Education
Wildlife Wednesday 01/08/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The Sandhill Crane is a tall elegant bird with a heavy body, soaring 6-foot wingspan, red crown of feathers on its head, and a fluffy bustle of gray plumage at its back end. This graceful long-necked avian has a loud rolling trumpet-like vocalization that can be heard for miles. Mated pairs will engage…
Read MoreJanuary 2025 Full Wolf Moon
The first full Moon of 2025, January’s Wolf Moon, rises on January 13 at 5:27PM EST. There are differing opinions on the origins of this name. Some say it’s Native American in origin and others believe it has Celtic and Old English origins. When early European settlers came to America gray wolves were widespread throughout…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 01/01/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! We are sliding into the new year like a North American river otter! Very social and undisputedly adorable, otters are renowned for their playful nature. A group of otters is even called a “romp.” Some ways that river otters play include: *Wrestling with each other, both on land and in the water. *Chasing…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/25/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! ‘Tis the season for the longest running citizen science project in the world, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Up through the 19th century, many people in North America participated in a tradition of competitive hunting on Christmas Day, seeing who could kill the most birds. But in December 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed…
Read MoreWinter Solstice 2024
Winter solstice, which occurs on Saturday, December 21 at exactly 4:21AM EST, is the astronomical beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere. Regardless of where you live in the northern hemisphere the winter solstice happens at the exact same moment for all of us. It occurs when the Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted its farthest…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/18/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The Snowy Owl is the heaviest owl in North America and one of the largest owls in the world. It is native to the Arctic where it spends its time breeding and hunting on the tundra. While most owls are primarily nocturnal, the Snowy Owl is diurnal, active during the day. During the…
Read MoreGeminid Meteor Shower
The Geminid meteor shower is a favorite among northern hemisphere observers and is well known for being the best meteor shower of the year. Geminids occur every year from about November 19 to December 24. This year they peak, when the most meteors can be seen, from Friday night, December 13, into the early morning…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/04/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Let’s meet Mikey! If you’ve visited The Wilderness Center, you’ve probably met our hard-working animal ambassadors, Zea the corn snake and Barnaby and Gus the Eastern box turtles. Occasionally things happen that prevent wild animals from living in their native habitats, which is the preferred ideal home for wildlife. For example, an animal…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 11/27/2024
Gobble gobble! It’s #WildlifeWednesday and we are celebrating the Wild Turkey! Preferring woodland habitat interspersed with open spaces such as fields, pastures, and orchards, these large heavy-bodied birds with long necks and small heads feed on the ground, strutting and striding through forests and grasslands like small prehistoric dinosaurs. Adult males, or toms, weigh in…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 11/20/24
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! As the freezing autumn and winter weather approaches, an animal that uses hibernation as a survival strategy is the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. Also known as the striped gopher and leopard ground squirrel, this rodent is related to prairie dogs and is found in grasslands and open areas of Ohio. They may also use…
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