Blog

CARRIE MORROW, Assistant Resource Manager I’m standing under a huge, dead cottonwood tree. Much of the bark has fallen off and the smooth inner bark stands out as a white beacon in the dark green woods. The sun is setting rapidly and a barred owl calls off in the distance. A mosquito buzzes by my ear and I swat it away with my hand. …Read More

JEN ROSA, Prairie Oaks Naturalist  As a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, I saw the need for inclusive programming outside in a park. Sometimes I go places and my son has a meltdown or he gets excited and jumps up and down and flaps his arms. When this happens, people stare and give you funny looks. There are many opportunities to …Read More

BRYAN KNOWLES, Glacier Ridge and Homestead Manager Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. The warm, crisp sunny days. The blue skies and puffy clouds. The colder nights perfect for bonfires. And of course the colorful change of season. There are so many places in the Metro Parks that are great for fall, it is hard to pick just one. Take advantage of …Read More

ANNIE PILLION, Blacklick Woods Ranger When fall arrives, one of my favorite places to visit is Ashton Pond at Blacklick Woods, especially at sunset. The pond is surrounded by trees with leaves that show every hue from pale yellow to a deep red. The sun sets behind the trees and makes the whole forest glow. The effect is doubled because the scene is reflected …Read More

COLLEEN SHARKEY, Environmental Educator, Inniswood Metro Gardens Bumblebees buzzing, crickets chirping and goldfinches exploding from wildflower plantings always brighten my day as I wander through the Prairie Garden at Inniswood Metro Gardens. Fall wildflowers are gorgeous right now and my favorite way to enjoy them is to walk among them, with the sunflowers and grasses towering above me. The mowed pathway through the Prairie Garden …Read More

ALYSSA BALTER, Restoration Ecologist Direct seeding of nuts offers a simple, cost-effective supplement to Metro Park’s reforestation efforts and has been an annual activity for nearly 20 years. This process is typically used to expedite tree establishment in small pockets between existing forest, which is much faster than natural seed dispersal. The focus for direct seeding this fall will be in a new parcel of Prairie …Read More

TOM COCHRAN, Prairie Oaks Manager In my opinion, there is no better place to view fall colors than along Big Darby Creek at Prairie Oaks, especially from the bridge that connects Darby Bend Lakes to the main part of the park. The lakes are also a great spot to view migrating waterfowl. There are also opportunities to see numerous deer in fall, including some very large …Read More

GEOFF HAMILTON, Scioto Grove Manager The south canoe access area at Three Creeks is one of my favorite areas to fish. I haven’t caught a lot of fish there, but for some reason I just really enjoy wading in that section of the creek. It’s hard to put into words exactly what it is that makes that spot special to me, IT JUST IS! …Read More

BRANDON NOVOTNY, Prairie Oaks Ranger The Walden Waterfowl Refuge at Blendon Woods qualifies as one of my favorite places, especially in late September and early October when waterfowl start to move in. I love to see the very colorful wood ducks, but there are plenty other species. Once the weather really turns and it gets to winter the refuge’s Thoreau Lake truly becomes a …Read More

ANDREA KRAVA, Blendon Woods Naturalist The wetlands and grasslands at Slate Run have always been a favorite place of mine. They opened up the same year I began working there as a naturalist, in the late 1990s, so I got to see those areas be born and then grow into the beautiful, diverse natural areas they are today. Some of my favorite memories of …Read More

CARRIE KELLER Outreach Naturalist For nearly three weeks every fall about 700 of our more seasoned Central Ohio citizens pass through the gates at Blacklick Woods to enjoy a day in the park at Senior Camp. It happens every September and it is happening now. All the campers are age 50 or older. They meet up at Beech Maple Lodge, enjoy the fellowship of …Read More

CARRIE R MORROW Assistant Resource Manager Shorter days and cooler nights may be the first signs of fall. However, it isn’t truly autumn until I have spent a few days in the prairies collecting seed. The colors in the prairies are truly spectacular and something I look forward to every year. Being in the prairie and seeing the variety of colors among big blue …Read More

CHRISTOPHER DELGROSSO Assistant Manager, Scioto Audubon As summer bows its head and awaits the arrival of fall there is a magical transformation that takes place at Scioto Audubon Metro Park. What was once a sea of green hues will soon be upstaged by a mosaic of color. Like an abstract painting, our trails will come to life with color from around 400 deciduous trees, …Read More

A group of very talented artists unpacked their paints, brushes and canvases at Inniswood Metro Gardens recently. All of them are members of the Ohio Plein Air Society, and they visited Central Ohio’s premier botanical gardens for one of their society Paint Outs. Carol Cosgrove, the society’s Paint Out Czar (yes, that’s what it says on the society website), organizes these gatherings of artists …Read More

CODY BERKEBILE Blacklick Woods Naturalist Now that football season is here, Ohioans turn their focus to The Ohio State Buckeyes. Living in Columbus, it is impossible to ignore the barrage of buckeyes across all media. Fans are familiar with the buckeye nut, as it is the basis for the team’s mascot, Brutus Buckeye. This iconic mascot did not debut until the fall of 1965. Up …Read More

It’s that time of year when monarch butterflies begin their magical migration south to the mountains of Mexico, where they’ll spend the winter. I’ve been seeing monarch butterflies in the parks, and as I drive along the highways to and from work, and around Ohio. The adult butterflies, which have been alive for less than a couple of weeks, are making a journey south …Read More

The sun shone brightly on Sharon Woods’ 11-acre Schrock Lake as its recent Friday Night Float program began. Eager canoeists, many of them first-timers, signed-on for a 20-minute float around the tree-lined lake. Park staff and volunteers helped canoeists into life jackets, guided them into their canoes and pushed them from the launching dock and out onto the lake. One of the first set …Read More

Eastern hellbenders found a new home in Big Darby Creek in August. More than 80 of these impressively sized creatures, the largest species of amphibian in Ohio and one of the largest salamanders in the world, settled comfortably into their new habitat. The reintroduction of this species to Big Darby Creek is a result of a partnership among Metro Parks, the Ohio Hellbender Partnership, Ohio …Read More

On a drab winter night, Scott Ballard, 49, contemplated what he would do for the rest of the year. He certainly didn’t want to spend it inside doing little or no physical activity. Scott was experiencing cabin fever and wanted to get back out in nature. After all, he had participated in Metro Parks’ Winter Hike series for more than six years and was …Read More

Blacklick Woods Metro Park is offering a delightful program for food lovers with a taste for something new and exotic. Join us at the nature center on Sunday August 20, 2pm, and welcome to the world of entomophagy, also known as the practice of eating insects. (You don’t have to eat anything, but samples will be available. And you’ll learn a lot about nutrition …Read More

Dogs love a fun day out at the park just as much as their humans do. And that’s especially true when their backdrop is the beautiful Darby Bend Lakes area at Prairie Oaks Metro Park. Prairie Oaks makes a fabulous setting for WAG! Dog Festival, a free family-friendly event taking place this year on Saturday August 19, from 10am to 4pm. WAG! turns the …Read More

Just like the citizens of Central Ohio, Metro Parks are a wide-ranging lot, offering everything from herb gardens to strenuous hikes for the 10-million people who visit them annually. In its 19 parks, Metro Parks boasts 200 miles of trails on more than 27,500 acres of land in seven counties. But people tend to have their favorite parks, the ones that draw them for …Read More

A golden, ripe wheat field is a beautiful sight and its appearance in July means it is grain threshing season on the farm. At Metro Parks’ Slate Run Living Historical Farm, the farm workers use an 1880s era horse powered threshing machine to separate the seed heads of wheat, oats, barley and rye from straw stalks. Marcus and Maude, two mighty Percheron draft horses, …Read More

Two hundred years ago, on July 12, 1817, Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts. This famous American author, transcendentalist, naturalist, political dissident and human rights advocate inspired the names behind Walden Waterfowl Refuge and Thoreau Lake at Blendon Woods. Thoreau is best known for spending more than two years in a cabin in the woods near Concord. While there, he spent his …Read More

July 16 marks World Snake Day, a time to celebrate snakes and the vital roles they play in the ecosystem. The Metro Parks have several different snakes, including Memaw, a gray ratsnake. If you’ve ventured into Sharon Woods, you may have seen Memaw in the naturalist’s office. To celebrate World Snake Day, we’re sharing some fun facts about the gray ratsnake. Memaw, affectionately named for her …Read More

Butterflies get all the attention. They’re pretty, and they fly during the day when us fellow day-dwellers are likely to actually see them. Moths, on the other hand, are mostly nocturnal and often drab by comparison. But there are way more moths than butterflies in the world, and many are just as stunning as their butterfly brethren. Moths and butterflies are really two sides …Read More

A new facility for the Robin Hoods and archers among us has just opened at Scioto Grove Metro Park. The new feature is actually two separate archery courses. The first is what you would call a static, or traditional course, and we’ll get to that shortly. The truly exciting addition is a 3D course, with full-size animals made of a special foam. The foam …Read More

A summer walk in the cool green forests at any of your 19 Metro Parks will inspire your imagination and stir your senses. Forests are the centerpiece of most parks, from streamside or riparian forests of towering sycamores and gnarly box elders to the dry ridge-top forests of mountain laurel and chestnut oak. A forest is much more than a collection of trees. Our …Read More

A stroll or run through a Metro Park provides many views—forest, fields, mid-succession areas and mowed lawn areas. Fields provide a habitat for many plants and animals and are typically maintained to stay as that habitat, but were not planted with prairie flowers and grasses. If left alone, most fields and prairies would revert back to forest over time. To the casual observer, there …Read More

With each passing month from spring to fall, the farm’s Percheron draft horses are kept busy as the driving forces behind the farm’s vast array of machinery and tools for field preparation. Whether it be plowing or harrowing fields, mowing to loading hay, I find it fascinating to watch these amazing animals in action. However, revealing itself in the month of July, there is …Read More

A long-standing tradition at Inniswood Metro Gardens is the seasonal garden theme for the display beds. This theme is chosen at the beginning of every year to help guide the designs of the 80 plus containers and annual displays planted throughout the grounds. In years past, themes have been everything from Going Tropical to A Concert of Color and Desirable and Reliable Annuals. This …Read More

If you hike the Mingo Trail at Scioto Grove Metro Park you will notice that many trees are being cut in the area. Visitors seem a little startled when they notice this. They think of Metro Parks as tree growers not tree cutters. These particular trees, however, are an example of what writer and entomologist Doug Tallamy calls “biological pollution.” These trees are called …Read More

The call of the wild and the open spaces of nature have always had a powerful allure for one out-of-state resident, who visits family in Central Ohio at least three times a year. Jennifer Thorsen can’t keep away from the Metro Parks when she’s here (despite her parents’ objections). Jenny, age 37, lives in St Charles, Illinois, and says, “Running and nature are great …Read More

UPDATE, SEPT 22, 2017 On Sunday Sept 24, 2017, archaeologist Jared Burks will conduct a magnetic survey of the recently discovered earthwork at Blacklick Woods, using ground penetrating radar equipment to read the different layers of substrate in the soil and so produce clearer mapping of the earthwork. We invite you to meet with us at the nature center at noon and we’ll take …Read More

Click on a photo icon to launch the photo gallery slide show.

The Creek Taxi will soon be in service to help canoers and kayakers enjoy a great float on Big Darby Creek. This special, one-time service is set for Saturday June 10. Bring your own registered canoe or kayak to the Upper Darby Canoe Access at Prairie Oaks Metro Park, 4275 Amity Rd. Hilliard OH 43026. Park there and enjoy a 2-mile self-guided float on …Read More

Swarms of honey bees have recently visited the orchard at Slate Run Living Historical Farm. While some people may find this unsettling, it is a sign that the nearby hives are healthy, which is a very good thing. Bees are an integral part of food production. Without them, there would be no apples, peaches, peppers, cucumbers, nor many other fruits and vegetables. Swarms can …Read More

Late spring is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy a romp through the parks. My personal favorite is going for a hike shortly after a rain. There is something magical to me about the woods when the air is still cool and tiny rain droplets cling to rejuvenated leaves. I love the sights and smells, and especially seeing all the life around …Read More

Spend a morning, afternoon or even all day hiking some of the trails at Clear Creek Metro Park and discover some of the lush greenery that abounds where the ferns carpet the forest floor. Ferns grow in the dense understory of the mature forests or in the sandy soil or on the sandstone rocks at the 5,260-acre park. They are survivors, living where few …Read More

We hear it all the time: “Life is short.” And the rest are memories of that life. This is the backstory of the redesigned natural play area at Blendon Woods Metro Park—also known in my life as “Daddy and Maris’ park.” This morning when I woke up, my social media memories delivered the day my husband Tim and I announced that we were pregnant. …Read More

It probably isn’t a surprise that bees and butterflies of all kinds find a home at Inniswood. Our combination of cultivated gardens and natural areas provides opportunities to meet the needs of many lepidoptera species. Every week, April through October, an Inniswood educator sets out on a stroll through the gardens in search of butterflies. We follow a set route past flower beds, prairie …Read More

It’s that time of year, when you might see monsters. If you live within a few miles of a pond, lake or stream, you could step outside one morning and come face-to-face with a 20-pound reptile. But there’s nothing to worry about. In fact, you could be in for a treat. Chances are, it’s a female snapping turtle just looking for a place to …Read More

If you’d like a beautiful, tranquil, challenging canoe or kayak float without leaving Franklin County then Big Darby Creek is for you. This dedicated National Scenic River is not only a biological gem it’s also an opportunity for a day of visual candy. Nature at its best is revealed as you float down the creek, making twisting turns and bouncing through riffled waters. Then …Read More

It’s Arbor Day in Ohio, Friday April 28, 2017. Why not get out and celebrate this Arbor Day weekend by exploring your Metro Parks for some giants—giant trees, that is. The following are just a very few of the awesome trees you could visit. Follow the links for park directions and trail maps. Perhaps taking in the majesty of these behemoths will inspire you …Read More

Last month when we visited the vernal pool (see Blog post), spring was just starting to break free from the icy grip of winter, although this winter wasn’t so icy…! The salamanders and wood frogs had just awakened from their winter torpor, the fairy shrimp cruised silently under the water’s surface, and the resident birds were cautiously announcing the longer days with song. But …Read More

Clear Creek Metro Park is one of Ohio’s best spots to see birds. Every year the park comes alive with migratory birds. Some stop here for a break on the journey further north. Others nest here for the season. Over 150 species have been documented here at the park. Most of Clear Creek is also a dedicated state nature preserve. We provide protected habitat …Read More

Spring is a special time in any temperate deciduous forest. The woods wake up after sleeping all winter, and a variety of life “springs” forth. In the swamp forest at Blacklick Woods, the vernal pools come alive. These temporary wetlands fill with water from snowmelt and spring rains, and despite having been dry since the previous summer, suddenly teem with life. Amphibians are the …Read More

Friends of Metro Parks will again award grants to parks from the Tad Jeffrey Memorial Grants Fund. Last year, five were awarded inaugural Tad Jeffrey Memorial Grants to complete unique and diverse projects to enrich the park experience for visitors. The projects included an insect hotel, a roving nature station, and even a tandem bike to use on the Greenway Trails. These grants were …Read More

On a slightly brisk, yet sunny March day, a group of women keen to start a walking or running routine met at Blacklick Woods’ Beech Maple Lodge for a Metro Five-0: Walk and Run 101 program. They were greeted by Metro Parks Outreach Naturalist Karen Ricker and Columbus Running Company’s Outreach Coordinator Lisa Dillahunt. The program, for people age 50 and older, was designed …Read More

In late 2009, a bald eagle pair started investigating an abandoned raptor nest within Highbanks Metro Park, along the Olentangy River. They were young birds, by eagle standards, probably about four years old, and this was their first nesting attempt. Though the nest was hard to see, a few dedicated volunteers spent many hours from March to May 2010 monitoring the eagles. They used …Read More

Spring is the beginning of the new farming year, when the gardens and fields are being planted. It is also the time when we have the most animal births, specifically our sheep, cattle and hogs. As Slate Run is a Living Historical Farm, we do things the 1880s way. It means that our animals are heritage breeds, which can be loosely defined as breeds …Read More

Metro Parks educators are always trying to find new ways to engage our park visitors to utilize nature. Several years ago, a few naturalists read an article in the National Association for Interpretation magazine about fairy house programs and events. This seemed like an interesting way to get new visitors to the parks, but some of us wondered whether it would work, whether it might not …Read More

In 2016, Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks was one of the first agencies in the state to have been certified in meeting Ohio’s standards to improve community and police relations. So far, 506 of the state’s 877 law enforcement agencies have adopted or are working toward adopting statewide standards for use of force, use of deadly force and the recruitment and hiring of …Read More

UPDATE 2: April 12 (Dog Park now open! See first update and original post below) As promised, the Dog Park is now open. The poor turf areas have been fenced off. Grass seed and fertilizer will be spread in those areas. The Splash Pads are also temporarily fenced off as we won’t open them until it gets warmer. It is anticipated the construction of the Shade Structure will …Read More

A young at heart couple is proving the adage, sixty is the new forty, with their energetic mission to walk every trail in all 19 Metro Parks. Pat Andrews and Donald Cade Sr, both Golden Buckeye card members, are already two-thirds of the way through their mission. They’re looking forward to seeing more parks in the next few weeks as they adopt their vibrant …Read More

Growing our own food doesn’t have to change our residential landscape into a row-covered produce farm. The food that we grow can also be quite pleasing to the eye and there are some simple ways to add them to your garden. Here are five ways to incorporate edibles into an existing landscape. Look down First, remember to look down. Many types of thyme grow …Read More

The mobile game Pokémon Go made a big impact on us at Highbanks last year. We had approximately 400,000 additional visitors to the park compared to 2015, and a big part of that increase was people coming to Highbanks in order to play the game. Visitors arrived at Highbanks from all over Ohio, and some even made trips from Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois so …Read More

I wait with anticipation for this event every spring: monitoring the weather like a rabid meteorologist; trying to prognosticate and see into the near future with oracle-like prophecy. There is a helpful formula to use, though it is far from foolproof: Night time temperature over forty degrees, and rain, preferably for more than one day in a row. And warmer is better. But only …Read More

Registration is under way for the spring sessions of The First Tee of Central Ohio programs for kids age 5 to 17, hosted by Blacklick Woods Golf Courses. There is a lot of fun and a lot of golf, but the programs are also designed to build character and develop leadership skills. More than a thousand kids participated in the program last year, led …Read More

We all went down in the woods today… Actually, it was more like two weeks ago, and boy, did we get a surprise. It was not a Teddy Bear’s Picnic that we found. Our discovery was rooted in much deeper stuff and was quite stinky besides. For years I had wondered what the roots of skunk cabbage look like, and today was the day to …Read More

Here at Metro Parks, we’re gearing up for summer and you know what that means—SUMMER CAMP! Trails are cleared, hot dogs are roasted, archery bows are strung, kayaks are docked on the bank, fishing line and friendship bracelet thread is untangled, and all of the wonders of your Metro Parks are waiting for you to discover. If seeing your kids come home with muddy …Read More

Many adults have fond memories of playing in the woods as a child. I wax nostalgic remembering my own woods outside of Marietta with an extension into Wayne National Forest. But what about kids today? With televisions, online videos and electronic devices, do kids need the woods and a natural place to play? The answer has to be yes. Natural play areas and unstructured …Read More

By February, most of us are tired of winter and are probably looking forward to spring with great anticipation. Some of us are even walking through the fields and forests in search of the first signs of spring. If you know where to look, you may find the first new wildflower of spring, the skunk cabbage. Skunk cabbage gets its name from the fact …Read More

UPDATE: March 29, 2017 The maintenance crew began constructing a temporary fence inside the dog park today. The intent is to separate the good areas from the not-so-good, so that when it opens (soon) the not-so-good areas will still be able to begin to recover without any further stress. Another reason for the temporary fence will be to keep the dogs out of the …Read More

At the Highbanks Winter Hike (Sat February 11, 10am) and the Glacier Ridge Winter Hike (Sun February 12, 2pm), you can use a fantastic app to enhance your winter hike experience. The TaleBlazer app was a big success when used at the Sharon Woods winter hike in January. Using the TaleBlazer app you can download a self-guided tour of the winter hike routes at both …Read More

Be warned! If you see a stink bug in your house, don’t smash it, or you’ll immediately get to know how stink bugs got their name. Look up “P.U.” in the dictionary. Your kids might see a beautiful looking bug and be captivated by its brilliant, shiny orange-red color. But watch out that this orange ladybug doesn’t bite them. Stink bugs and ladybugs spend …Read More

Winter hikers at Blendon Woods have been relishing and praising the park’s chicken noodle soup for years, and many have asked, or even pleaded, for the recipe. That, I’m afraid, remains a closely guarded secret. For 12 years now, the soup has been made by the same pair of dedicated soupers, Blendon Woods Assistant Park Manager Brett Berisford, and his fellow souper Kurt Fortman. …Read More

UPDATE: June 2017 The Gleasons have changed their schedule and will now head to the Rocky Mountains National Park as the first leg of their trip. SEE VIDEO OF THE GLEASON FAMILY WITH 10TV’s JEFF HOGAN The Gleasons of Central Ohio have made a family commitment to take a series of adventures this year—but how to get fit for it? Well, the Metro Parks …Read More

Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has been noting and recording our feathered friends for the last 117 years and is the oldest running Citizen Science Project in America. In a typical year, data is collected by tens of thousands of volunteers across the Americas to help assess the health of bird populations and guide conservation action. Last year, at least in Central Ohio, …Read More

Metro Parks visitors take delight in many things they can see in the parks, whether that be a beautiful sunset or sunrise, a chance sighting of a deer or a coyote in a woodland clearing, the wonderful spread of wildflowers in a spring forest—but many visitors take even more delight in seeing the easily-recognizable shirt of a Metro Parks volunteer. Volunteers can be seen …Read More

Earlier this week a couple of Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies alerted staff at Scioto Grove Metro Park about an injured barred owl along the roadway at Jackson Pike. Park staff came out, got the owl, took it back to the maintenance shop and called the Ohio Wildlife Center (OWC). A volunteer from OWC came out and took the raptor to their veterinary hospital for …Read More

Have you ever wondered what animals do when it snows? For many species, food sources and water are buried under snow and ice. But to other animals, snow is a protective layer providing warmth and cover from predators. One way animals deal with snow is to sleep. Well, not sleep exactly! Many animals undergo a type of torpidity, or change in their body’s metabolism. …Read More

Since it’s the Christmas season, my thoughts turn not to chestnuts roasting on an open fire but to… reindeer. Not native to Ohio, a rare subspecies migrates through the state in the dark hours of December 24 and 25. The migration is small – only eight reindeer most years with nine in years with inclement weather. During bad winter storms a red-nosed variant shows …Read More

Winter is a great time to come out and play in your Metro Parks. Don’t get stuck inside wondering what to do when the snow flies. Get the family together to ride down one of our sledding hills (Battelle Darby Creek, Blendon Woods and Walnut Woods kiddie hills, Blacklick Woods Golf Course, Highbanks, Sharon Woods, Scioto Audubon and Scioto Grove. For a more aerobic …Read More

It’s widely accepted that outdoor play and exploration is essential to the healthy physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of all children. But children with special needs often face barriers to accessing and connecting with the outdoors. This is a challenge that Metro Parks and the YMCA Early Childhood Resource Network+ have taken on, to ensure that families with special needs children have access …Read More

From December 14 through January 5 each year tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the longest-running citizen science wildlife census in the world. We invite you to join staff and volunteers at Blendon Woods (Dec 18, 8 am), Glacier Ridge (Dec 31, 8:30am), Highbanks (Dec 17, 9am), Inniswood (Dec 17, 8am) and Sharon …Read More

Watch out for—or should that be listen out for—woodpeckers at the parks this winter. Their spectacular coloring delights the eye, while their persistent hammering on trees can be a real assault on the ears, at least until you adjust to it. When they hammer away at the tree with their hefty bills, they’re either hunting for food, building a nest, or even communicating with …Read More

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” In this famous line from Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2), William Shakespeare’s tale of the “star-cross’d” lovers, Juliet is telling Romeo that his last name isn’t important, and that she didn’t care that their families were feuding, as a name is a man-made and meaningless …Read More

The idea of Thanksgiving in America often conjures up images of Native Americans and early settlers around tables laden with food. George Washington was the first president to declare a national day of thanksgiving and prayer, for Nov 26, 1789. Other presidents set aside national days of thanksgiving after that, but President Abraham Lincoln finally declared it a federal holiday in 1863. (In 1941, …Read More

The Central Ohio Greenway Trails are an extensive series of multipurpose trails connecting communities, neighborhoods, downtown Columbus and other destination points. Metro Parks manages and maintains more than 50 miles of these trails, which are used for fitness, recreational and transportation needs and add to the quality of life for the people of Central Ohio. We want to continue to improve upon the Greenway …Read More

  You may remember when REI did something different on Black Friday last year—they closed the co-op’s doors and invited the nation to opt outside with them. And more than a million people did just that. It really caught the attention of our community. To learn more about the plans for this year, visit REIOptOutside. Black Friday #OptOutside Social Media Contest: This year on Black Friday we’re …Read More

More than 8-million visitors come to the 19 Metro Parks every year, and every one of you has a story to tell and reasons aplenty for being there. We chatted with one frequent park visitor recently who is very into fitness and likes to do something active every day. Dianne Clay is a retired school teacher, in her early sixties, and says it’s far …Read More

Fall is here and the leaves are changing colors right before our eyes. In just a few more weeks, the leaves will have fallen from the trees and winter will be right around the corner. But before that happens, let’s learn what’s going on inside of the trees… and you can even try an experiment at home to see the science behind the leaves …Read More

The work of busy beech blight aphids While hiking along the many trails of our Metro Parks a mysterious substance can be discovered this time of year. As this mysterious black growth unveils itself, it appears to be oozing off the limbs of beech trees. It is in such forests, with these beautiful beech trees, that an observant eye may witness nature’s Halloween decor draped …Read More

CLEAR CREEK It is a beautiful time of year to get out and explore the trails at Clear Creek Metro Park. The park offers many hiking opportunities. As there are a number of interconnecting trails, it is a good idea to grab a park map before you start your hike. They are available at the bulletin boards in the parking lots. Hiking up and …Read More

Launching into wild edible plants may seem complicated, but with a little knowledge and an adventurous mindset, you could be foraging for your own food in no time. Before you get started, enter with a mindset of SAFETY FIRST! Certain plants can have either acute or underlying toxins and some may even have both. The first thing to do is to learn to identify plants. …Read More

BLACKLICK WOODS This time of year the Multi-purpose Trail at Blacklick Woods is a sight to behold. Start at the nature center parking lot and enjoy an easy 2-mile walk through fields and forests.  You will see purple and gold in the prairie as the New England asters and goldenrod bloom all around you. As the prairie blends with the forest, the colors change from …Read More

Ask any kindergartener and they will tell you that spiders have eight legs, eight eyes (most do) and two body parts…and they are way cool. Most adults would not agree with the latter part and may shudder and use words like “heebie-jeebies.” Spiders have intrigued humans since ancient times, and were seen as mystical because of their ability to weave intricate webs. Much like …Read More

HOMESTEAD METRO PARK This spring, staff at Homestead started the conversion of mowed lawn into habitat by seeding native tallgrass prairie. It will take three to five years for the prairie to become established. Since the planted area is highly visible, staff incorporated annuals into the seed mix to produce a display of beautiful flowers early in the process. This summer there have been bursts of white, …Read More

As reported in part one of our two-part blog post on Big Red, regular park visitor at Blacklick Woods, Karl Hassel, became obsessed with capturing photos of the legendary beast. He got the shot he wanted in October 2009, but the obsession didn’t end there. Karl continued his pursuit and captured more great photos of the animal, some of which you can see in …Read More

SHARON WOODS If you are looking for a leisurely walk that’s chocked-full of fall colors, the fields at Sharon Woods are at their fall-color peak with blooming Goldenrod and New England Aster. Start your walk on our Edward Thomas Trail. This trail passes through our 319-acre Edward Thomas State Nature Preserve known for its mature oak trees. From there, take the connector to hop …Read More

You may have seen this post somewhere on social media: “POISONOUS CATERPILLAR FOUND IN OHIO— It may look like a woolly worm..but it’s not. This is a venomous caterpillar from Canada known as the White Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar and it’s been spotted in northeast Ohio. It can be either white or brightly colored. More importantly, it has hairs with barbs that can stick …Read More

There are some large bucks to be seen at Blacklick Woods, and maybe some of them are related to an impressive beast that once roamed the fields at this, the first Metro Park, not so many years ago. The manager of Battelle Darby Creek, Kevin Kasnyik, who worked at Blacklick Woods in times past, actually saw this deer and recalls it, even now, as …Read More

If you visited a Metro Park this summer, you may have seen a group of high school students staining a deck or trimming alongside a trail. These students were part of a Metro Parks program called the Columbus City Schools Intern Initiative (CSI). Metro Parks hires Columbus City School high school students to work on maintenance crews that travel to different parks over the course …Read More

Later this morning, 10:21 am to be precise, fall officially arrives. Fall is a season of sensory splendor and delight in your Metro Parks. Crisp morning air, bright blue and sunny afternoon skies and breathtaking vistas bursting with brilliant colors are just a few of the joys that fall holds. As you hike or bike a trail, or kayak down a stream in your …Read More

Look for the dark maroon flowers of the pawpaw tree in early spring and dare to take a whiff. It smells like rotting meat. But believe it or not, by September, these foul-smelling flowers will have developed into a delicious, nutritious edible fruit. Dig a little deeper into the history of the pawpaw and you’ll discover even more surprises. Some have called pawpaw (Asimina …Read More

Scioto Audubon Metro Park’s climbing wall opened in 2009 and has been a resounding success with visitors, and especially with the climbing community. Our Community Rock Climbing Festival on Saturday September 10, 2016, is a celebration of that success and we invite all people to join us for a fun day of activities and adventure, with a Hollywood blockbuster movie to end the day. EVEREST …Read More

Bees can be a polarizing topic for many. I meet visitors all the time that have an aversion to them. People may have had a traumatic experience with a bee, maybe they aren’t fans of that buzzing noise they make, or maybe they just don’t like bugs. Either way, there is no denying that without our bees there would be fewer beautiful flowers and even less tasty …Read More