Education
Bats & Dark Skies
Bats are amazing! They have lived on Earth for more than 50 million years. There are over 1,400 different species of bats, making them the second largest order of mammals. Bats are extremely adaptable and can be found in forests, wetlands, deserts, prairies, urban areas, and even cold places like Alaska and Siberia, and they…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 07/31/2024
Woof-woof! It’s #WildlifeWednesday and we are talking about trail etiquette with our canine companions! The Wilderness Center welcomes dogs on four of its trails (Sugar Creek, Fox Creek, Sigrist Woods, and Foxfield Preserve). When hiking with a pooch it is important to keep wildlife in mind for the safety of the plants and animals you…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 07/24/2024
It’s #WildlifeWednesday and the prairie is popping! Today we are highlighting a quintessential member of the aster (daisy) family, purple coneflower. Purple coneflower blooms during the summer in prairie and open woodland habitats. It is one of the species of echinacea, the name of which comes from the Greek word for “spiny one,” due to…
Read MoreJuly 2024 Full Buck Moon
July’s full Moon, called the full Buck Moon, will occur at 6:17A.M. EDT on July 21, 2024. By this time the Moon will have slipped below our southwestern horizon. Not to worry though, if you want to see the Buck Moon it will look full and round to our eyes on the nights of July…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 07/17/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Let’s enjoy some fun facts about fireflies. Fireflies are soft-bodied beetles commonly referred to as lightning bugs. There are more than 2,000 species in the firefly (Lampyridae) family. Many but not all of the species produce light as adults. There are about 2 dozen species of fireflies found in Ohio. All fireflies glow…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 07/10/2024
It’ssssssss #WildlifeWednesday and we are highlighting one of our resident animal ambassadors, Zea the corn snake! The corn snake is a type of rat snake found in North America, mostly in the central and southeastern United States. It is not venomous, and kills its prey instead by constriction (squeezing). It is a beneficial animal to…
Read MoreWhite-lined Sphinx Moth
The white-lined sphinx moth is a fascinating creature. It’s a member of the moth family Sphingidae which has over 1400 species worldwide and 115 in North America. The white-lined sphinx moth is widespread and abundant. It can be found throughout Central America, the United States, and into southern Canada. It’s a large moth having a…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 07/03/2024
It’s #WildlifeWednesday and we are celebrating the upcoming Independence Day holiday with our national symbol, the Bald Eagle! The Bald Eagle is found throughout Ohio, with the largest concentration of birds located in the marsh regions along Lake Erie. They prefer areas with large old growth trees for nesting near open bodies of water. Primarily…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 06/26/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The Wilderness Center’s high quality habitats are home to many species of salamanders. One of the terrestrial salamanders that can be found is the Northern slimy salamander. Its common name comes from the sticky slime it produces in glands on its tail and lower back, which it uses to defend itself from predators.…
Read MoreJune 2024 Full Strawberry Moon
As the Sun is setting on June 21, 2024, the first full Moon of summer, the Strawberry Moon, will be rising. The rising strawberry Moon won’t be pink, but it will appear large and golden in color. And because this full Moon follows on the heels of the summer solstice which occurred on June 20…
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