Your everyday interactions with those around you can have a lifelong impact. I have early childhood memories that I now realize helped shape who I am today. I can remember when my school principal shared a paw paw fruit with my kindergarten class. Our elementary school was also visited by a naturalist who showed us […]

The Stewardship Department really knows the parks inside and out. They’re almost always out in the field collecting water samples, conducting plant surveys, tracking native species or any number of behind-the-scenes conservation activities. As the days get longer and there’s more time for exploring outdoors, a few members of the Stewardship team shared their favorite […]

The arrival of spring is a time of renewal in natural systems. Flowers start to bloom, birds pair up and frogs call to one another to create future generations. Beneath the waves – escaping the notice of many park patrons – fishes throughout the parks are preparing to spawn as water temperatures rise. The fishes […]

My first coyote report came from a Forest Park resident nearly 20 years ago. Though not surprising at the time, it certainly was not an everyday occurrence. Today, the coyote has become widespread in our area with frequent reports coming to us and to many of the local municipalities and townships. Readers of this blog […]

This past fall and winter season of 2012 marked a record year for honeysuckle removal. A mild winter of 2011 meant an odd season for the 2012 honeysuckle crew. Everything from birds to plants seemed to be migrating and blooming a little earlier than usual. This meant a jump start for the honeysuckle crews. From […]

What kind of forest will we leave for the next generation? These white tree tubes protect nearly 10,000 saplings that were planted by volunteers at Miami Whitewater Forest. The bright oak leaves in the foreground give us a hint at the fall beauty they will show future generations of nature enthusiasts. This reforestation work is […]

If you’ve been to Sharon Woods lately, you may have noticed that the lake looks a little different than usual thanks to one of the smallest flowering plants in the world: duckweed. Duckweed (Lemna minor) is a very small floating aquatic plant that is often mistaken for algae. While it may look like one solid […]

While preparing for another season of removing invasive Amur honeysuckle, I have seen some pretty interesting things throughout our Great Parks. Recently, while scouting at Woodland Mound, I couldn’t help but notice the color red. As I approached the wetland area north of Chipmunk Shelter, a bright red cardinal flower (Lobelia Cardinalis) caught my eye. […]