Languedoc, a region in the South of France, is full of lanes lined with London planetrees. Upon first glance, this tree bears a striking resemblance to our American sycamore. The plane’s leaves are somewhat smaller, but the bark has the same distinct white coloration as our sycamore. The London planetree (Platanus x acerifolia) is a […]

Did you know that there are more than 20 times more species of moths than butterflies in Ohio? There are more than 160,000 species of moth worldwide and more than 3,000 of those can be found right here in Ohio. And new species are being discovered and catalogued every year! Only about 1% of moth […]

No one is immune to the beautiful summer evening flash displays of lightning bugs. But there is more to their flash than meets the eye, and their wandering is hardly aimless. Their flash is only the gateway to lives of love, deception and murder. Here are five facts you may not know about lightning bugs. […]

The milkweed is blooming, the milkweed is blooming! Why all of the excitement? Common milkweed is a favorite plant for more than 450 species of aphids, bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies, moths and more. Whether these insects are using it as a nursery for their larvae to munch on once hatched or sipping nectar from the […]

If I asked you to draw a picture of a ladybug, could you do it? The ladybug is easily one of the most recognizable insects in the world. In many cultures across the globe, it is also seen as a symbol of luck and good fortune. Unfortunately, over the past 20 years native ladybugs that […]

The raccoon is a very unique animal. Its behavior and look are so interesting, that people took raccoons from their native home in North America and released them in Europe where they can now be quite a nuisance. Because of its immigrant status, each of the raccoon’s new-found countries gives it a local name. Almost […]

As a Great Parks’ naturalist for the past 18 years, one thing I have noticed lately is how difficult it can be to pull children and adults away from electronic devices long enough to enjoy the great outdoors. Rather than fighting the challenge, I have found a way to embrace it. Great Parks is jumping […]

On the corner of Riddle Road and Springfield Pike, a sliver of Glenwood Gardens is nestled in among the neighbors of the City of Woodlawn. With the Mill Creek winding through it, it has the potential to host a variety of wildlife and wildflowers in the midst of a quick-moving urban environment. Throughout the years, […]