“Where’s my drink?” That’s what my neighbor said, in what I interpreted as an accusatory tone. “I left it here,” he said. “It’s always here, you #@$% slacker.” That’s when I knew it was time to fix my thirsty visitor his favorite cocktail and hang the hummingbird feeder by the deck for the season.
To say that hummingbirds are unique in the avian world is an understatement. We’ll start with the physical attributes. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, the only hummingbird species native to Ohio, are small. Adults weigh less than an ounce with a body length between 3 and 3 ¾ inches. Their wingspan maxes out at 4 ¾ inches. There are native insects with a bigger profile. They are a sort of olive colored back and wings, with a lighter belly. Males have a prominent red patch on their throat, hence the name.
Resources
Hummingbird Migration Tracker
https://www.hummingbirdcentral.com/hummingbird-migration-spring-2025-map.htm
Identification and facts
https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/birds/ruby-throated-hummingbird
What to Put in the Feeder
Make a simple syrup of sugar and water at ratio of 1:4 respectively. DO NOT PUT DYE OR COLORING IN YOUR NECTAR.
Where to put the feeder
 |
| Photo by Trac Vu on Unsplash |
Or maybe a rake. Or even a stick. The creation by planting Leopold spoke of isn’t limited to trees, and you don’t need 80 acres in Wisconsin or to wait decades for a stand of pine trees. Yes, large blocks of acreage matter and are necessary. We need those. That doesn’t mean that smaller spaces don’t matter or that they can’t contribute to the end goal: increasing habitat. That forgotten corner of a field or backyard, or even an ignored flower bed can make a difference, even this year.
Learn more in my column on the Dayton Daily News site: Celebrate Earth Day by preparing your own yard to be a habitat
Find plans
Ohio Native Plant Month - https://www.ohionativeplantmonth.org/plant-a-pollinator-garden
Pheasants Forever offers a free PDF download of instructions for organic site prep for any season: https://www.pfhabitatstore.com/resources/64/organic%20site%20preparation.pdf
Find seeds
https://www.pfhabitatstore.com/store/items/OH/
https://www.gardenia.net/guide/great-pollinator-plants-for-ohio
Resources
Register your pollinator garden to help Ohio studies and research https://www.ohionativeplantmonth.org/plant-a-pollinator-garden
Find Events
Marianist Environmental Education Center - Gardening with native plants hands-on workshop. April 26, 9:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m.
Carolyn Kimes Tree Seedling Giveaway at 2nd Street Market - Free deciduous and coniferous tree seedlings, first come, first serve while supplies last. April 26, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
https://www.metroparks.org/programs-events-finder/?program_number=S165&api=programs&type=program
 |
| Photo by Alexandria Szakacs on Unsplash |
Back to Balance
Over centuries and millennia, through weather events and changes, environments have developed interdependent cycles of life. From soil to plant to pollinator to prey, one doesn’t exist without the other, including humans. Invasive plants can be a stick in the spoke of the local cycles, throwing things out of balance and wrecking the natural order. Often showing up earlier and staying later in the seasons, invasives can take over any available space and crowd out our original neighbors. Three of the most notorious offenders in Southwest Ohio are garlic mustard, amur honeysuckle, and Bradford (callery) pear.
What can you do? Check out this article in its entirety: Garlic mustard, honeysuckle, Bradford pear: Invasive plants need to be evicted
Upcoming Events and Other Ways You Can Make Way for Ohio Plants
April Ohio Native Plant Month
https://www.ohionativeplantmonth.org/
April 14th - Garlic Mustard Challenge
Fill bags of garlic mustard and earn swag from National Trails Parks and Recreation
https://ntprd.org/garlic-mustard-challenge-2025/
April 19th - Carolyn Kimes Tree Seedling Give Away
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the 2nd Street Market https://www.metroparks.org/programs-events-finder/?program_number=S54&api=programs&type=program
List of Ohio Native Plant Suppliers
https://www.ohionativeplantmonth.org/native-plant-sources
Don’t Plant/Get Rid of These Invasive Plants List
https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/plants-trees/invasive-plants/callery-pear
 |
| Photo by Olivia Brewer on Unsplash |
Adding Up the Challenges
Hunters have to not only convince a gobbler to leave his harem, something he’s not want to do, but to come into effective shotgun or archery range of around 35 yards. They have to remain virtually motionless to avoid detection by some of the most powerful eyes in nature while those same eyes are searching for the source of the sound to add to his harem. Other than calling, they must remain silent and undetected by other turkeys in the area, lest they sound the alarm. Lastly, they have to position themselves for a shot without being detected.
Nearly Lost
Change was the word at the turn of the last century. In 1903, as the Wright Brothers were taking to the skies, populations of some birds were decidedly not. The last wild passenger pigeon was shot in 1900 in Southern Ohio. Heath hen numbers hung by a thread in the low hundreds on the east coast. And in 1904, through lost habitat and over-harvest, wild turkeys were eliminated from Ohio. Fortunately, turkey habitat came back, better regulations were established, and reintroduction by the Ohio Division of Wildlife began in the 1950s. By 1966, a limited season was allowed in nine counties. In 1999, wild turkeys were found in all 88 counties, and the spring season was open statewide in 2000. It has been open across the state since.
Get Ready Now
The 2025 Turkey season in southwest Ohio kicks off with a weekend youth season on April 12 and 13th, followed by the general season opening April 19th and running through May 18th. The limit is one bearded gobbler per year.
Read the Complete Dayton Daily News column here: Talking turkey — months before Thanksgiving
Getting Started Hunting Turkeys
National Wild Turkey Foundation
Barry Bales - Obsessed Turkey Hunter
Side Note: Myth Busters
Not the Founding Father’s Other Choice
Morel mushrooms, properly “Morchella” are fungi that appear in the spring across the northern hemisphere, but especially drive “mushroom hunters” near mad in the Midwest. Trespassing. Camouflage. Cash under the table. Missed work.
Because they’re delicious. They’re prized by French and Catalan chefs. Here in SW Ohio, if you’re in the right spot at the right time, they can be plentiful and not too difficult to find. The right place at the right time is the trick. While you might get an experienced morel hunter to help with the timing, don’t expect directions or holding hands to their best spots.
Read the complete article here:
Morel mushrooms, nature’s spring morsels, drive locals crazy
Image: creative commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morel_Mushrooms.jpg#filelinks
It looks innocent. Just a mid-size bushy shrub with arching branches 6-20 feet, with white flowers in early spring, red berries in the fall, and holding green leaves into near winter. I’m sure that’s why the Amur honeysuckle (honeysuckle) was brought from Asia and Europe in the 1800s as an ornamental plant and arrived in Southern Ohio in the 1950s. Growing quickly and easily nearly anywhere they find an opening was also seen as a positive. It’s not. It needs to be locked up in Ohio and organizations are calling on citizens to arrest the spread. And you don't need anymore authority than Gomer Pyle had in Mayberry.
Honeysuckle in Ohio creates a variety of issues for native plants, animals, and even people, making it a multiple offender. Their ability to proliferate through birds carrying fruit coupled with a fast growth rate means that they can take over an area in the blink of an eye. They’re the classic example of if you give an inch they’ll take the fence row. And that’s what’s happening.
