Oak apple galls
Have you ever noticed brown paper-like balls suddenly appearing on the forest floor or attached to leaves of oak trees? They might be oak apple galls.
Slugs and snails: A bane for gardeners
Tami Gingrich explores the characteristics of common slug and snails in Ohio, highlighting their benefits for wildlife and their difficulties for gardeners.
What’s in the trees? It’s fall webworms
As summer begins to wane, messy web-like structures begin to appear near the ends of tree branches. These silken structures are the abodes of fall webworms.
Clubmosses brighten the winter woods
Tami Gingrich explores the unique features of an ancient group of vascular plants known as the clubmosses that evolved over 400 million years ago.
Bald-faced hornets: Amazing arboreal artists
Tami Gingrich offers insight into the construction of the large, grey, pear-shaped, nests built by bald-faced hornets.
Eastern phoebe: The harbinger
Tami Gingrich is looking forward to the arrival of the eastern phoebe, a harbinger of spring with a distinct repetitive, two-note “fee-bee” song.
Whooooo’s first? The great horned owl, that’s whooo!
Great horned owls are fierce predators with many unique characteristics. They are also the first nesting bird of the year.
The swan dance: A true story
Tami Gingrich had a showdown with a domesticated male mute swan in March of 2012. Incidentally, Geauga Park District wasn't big enough of both of them.
Vernal pools: Vulnerable ecosystems
Vernal pools provide seasonal breeding grounds to a host of amphibians and other species. As more of them disappear, so do the animals that rely on them.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is approaching
Tami Gingrich can't think of a better way to quell the winter blues than to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, set for Feb. 14-17 this year.
