While out on a bird hike recently with a group of homeschool students, we discovered something very cool: a blue-gray gnatcatcher and its nest! Blue-gray gnatcatchers make a very unique nest with lichens from trees and use spider webs to put it all together. The nests have wonderful camouflage and can often be difficult to […]

Most people consider wildflowers to be the sign of spring. I, however, listen for the sound of “gobbling” on the wind to herald the season of renewal in Ohio. By this I mean, it’s time to talk some turkey! The wild turkey is one of Ohio’s largest bird species and can stand up to four […]

Last week, I decided to join the volunteer program with Great Parks. My first task was standing next to the trail at Winton Woods with all my birding gear, including a powerful spotting scope and field guides. Standing in front of the great blue heron colony, called a rookery, I was on the trail to […]

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the third grade class at Maddux Elementary. The visit was part of Great Parks’ Outreach efforts, where we take our naturalist programs “on the road,” out to schools and into the classrooms. The third graders at Maddux are currently learning about Ohio birds. The students were obviously very […]

With spring just around the corner, the time is coming to catch a glimpse of the first spring wildflowers of the year. Two of the first early risers, and most noticeable due to their bright yellow petals, are winter aconite and lesser celandine. Both of these wildflowers are non-native (meaning they do not originally come […]

Last week at Embshoff Woods Nature Preserve, I saw it! A first sign of spring: yellow wild flowers blooming in the warm February sunshine. What a great surprise for fellow Operations employee Eric Estridge and me. We discovered the open petals in the forest floor while reviewing the area around the maintenance building. It was only a week […]

What is a masterpiece? Simply put, it is a work of outstanding artistry, skill or workmanship. When viewed from afar, a single snowflake looks like a small frozen white ball. But let’s take a closer look. Formation of the snowflake begins aloft, way above the earth’s surface. It takes a very cold water droplet sticking […]

Seeing an arrowhead can evoke vivid images of Native Americans with bow and arrow in hand stalking prey. However, most of Ohio’s stone tools tell a different tale: the tale of the atlatl. The atlatl is essentially a simple machine that uses leverage to increase the dart’s velocity. The same principle of throwing an atlatl […]