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 […]

Have a great fish story? Send Great Parks fishing photos to fishinline@greatparks.org and we’ll feature it here!

The 2016 fishing season is officially open! Last Friday, we stocked 750-pounds of beautiful rainbow trout at Lake Isabella, which we will continue to stock until April 8. For the full stocking schedule, visit Great Parks’ website. You can also view the full schedule of fishing events for 2016, and I’ve included some exciting new information about […]

On a walk with my family at Glenwood Gardens, I witnessed two more signs that spring is fast approaching: a cornelian cherry tree (Cornus mas) and snowdrops (Galanthus sp.) were both in bloom along the Garden Loop Trail, bringing color and contrast to the landscape. While both are non-native to North America, they have been […]

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 […]

Snowy winters can be a great time to get outside and see wildlife. Although some animals are less active in the winter, one advantage to the season is the ability to track their movements in the snow. It’s also a fun reason to get outside in the winter while keeping your mind off the cold. […]

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 […]