Three hundred years ago, Ohio was known as the "Great Black Swamp". Our clay soils did (and still don't) drain easily, leaving lots of standing water aka swamp. This "primeval" landscape was home to all sorts of spine-tingling creatures no longer here:

Oh my! As pioneers began to settle in the area, they drained the swamps (which are actually important habitats!), cut down most of the trees, and hunted the big predators completely away... okay, now THAT's actually scary!

While there are a few reports here and there of an occasional Black Bear in Ohio, for the most part the predators shown above are now gone from our state. Our woods are pretty "tame".

Still, there are critters here that send a shiver down many spines. Let's take a look at a few of them:

Did any of those animal brothers and sisters above make you say "Eeeek!"?

I want you to try out this simple game: Scroll back up to one of the critters above and I want you to say or write down:

1) What do you notice about the animal?

2) What do they remind you of? Or what does one of their features remind you of?

3) What do you wonder about this animal?

After doing all 3 questions above, take a moment and ask yourself: "NOW how do I feel about this animal?"

You can do this “Notice, Remind, Wonder” activity with your partner, kiddos, friends whoever and see what they think! Let me know how it goes at Jared@ldbb.care or on my instagram @jaredthenatureguy

Oh, by the way, here's something truly scary: one of Ohio's native bumblebees, the American Bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus) is being considered for listing as an Endangered Species! Their population has declined 90% in 20 years! I have found this bee on my property and am taking action to help!

You can too! If you see a big bumblebee that looks like the one above, send me a picture! Or upload to the iNaturalist app (although I'd still like to hear about it!). Right now, their Queens are getting ready to bed down in leaves for Winter. Please leave as many of your leaves as you can: laying in the yard, in a big pile out back.... but don't burn, bag, or shred them. Also, consider participating in No Mow May: Try not to mow your yard until mid-May or even the end of May! You'll likely get clover and more flowers (an important early food source for bees) AND you'll have less work to do :)

Oh, by the way, I’m doing everything I can to improve my land out here near Marysville to help this bee (and all the other animal brothers and sisters) and you can help. Buy any of my natural art on Etsy and 100% goes towards buying Ohio-native plants and seeds to improve my little corner of the world!