Frog crafts, calls, games, hikes, observations, catching and displays – all things frog took over Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve during the month of May. Staff and volunteers take this time to celebrate the changing of the seasons, as amphibians of all kinds make themselves known. This past month, more than 600 children visited this small patch […]

It is that time of year once again. With warmer temperatures come the beautiful blooms of our region’s spring wildflowers. Whether you are in your favorite park, nature preserve or even your own backyard, there are blooms to discover all around us. Great Parks is fortunate to have healthy populations of native wildflowers in many […]

Many studies have shown that spending time outdoors can be linked to less stress, improved creativity and better health. With that in mind, I feel no guilt about leaving the dishes in the sink after dinner to explore all that nature has to offer this time of year. And if your family is anything like […]

Recently, a call came into the naturalist desk at Winton Woods inquiring about the identification of an injured bird. I took the call and had the woman on the phone describe the bird as best she could. She told me that it was small and brown with a long beak and a white stripe. I […]

Can you smell it? Spring is in the air. I don’t mean the aroma of flowers or rain or anything most people find remotely pleasant. It’s actually the first trace of skunk that makes me happy. Their stirring from winter dens is proof the ground is warming, creeping toward the next season. This boldly marked […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]