even those who think themselves innocent. He is the inspiration for Count Dracula and known to history as a real big jerk. This blog hasn’t really got anything to do with Dracula, or “Dragulya” as he called himself, but the mythos that surrounds his […]

On any given morning, a walk around the lake at Miami Whitewater Forest can present you with some interesting sights. A great blue heron waiting patiently for its morning catch, an avid fisherman doing the same or a flock of noisy geese flying overhead would not be uncommon. This time of year, however, a walk […]

Recently I was asked to present a program about park history. History… I love it and I love to dig through the vintage park photos. So for me this wasn’t work at all but fun. For this presentation, I wanted to get some really good vintage photos, some that might not have seen the light […]