Posts Tagged ‘nature’
Wildlife Wednesday 04/24/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Grasshoppers are quite common throughout Ohio and can be seen or heard in a variety of habitats, but it’s not every day that you see one with dashing shades of pink. Meet this stunning, green-striped grasshopper, Chortophaga viridifasciata, found at The Wilderness Center last week. Is there something wrong with this colorful critter?…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 04/17/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! They’re on their way! A truly delightful harbinger of spring is the dazzling appearance of hummingbirds as they return from their wintering grounds in Central America. The most common species of hummingbird in Ohio is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, which is the only hummingbird that breeds in the eastern part of the United States.…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 04/10
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! One of the first spring wildflowers to appear at TWC this spring is cut-leaved toothwort. Also known as pepper root and crow’s toes, this woodland wildflower is part of the family of flowering plants known as mustards. Cut-leaved toothwort is widespread in the eastern United States and also found in Quebec and Ontario…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 04/03/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Peent! It’s the time of year for American Woodcocks to display! The courtship flights and rituals can be observed in fields, pastures, forest openings, and other clearings at dawn and dusk during the spring. Affectionately nicknamed the “timberdoodle,” the American Woodcock is a plump round shorebird that lives in forest thickets, probing moist…
Read MoreAmerican Bullfrogs
The American Bullfrog is native to every state east of the Mississippi River. They are nocturnal and the largest true frog found in North America. They can be up to 8 inches long and weigh over a pound. Even their tadpoles are large, some reaching up to almost 7 inches long. The croaking of a bullfrog is a familiar…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 03/27/24
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Our trails at TWC are currently bursting with Virginia springbeauties! These small pink and white flowers are native to the eastern United States and Canada, and can be found in a variety of habitats including forests, woodlands, meadows, ravines, parks, and lawns. The perennial plants grow from underground tubers, giving them the nickname…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 03/20/24
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The first native spring wildflower to bloom in Ohio is skunk cabbage. Its flower structures are thermogenic (able to produce heat) and will emerge even through snow and ice! The spathe, or hood, is the first part of the flower to appear from the ground and has a distinctive color combination of purple,…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 03/06/24
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 MoreCoyotes
The coyote is a fascinating creature. Not native to Ohio, coyotes originally called the open deserts and prairies of the West home. However, being intelligent, adaptable animals, coyotes can make a home anywhere there is food, water, and shelter. They began moving eastward as settlers cleared the forest for fields and pastures. At the same…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 02/28
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! It is the time of year when we observe, appreciate, and celebrate Ohio’s state amphibian (and a TWC mascot), the spotted salamander! A type of mole salamander, this cute creature with bright yellow spots and a perpetual smile lives most of its life underground. After a long winter of brumation (similar to hibernation),…
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