The sprayground will open for the season on Friday, May 26! The sprayground is open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. It will remain open through Labor Day weekend. An all-access playground is adjacent to the…
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…
What’s Not to Like About Cowbirds?
With the return of songbird nesting season, it’s time for cowbirds to get busy! But not everybody will be happy about that. Cowbirds are a native species, but their reputation is as invaders who displace other more “desirable” birds. The…
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…
Oh, oh, oh, opossum!
For most of us, the word “marsupial” brings to mind kangaroos and koalas—animals we might describe as cute, or even charismatic. But those adjectives probably are applied less often to our one local marsupial, the Virginia opossum, Dildelphis virginiana. With…
Planetree, Buttonwood, Ghost Tree: Sycamore!
Sycamore trees are easy to spot on the landscape. Sycamores thrive in well-drained riparian (streamside) soils, and from the air they are conspicuous as large white sentinels marking the paths of creeks and rivers. On the ground, even in summer…
These Birds Are Suckers for Sap
Southwest Ohio is home to seven species of woodpeckers. Six of those species—downy and hairy, red-bellied and red-headed, pileated and flicker—are year-round residents, and most of them are common in woods and neighborhoods and at feeders. But the seventh species,…
2023 Shelter Reservations
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 2023 calendar year may be made beginning at noon on Tuesday, January 3. …
Some Like it Hot
Honeybees and Bumblebees Prepare for Winter Honeybees (introduced from Europe to North America in the early 17th century) and bumblebees (several species native to southwest Ohio, including common eastern bumblebees, golden northern bumblebees, two-spotted bumblebees, and others) have a lot…
A Bird for All Seasons
October is a transitional month. With the recent passing of the autumnal equinox, the sun now sits above the horizon for less than half the day. And as autumn marches on, temperatures drop. Together, these changes impose challenges for local…