Two giant swallowtail caterpillars on a hopwood leaf

Hoptree: Worth a Second Look

The common hoptree, Ptelea trifoliata, is the northernmost New World representative of the citrus, or rue, family of plants. It’s a relatively small tree, less than 20’ (6 m) tall and less than 10” (25 cm) trunk diameter, found in…

two children with tennis racquets and tennis balls on a tennis court

Family Fun Tennis Day

Enjoy a fun-filled morning of tennis at Schoolhouse Park on Saturday, June 17! Visit stations with games that will show you the tennis basics. Join in on a quick game! Participants should wear tennis shoes and are encouraged to bring…

flowering mayapple

April Showers Bring … Mayapples

Nothing says May like mayapples! Mayapples (technically, Podophyllum peltatum) have no relation to apples, and they first poke up through the leaf litter around the end of March. It takes a few weeks, though, for the large, umbrella-like leaves to…

Family of five fishing at the edge of a pond

2022 Annual Report

The Centerville-Washington Park District (CWPD) 2022 Annual Report is now available. Discover all of the exciting things that happened last year in your community’s BIG backyard! If you have any questions, please contact us at 937-433-5155 or mail@cwpd.org. We’re looking…

garlic mustard

Pull Your Weight to Protect Your Parks

The Centerville-Washington Park District hosts an annual garlic mustard challenge each spring. Garlic mustard is an aggressive, non-native plant taking over natural areas. You can help restore and protect your native ecosystems with this fun volunteer challenge! Drop off 13-gallon…

female tiger swallowtail on joe-pye weed

2023 National Gold Medal Award Application

The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), administers the National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program…

A male green darner, with its blue abdomen, holds on to the female while she deposits eggs

The Dragonflies of Spring

Ohio is home to something like 100 species of dragonflies, and to a large extent, they are creatures of summer. Both the abundance and the diversity of dragonflies peak in June and July. But a few species stretch those seasonal…