May is American wetlands month
Our Wander & Wonder video explores the diverse habitats of the wetlands at Pickerington Ponds Metro Park, with its beautiful ponds surrounded by wildflowers and tall grasses. It’s a landscape …Read More
Getting to know Ohio’s resident flying squirrel
AYDEN VAN FOSSEN Naturalist at Highbanks Metro Park When you think of squirrels in Ohio, likely the first images to pop into your head are that of gray squirrels running …Read More
Where have all the dragons gone?
ANDREW BOOSE Aquatic Ecologist The weather cools, and the aerially acrobatic dragons exit. The dragons of the aquatic realm take up their hunting under the watery surface. Stealthily, lying in …Read More
Believe it, or Not! A few nature myths
SCOTT FELKER Three Creeks Naturalist As a Metro Parks naturalist, I’ve heard many things over the years. Kids often go into “stream of consciousness” monologues that usually start with “One …Read More
Fishes of the Metro Parks
ANDREW BOOSE Aquatic Ecologist The Metro Parks, as a whole, is located within two Ohio River watersheds. There are two rivers (Olentangy and the Scioto), 11 creeks (Alum, Blacklick, Big …Read More
Fighting the hemlock woolly adelgid
AN UPDATE ON TREATMENT FOR THE HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID AT CLEAR CREEK METRO PARK Staff and volunteers were able to tag over 6,000 hemlock trees in two separate areas of …Read More
Insects on the go
JILL SNYDER Visitor Engagement Manager As the temperature soars, many animals, including park visitors, tend to find shade and rest during the heat of the day. But that isn’t true …Read More
To the Bat Pole…!
CARRIE MORROW Assistant Resource Manager A METRO PARKS RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SUCCESS STORY Every year, Metro Parks staff and volunteers return to the bat roosts installed at Battelle Darby Creek Metro …Read More
Sand darter becomes the latest “underwater warbler” discovered in Metro Parks
ANDREW BOOSE Aquatic Ecologist As central Ohio streams warm just a little, a cacophony of color plays out under the rapids, riffles, runs and pools. The fish known as darters …Read More
Metro Parks Uncovered: It’s Warbler Season!
STEPHANIE WEST Senior Naturalist – Blendon Woods and Rocky Fork Metro Parks You know all about baseball season, football season, and basketball season, but are you familiar with warbler season? …Read More
Metro Parks Uncovered: A Symphony of Springtime Sounds
KATIE BENNETT Naturalist, Clear Creek Metro Park Regardless of the forecast or temperature, nature has many ways of letting us know spring is on the way. Signs of spring are …Read More
Requiem For a Fish – The Secrets of the Scioto Madtom
CRAIG BIEGLER Naturalist, Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park When the Endangered Species Act was written in 1973, it was designed to protect the rarest animals and plants in the United …Read More
Springtime brings new life to Slate Run Farm
DAVE TROTTER, Interpretive Aide Spring brings many changes to the farm. As the weather warms, the activity around the farm increases dramatically. The wheat planted last October is greening up …Read More
The bats are swinging back to Clear Creek
CARRIE MORROW, Assistant Resource Manager It’s a chilly winter day. There aren’t any insects flying around and the creeks and ponds are covered in ice. In the recesses of rock …Read More
Birds, Birds, Everywhere in your Metro Parks
STEPHANIE WEST, Naturalist Blendon Woods Migration has started already! Even though March temperatures have been consistently well below freezing you can really begin to feel the coming of spring. I …Read More
Love is in the air…
SCOTT FELKER, Three Creeks Naturalist “Love is in the air…” Or on the ground and maybe in the water. As winter starts its slow ascent to spring, hormone levels in …Read More
Metro Parks permanently preserves high quality habitat at Clear Creek
Metro Parks Park Board voted to spend $400,000 in grant funding to purchase an 80-acre tract of land that is surrounded on three sides by Clear Creek Metro Park from …Read More
Oh deer! Let’s rut
BRYAN KNOWLES, Glacier Ridge and Homestead Park Manager When the sun’s out, the sky’s a brilliant bright blue and the clouds are puffy white, there’s no better place to be …Read More
Who cooks for you?
CRAIG BIEGLER, Battelle Darby Creek Naturalist On November 11, over 100 people went on a hike at Battelle Darby Creek with the hope of having an owl experience. During the …Read More
Tim Talks: Connect with nature and each other
Quincy said it best – you truly get to connect with one another in nature. So hit the trails at your favorite Metro Park and spend a morning walking, talking …Read More