How to eat fish? Great blue herons have an answer
SCOTT FELKER Three Creeks Naturalist You’ve watched birds in your yard for years and know how to identify cardinals, goldfinches and blue jays. Then a day comes when you decide …Read More
From egg to adult: Two-lined salamander
LEAH CONWAY Blacklick Woods Seasonal Naturalist Two-lined salamanders are a common sight in Ohio streams and woodlands, if you know where and when to look. Most activity occurs the first …Read More
Go for the Gold
IN OUR LATEST ADVENTURE STARTS HERE… VIDEO we sample some of the challenges you can set for yourself, or as part of a team, to keep yourself fit and healthy …Read More
Nature Photography: Tips and Tricks
LIZ CHRISTIAN Marketing and Social Media Specialist Nature Photography Day was June 15, but we don’t need a specific day to capture the beauty of nature! There’s something refreshing about …Read More
From egg to adult: the pipevine swallowtail
LEAH CONWAY Seasonal Naturalist, Blacklick Woods Life begins for the rich black and metallic blue pipevine swallowtail as a round, orange and pumpkin-like egg roughly one-quarter the size of a …Read More
Our Uncolored Wildflowers: Parasitic Plants
LYDIA RADCLIFFE Blendon Woods Naturalist Have you ever been hiking in the woods and noticed something that reminds you of a fungus but looks an awful lot like a plant? …Read More
Metro Parks will host gun and archery deer hunts at selected parks for successful lottery applicants (2024)
KEVIN KASNYIK Resource Manager THE DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Managing wildlife and habitats is of the utmost importance to resource managers in Metro Parks. Keeping wildlife populations in balance allows all …Read More
The Splendor of Inniswood Metro Gardens
Inniswood is a timeless inspiration for so many of us. Head out to the gardens frequently to see the many changes as plants grow and bloom through spring and summer. …Read More
Roll into Metro Parks
Roll into Metro Parks this summer and get a different perspective on the beauty of the parks. The paved trails are perfect for wheels, so whether your pleasure is biking, …Read More
Behind the Parks: Meet Marty at Slate Run
Marty Shull Park Manager, Slate Run Metro Park Hometown and Background I was raised in the Columbus suburb of Grandview Heights. My mother remarried when I was in 6th grade, …Read More
Canopy Walk is your gateway to the sky
VIRGINIA GORDON Communications Coordinator You’ve never seen anything like this at a Metro Park before. Imagine yourself walking through the tree tops, high above the earth, eyeball to eyeball with …Read More
THE SONG CONTEST
VIRGINIA GORDON Communications Coordinator Another TALL TALE FROM THE DEEP WOODS (TTDW) Roll up, roll up – nature’s biggest and bestest (hee-hee, that’s not a word!) Song Contest is about …Read More
Tim Talks: Blacklick Woods Canopy Walk
In our latest Tim Talks video, Metro Parks Executive Director Tim Moloney presents 60 seconds of fun at the Blacklick Woods Canopy Walk, as Tim and invited guests check out …Read More
May is American wetlands month
Our Wander & Wonder video explores the diverse habitats of the wetlands at Pickerington Ponds Metro Park, with its beautiful ponds surrounded by wildflowers and tall grasses. It’s a landscape …Read More
Tad Jeffrey Memorial Grants: 2024 Edition
ALI IOVINO Friends of Metro Parks Board Member Who was Tad Jeffrey? Robert Hutchins “Tad” Jeffrey II was a Columbus businessman and philanthropist who sadly passed in 2016. A Bexley …Read More
Tornado damages the Tall Pines Area at Walnut Woods
OLIVIA PIPER Resource Management Technician With recent stormy weather throughout Ohio, you may have noticed dramatic damage to some of the Metro Parks. One park in particular, Walnut Woods, experienced …Read More
TALL TALES FROM THE DEEP WOODS – The Peepers
VIRGINIA GORDON Communications Coordinator “D’yawannit, d’yawannit, d’yawannit, d’yawannit…” Hundreds of ‘em, no thousands of ‘em, spring peepers, all driven by the most grotesque libido, gathered together liked crazed Dionysians and …Read More
Lesser Celandine – the foot soldiers of the plant world’s evil empire
OLIVIA PIPER Resource Management Technician From around late March to mid-April, you may notice a vibrant blanket of yellow along rivers, streams and forested floodplains. Although they are pretty, unfortunately, …Read More
Benefits of Hiking in the Rain
MEGAN HARRIS Outdoor Adventure Programmer Picture this: it’s Friday, and you’ve been looking forward to the weekend because you have a beautiful day planned in one of Ohio’s many parks …Read More
A FOX IN THE SNOW: the challenge of conquering 19 winter hikes demands courage, commitment, and a bit of comedy
KATHLEEN O’DOWD Guest Contributor Cunning and sly, intelligent and adaptable, the red-haired fox is known for its pointed snout and bushy tail. Don’t let his relatively small size fool you …Read More