Spring in Ohio: Mr.Jared’s Shortlist of Where to Go, and What to Do!
Have you seen this tree in your neighborhood? Those red balls are the early flowers of Silver Maple trees!
Spring is such a lift to our spirits: a time of rejuvenation, rebirth, beautiful colors, bird song... so much LIFE! With all that life going on... there are LOTS of ways for your family to get out and enjoy it all! There's a myth that Ohio is just a boring "flyover state"... but as I've learned and grown in my own life, nothing could be further from the truth! We are incredibly blessed here in the Buckeye State with all sorts of natural wonders and adventures... and here are some of my personal favorites in Spring!
Outdoor Adventures:
Vernal Pools!
Spotted Salamanders: Slimy but cute in a derpy muppet-like way!
Vernal pools are temporary pools of water, often found in forests, that are essential for frogs and salamanders (and a whole bunch of other cool animal brothers and sisters!). Not being connected to rivers/streams etc, these bodies of temporary flooding have no fish... meaning tadpoles can survive and thrive! Ohio has the perfect soil etc to support lots of these magical spots... and you and your kiddos can see them too! Who knows... you might get to meet a frog, watch a derpy salamander wiggle, or even dance with the fairy shrimp!
Checkout these local events to get in on the magic:
Deep Dive into Vernal Pools: 3/19 10-11am at Glacier Ridge
Life in our Watershed: Vernal Pools: 3/24 1-2pm at Battelle-Darby Creek
Vernal Pool Monitoring: 3/22 6-8pm at Stratford Ecological Center
Spring Wildflowers!
Bloodroot: weird name… gorgeous flower!
When we first moved out to the country, it was mid-July 2018. A budding naturalist, I knew things mostly about birds and mammals... plants were a "blindspot" of mine. If you've read any of my past blog posts... you know that's since changed! Fast forward to Spring 2019... walking in our woods and BAM! Purple Cress and Spring Beauties everywhere! Stunning doesn't even begin to do the scene justice!
Again, like I said above, we are SO BLESSED in Ohio with all sorts of natural wonders... and our Spring Woodland Wildflowers are an awesome one! You can go see these two even if you don't own an inch of woods! Another blessing we have here is a robust and beautiful system of parks! Three of my favorite spots to find Ohio-native Woodland Wildflowers are Sharon Woods Metropark (the natural play area) in Westerville, Indian Run Falls in Dublin, and Shale Hollow Preserve in Lewis Center. Visit these place in early-April and you'll be WOWED! Get down, sit with the flowers, and see... who shows up?
Most of our Metro Parks and Preservation Parks boast absolutely lovely Woodland Wildflowers in Spring... so pick the closest one to you and enjoy!
(NOTE: when exploring and enjoying these flowers be sure to NOT pick or trample them... these ephemeral beauties can take 7 years to grow!)
Oh, here’s a great fieldguide for our Woodland Wildflowers too!
Bird Language!
We've been learning that our feathered friends have emotions too! Crows can get angry, Robins get scared, Carolina Wrens can be joyful... it's true! And YOU can understand all this! Instead of stepping outside and hearing 10 versions of "tweet tweet", you can actually learn to understand how your local birds are feeling, what they're probably up to, and even what's going on around you with other people/animals!
If you want to get a good intro on all that, I'm partnering with the Grange Audubon Center this month! See the flyer below and go here to signup today!
At Home Adventures
So there are some places to go, but back in September when I did our Nature Class Survey, many of you responded you'd like to see more projects you can do right at home. So, here's some awesome ones!
Nature Heroes!
Did you know that you and your kiddos... are part of Nature? Yup! Just as much as a squirrel is part of nature and has an important job of collecting and burying nuts (among other things), YOU and your kiddos have important roles too! We humans have the biggest impact on the Earth of any living being (no, this isn't about to get gloom & doom-y, don't worry!). Good news: we can use that power... for good! Creating habitat, saving animals, celebrating all creatures... you can do it! And when you do... it's not a "nature wins but you sacrifice" situation... it's a "everybody including YOU wins" party... and not just for one Saturday in April (Earth Day) but all year every year!
So how do you get started with all that goodness? I've created a kit to help! See the flyer below, and get yours here:
Hummingbird feeders you DON'T have to clean!
Look at this beautiful Ruby-throated Hummingbird dude enjoying our Ohio-native Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma)
Hummingbirds are like real-life fairies: they aren't harmful in any way, they're colorful, feisty, quick, and easily seen close-up! What's not to love? Because they're so wonderful, lots of people put out hummingbird feeders starting in April full of at best sugar water, at worst... red-dye-filled store-bought concoctions. Sad news: the dyed stuff actually hurts hummingbirds... and if the undyed sugar water feeders aren't cleaned almost daily, they quickly grow a deadly mold that kills hummingbirds outright. Oh no.
Good news! You can avoid all that and still enjoy hummingbirds in your yard! How? Native plants of course! This year I'm opening my own Ohio-native plant nursery, and I'll be selling plants that'll grow well in your yard and invite hummingbirds, butterflies, songbirds and all sorts of wondrous animal brothers and sisters to your place. Yes, bumblebees will come too (they're my favorite... so fuzzy) but remember: they're busy eating delicious pollen and nectar and ONLY sting if you grab their booties... so... don't do that!
My logo! 2 Chickadees drawn by my daughters, strawberries and sunflowers are some of their favorite native plants, and the coffee ring… is because I’m powered by coffee!
For Hummingbirds, I'll have these mature & blooming Ohio-natives ready for purchase in May (keep an eye out in April for info about my plant sale!):
Pictured below from L-R: Wild Bergamot, Hairy Beardtongue, Hoary Vervain, and rare Royal Catchfly