Birds’ nests serve a number of functions. One of those, of course, is to provide a secure place to lay and incubate eggs and, for many species, to raise young. In addition, the design and structure of nests may help…
Activity Center Park Sprayground Open
The sprayground opened for the season on Friday, May 28! The sprayground is open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The water is motion-activated by a sensor. An all-access playground is adjacent to the sprayground. The…
Toads at a Cocktail Party
In some ways, frogs and toads (amphibians in the order Anura, meaning “no tail”) are visual creatures. Their eyes are finely attuned to movement, and they feed on insects that make the mistake of crossing their visual paths. But when…
Periodical Cicadas: What’s the Buzz?
Image: courtesy of Katja Schulz, Creative Commons I have lived in Dayton, OH, since 1986. This May and June, for just the third time in those 35 years, I look forward to the spectacle of Magicicada Brood X, the 17-year…
Shelter Reservations Resume
Perfect for birthday parties, graduation parties, family reunions and more, large group shelters are available in eight of the Centerville-Washington Park District community parks. Reservations for the 2021 calendar year may be made beginning at 8:00 a.m. Thursday, April 1.…
Harbingers of Spring
Spring! It’s the season when robins and red-winged blackbirds regale us with song and, in Ohio, when Hinckley welcomes back its turkey vultures. Who doesn’t look forward to the lengthening daylight and warming weather? But why wait for the robins…
The Gall of Those Goldenrods!
In late summer, at their colorful flowering peak, goldenrod (Solidago) flowers provide an important source of nectar for the late-season activities of butterflies, bees and wasps, flies, and other insects. But even in winter, when the plants have long since…
New Grant Park Master Plan Adopted
The Centerville-Washington Park District began work on the Grant Park master plan project in March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proposed community engagement sessions were modified to include an online survey and a virtual community meeting. The online survey…
To Hibernate or Not To Hibernate
Squirrels are among the most recognizable local wildlife; they’re noisy, they’re active, and they always seem to be around. But there’s more than one way to be a squirrel! Squirrels are members of the rodent family Sciuridae, and our local…
Amazing Migrations
With the season of diminished daylight upon us, the shift from summer wildlife to winter wildlife is pretty much complete. Insects have substantially disappeared from the meadows. You’re not likely to see a snake in your path through the woods.…