Posts Tagged ‘education’
Wildlife Wednesday 01/28/2026
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! It’s almost the big day for everyone’s favorite prognosticating rodent, so let’s celebrate with some groundhog info! The groundhog, Marmota monax, is also known as a woodchuck and a whistlepig. They are members of the squirrel family, belonging to the group of large-bodied ground squirrels called marmots. Groundhogs prefer open country habitat and woodland…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 01/21/2026
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. And during…
Read MoreGeminid Meteor Shower 2025
The Geminid meteor shower is a perennial favorite and is well known for being the best meteor shower of the year. Earth’s orbit passes through the Geminid meteor stream every year from about November 19 to December 24. 2025’s expected peak, when the most meteors can be seen, is from Saturday night, December 13 into…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 10/01/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Ohio is home to over 620 species of spiders. While spiders are sometimes feared and misunderstood, they play a very important part in the ecosystem by controlling insect populations. In this way they are also helpful in protecting crops and agricultural resources. Not insects themselves, spiders are arachnids, related to ticks, scorpions, and…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 09/24/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The Northern red salamander is a stout amphibian with bright gold eyes and a striking crimson body coloration with irregular black spots. In Ohio this species is found primarily in the eastern half of the state, making homes under rocks and logs. Its preferred habitats include deciduous and mixed hardwood forests, fields and…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 09/17/2025
The striking luna moth, also known as the American moon moth, spends about a month of its life cycle as a handsome and hungry caterpillar. Found in deciduous woodlands in North America where their larval foods occur, the hardy caterpillars spend most of their time eating. They munch upon the leaves of walnut, hickory, birch,…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 09/10/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The Virginia opossum is the only species of opossum found in Ohio and is also the northernmost marsupial (animal that carries its young in a pouch) in the world! It is an omnivore and has 50 teeth, more than any other North American land mammal, and is able to eat a wide variety…
Read MoreSeptember 2025 Full Corn Moon
September’s full Corn Moon occurs at exactly 2:09PM EDT on Sunday, September 7, 2025. This is the exact moment the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the Earth. At this moment in time the Moon will be below the horizon, but it will still look full and round when it rises later that…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 09/03/2025
Hoppy #WildlifeWednesday! The gray tree frog is an arboreal frog common throughout the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Found in woodlands, this nocturnal creature hunts in the understory of the forest and in shrubs. Prey consists of insects, slugs, snails, spiders, and occasionally smaller frogs. This amazing amphibian is able to change its color…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 08/27/2025
Bzzzzzzzzz. Happy #WildlifeWednesday. The dog-day cicada, also referred to as a harvestfly, is an annual cicada found in North America whose peak singing occurs when the star Sirius is prominent in the night sky. This hot and humid time of year is often referred to as the “dog days of summer.” Its song is reminiscent…
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