Pollinators are a vital part of the environment, helping to complete many plant lifecycles and are responsible for 35% of the world's food crops and 75% of the world's flowering plants.
From June 16 - 22nd in the United States, we recognize their importance. Learn more here:
https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator-week
Pheasants Forever Blog - Creatures Great and Small
Fortunately, Southwest Ohio is blessed to have several rivers that are perfect for paddling canoes, kayaks, and Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUPs). These rivers offer dappled shade from trees on shore and some relief from the sun.
You can read the complete article here: Using local waterways to beat the summer heat with paddle activities
For me, being on local waterways always seems to deliver a story. Quiet paddles could result in all kinds of wildlife sightings, from otters to deer to eagles. Group paddles deliver different types of stories, from runaway coolers to wedding rings washed away. But they only happen if you get outside.
In our area in the summer, the question isn’t what to do, it’s where to go. See resources below for possible rental and trip options. And one video of a section in Springfield on Buck Creek.
Canoe and Kayak Rentals
RiverScape with Taiter's Kayak Solutions - RiverScape - Great Miami River
https://www.metroparks.org/programs-events-finder/?program_number=T309&api=programs&type=program
Voice of America Lake| MetroParks of Butler County| Boathouse
https://www.yourmetroparks.net/parks/voice-of-america-metropark/lake
Mad River Adventures - Mad River
https://www.facebook.com/madriveradventures/about
River’s Edge Outfitters - Little Miami River
https://riversedgeoutfitters.com/
Barefoot Canoe - Stillwater River
Sources
With summer here, there are a lot of opportunities to be outside. There are hikes, walks, programs, and Ohio’s free fishing day on June 14th and 15th. But first things first, and I should have probably touched on this earlier: guard against bug bites to make sure the memory outshines any consequences.
That means both your two and four-legged friends. If one of your human companions is continuously under assault by bugs, they won’t have a great time, and nobody else will either. And biting bugs can have serious consequences for our four-legged companions. Here are my top least favorite bugs of summer:
1. Ticks
2. Chiggers
3. Mosquitoes
Runner-Up: Biting Flies
Read the complete article and how you can avoid getting bit here: Staying off the summer bug bite menu
Memorial Day might mark the unofficial start of summer, but it isn’t real for me until I see groups of fireflies or lightning bugs. As a kid, chasing the gentle glowing bugs flying in seemingly random bobbing path was the next activity to prolong time outside.
Just as darkness started to fall and make batted balls or flying frisbees too hard to see and catch, along would come the green glowing orbs. That would add at least another 30 minutes of outside play to the day, catching and releasing them out of a jar.
Fireflies typically appear in Southwest Ohio in early June, but it can depend on the weather and temperature. I’m sure that Bill Felker of Poor Will’s Almanac has precise dates of the insect’s first appearance each season near Yellow Springs. I don’t have that, just a recollection of a now deleted text I sent to my daughter about seeing the first one of the season in early May, and how it seemed really early.
Read the complete article here: Fireflies typically appear in SW Ohio in early June, but it can depend on weather, temps
“I got one!” If ever a kid says that without the exclamation mark when they have their first fish on the line it will be the first. There’s something about the tug on the line and the unknown at the other end that generates excitement and smiles. Taking a kid fishing is an introduction to a pastime they can enjoy for a lifetime. It teaches patience and focus without a screen, creates a literal connection to the world around them, and introduces basic conservation concepts.
With summer break starting soon for area schools, now is a great time to take a kid fishing or plan a future outing.
To make that first trip successful, keep a couple of things in mind. First of all, keep it simple. Pick an accessible location nearby. You don’t want to spend more time driving than fishing, and you don’t want the time of the outing to exceed attention or energy spans. And remember, for at least the first couple of times, if not years, you’re taking a kid fishing, not going fishing with a kid. Focusing your attention on them and their experience will make it more fun for everyone.
“What’s that weird abuzzing noise?” asked our family’s Spanish exchange student in the middle of a wiffle ball game. “What noise?” I responded, not hearing any noises I considered strange. Then it buzzed again.
“Oh, that’s just a cicada,” I replied.
While cicadas provide familiar summer background noise in Southwest Ohio, the periodical cicadas go beyond the term “just.” It’s amazing. Flash forward a couple of decades and I was reminded of the fact that this doesn’t happen everywhere. A French colleague was visiting our headquarters in Cincinnati during brood XVI’s last arrival and was amazed. There is a lot to take in.
Read the complete article, Bugging Out, here:
And stay tuned for some possible data crunching on the impacts cicada's have on the area: https://www.daytondailynews.com/what-to-know/bugging-out-cicada-brood-xiv-is-back-in-sw-ohio-very-soon/JVMEHPM745DF3G7Y25EKD4HEPM/
“Go for a walk.” That’s advice my mom would give for any number of situations, and it’s great advice.
If you can, walking provides a range of benefits, from resetting and clearing your head to discovering new things to promoting physical health — all good things. I think most mothers would approve.
While you could just step outside your front door and start walking, Southwest Ohio offers interesting paths and trails within minutes of anywhere. There is everything from garden paths with manicured surroundings to more wild routes with some elevation changes. There are several trails that include views of the area waterfalls. Note that water flow can vary by season and conditions at some locations.
I might or might not have set expectations too high at an unnamed local waterfall that was very different between early spring and the summer.
Here are some reliable favorites:
Sugar Creek Park
In an environment where many things have been removed and or replaced, there’s something about a 580-year-old oak tree that puts the world in perspective. You can see that and a variety of other landscapes, including tall grass prairie in Sugar Creek Park southeast of Dayton. https://www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/sugarcreek/
Snyder Park Gardens and Arboretum
Located on the site of the former Snyder Park Golf Course in Springfield, the Snyder Park Gardens and Arboretum combines the efforts of the Ohio State University Extension and Master Gardener Volunteers of Clark County. The results are demonstration, teaching, and display gardens, as well as a Victory Garden that produces fruits and vegetables to donate to the local community. https://ntprd.org/snyder-park/#1486322920016-4732a6f3-1199
Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve
Following 2 miles of the Little Miami State and Scenic River as it cuts a narrow canyon through bedrock near Clifton. Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve offers 268 acres of unique flora and fauna. Always noticeably cooler than much of the surrounding area, the north-facing slopes “provide a cool, moist environment for northern species including hemlock, red baneberry, Canada yew, arbor vitae and mountain maple,” according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website. https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/clifton-gorge-state-nature-preserve
See more and read the complete article here: https://www.daytondailynews.com/what-to-know/take-moms-advice-and-go-for-a-hike-check-out-these-interesting-sw-ohio-paths-and-trails-within-minutes-of-anywhere/AZGFNRXUOZEXNPHMEB6KBJ5CX4/
