One of our favorite locales for bird watching is Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk. We've previously posted about it here. This locale is constantly changing with the season and the level of Hoover reservoir, but it rarely disappoints.
Hoover reservoir is purposely lowered every fall to create a way station for migrating shore birds. But due to the drought, the water level has dropped earlier than usual. When summer began the boardwalk was several feet above the water's surface. Last month the Read more ➜ Morning at Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk
One of our favorite locales for bird watching is Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk. We've previously posted about it here. This locale is constantly changing with the season and the level of Hoover reservoir, but it rarely disappoints.
Hoover reservoir is purposely lowered every fall to create a way station for migrating shore birds. But due to the drought, the water level has dropped earlier than usual. When summer began the boardwalk was several feet above the water's surface. Last month the Read more ➜ 
We stopped by Wahkeena Nature Preserve this past weekend; unlike our previous trip, we didn't hike the trails there. Instead we focused on the marsh, pond, and streams. Water lilies were blooming in both the pond and marsh, and as you can see above, bees were busy pollinating them.
Here are some more scenes from this wetland area.
If you go to check out the marsh, we recommend using some DEET this time of year to keep flying pests away.
We once again stopped 
The "Hopewell Culture" refers to a Native American civilization that was centered in Ohio. It flourished here between 200 B.C. and 500 A.D. They are renowned for having built elaborate, huge, earthen structures. However when these mounds were excavated, many artifacts of great artistry were discovered. I would like to share photos of a few of these artifacts, or in some case, replicas of these artifacts. All of them were uncovered at "Mound City" which is where the Hopewell Culture National Historical 
Since we were at Scioto Trail State Park mid-May, there were so many wildflowers along the trails that I thought they merited their own post. Here's a look at some of the flowers that we saw, plus some of the living creatures that were near them.
Wildflowers
Animal life
While looking for wildflowers, the following little creatures also caught my eye.
Additional information
Bob's post, Scioto Trail State 
These scarecrows are part of a display at Dawes Arboretum that explores alternative energy, such as producing fuel from switch grass. However they appear here because I think scarecrows are adorable. I also like rusty relics, so I particularly liked the scarecrow on the tractor.
I took all the above photos from the Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk in Galena, Ohio.
I always associated the bald-cypress pictured above with the bayous of the deep south. Imagine my surprise to learn that we have some growing in Central Ohio. It turns out that the mature bald-cypress (Taxodium distichum) is actually cold tolerant. You may be wondering why we aren't seeing them all over the place. Well, they can't reproduce naturally in this climate because the immature seedlings are susceptible to ice damage. But if you nurture the little seedlings in a greenhouse, then transplant 
I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, but I had been hoping to see a herd of bison in a natural looking setting. Yeah... that's not exactly what happened. When I got to the area where the bison are, there was a sign informing me that the bison were being held in a temporary holding pen, so it was hard getting a photo of them without showing the fence which enclosed them. But perhaps the small enclosure meant that I got a closer look at them than