Wildlife Wednesday 03/13/24
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! You may have noticed more large dark birds circling and soaring in the sky overhead lately. While some Turkey Vultures stay in Ohio all year, most migrate for the winter, traveling to the southern USA and even as far as South America. While often associated with death and decay, the Turkey Vulture is…
Read MoreLeo the Lion
Leo, the Lion, is one of the 12 zodiacal constellations that mark the apparent path of the Sun and planets through the sky and it’s one of the first constellations of spring. In fact, when you see his head poking above the eastern horizon in early February you know spring isn’t far off. Leo is one of…
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),…
Read More2024 February Full Moon
“The full snow moon will rise to see what once were fields of hay, She’ll gaze upon the barren rows, snowed in from yesterday. She’ll share here night with stars ablaze, yet spreading little heat …” From “The Full Snow Moon …” by Joy A Burki-Watson February’s full Snow Moon occurs on the 24th at…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 02/21
Being in nature can be very magical to many people. There has even been a history of different mythical beings that live in and are even connected to nature. One of the most popular being the discussion of fairies. One of the most common fairy sightings that people often see are “fairy rings” that pop…
Read MoreAurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
The dancing ribbons of light called aurora borealis or northern lights have mesmerized people for millennia. Galileo named these dancing lights “aurora borealis” in 1619, after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas. The earliest depiction of the auroras may be a cave painting in France dating…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 02/14
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! It is Valentine’s Day and love is in the air, especially for coyotes! Today marks the peak of coyote mating season, which spans from late January until early March. Pairs are monogamous and stay together throughout their lives, the strong bond breaking only upon the death of a mate. Coyotes are highly adaptable…
Read MoreLittle Brown Bats 02/09
The nocturnal little brown bat is one of Ohio’s 13 native bat species. It is found in North America from the Alaskan and Canadian boreal forest south through most of the U.S. and into central Mexico. Once the most common bat species in Ohio, it is now listed as endangered in the state and is…
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