The Augusta-Anne Olsen State Nature Preserve occupies 132 acres of Huron County. At one point it was named the Vermilion River Preserve, but it was renamed after the woman whose initial donation of land to the state made the preserve possible. Among other things the preserve is known for its large variety of spring wildflowers. We visited May 20th of this year with the hope of seeing some of the spring wildflowers.
The entrance to the preserve is well-marked, and there is a kiosk near Read more ➜ Augusta-Anne Olsen State Nature Preserve
The Augusta-Anne Olsen State Nature Preserve occupies 132 acres of Huron County. At one point it was named the Vermilion River Preserve, but it was renamed after the woman whose initial donation of land to the state made the preserve possible. Among other things the preserve is known for its large variety of spring wildflowers. We visited May 20th of this year with the hope of seeing some of the spring wildflowers.
The entrance to the preserve is well-marked, and there is a kiosk near Read more ➜ 
In an earlier post on poison ivy, we noted that birds are untroubled by poison ivy. In fact the vine's berries are an important food source during the cold, winter months. According to an article by Penn State University (linked at the end of this post), over 60 species of bird have been observed eating poison ivy berries. While out for a walk I recently noticed a northern cardinal feasting on them.
I'm seeing a lot of poison ivy berries this time of year. You might not recognize 
I don't know about you, but I used to think that all conifers were evergreen. Not true! The Bald Cypress is a conifer that loses its needle-like foliage every winter becoming, well, bald. But if you catch sight of one in the autumn, it's a glorious, coppery-red.
Bald Cypress in Autumn
Bald Cypress in Other Seasons
The two trees in the foreground below are Bald Cypress photographed in December.
The two trees in front of the boardwalk below are also Bald Cypress. 
The weekend before last Bob and I paid a visit to Great Seal State Park in Ross County, Ohio. This 1862-acre park features 5 miles of nature trail plus an additional 17 miles of multi-use trails that may be used for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The central feature of the park is a line of hills that are depicted on the Great Seal of Ohio.
The Great Seal Of Ohio
Just like the United States has a great seal (pictured here), all of the individual states have their 
I became aware that there was a white hummingbird in central Ohio due to a post by Jim McCormac on his blog, Ohio Birds and Biodiversity. The bird is hanging around the herb garden of Inniswood Metro Gardens in Westerville, Ohio where there are still some flowers in bloom. After being spotted, someone put up a hummingbird feeder for it. I drove over there today to see if it was still there, and was I in for a treat!
There are two different mutations that can cause a bird or animal 
One of my favorite places to enjoy the fall colors in central Ohio is Christmas Rocks State Nature Preserve in Fairfield County. My friend, Connie, and I went hiking there Tuesday. The best view is at the cliff on the Jacob's Ladder Trail. Here's what it was like.
Besides checking out the view from the cliff, we hiked the length of both trails there. Here are a few additional photos.
The ferns above stay green all winter. Ohio's settlers used these 
Sunday was a cool and sunny autumn day. Bob and I decided it would be a great day to check out the fall color at Scioto Trail State Park. There are two sites at Scioto Lake where you can get a view of the surrounding forests from up high. One is the park's fire tower and the other is a place known as the Vista. In both cases there is parking right at the site, so you don't have to do any hiking to take advantage of the view. But of course if you decide to go to the fire tower there is a long climb 
Sharon Woods Metro Park is part of the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Park system in central Ohio. This Metro Park is 761 acres, and that's including the 320-acre Edward S. Thomas State Nature Preserve that's tucked inside it. The park features a 3.8-mile, paved, multipurpose loop trail. There's also an additional 3.35 miles of hiking trails. The trails pass through a variety of habitats, including woodlands, ravines, meadows, prairie and wetland.
Sharon 
We happened to be at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for the final day of a three-day pumpkin carving contest (it was held Sept. 20-22). On this last day the competitors were asked to carve a single, large, freestyle pumpkin. We enjoyed seeing the carvers at work and looking at pumpkins that were carved earlier in the contest, and it seemed like a nice topic to start of the month of October. Since the contest was being held at a zoo, many of the carvings explored the zoo and aquarium theme.
In 
The Wilds is both a wildlife conservation center and a tourist attraction. From a tourist's perspective, visiting The Wilds is like visiting a really, really big zoo. It sits on nearly 10,000 acres of land in rural, southeastern Ohio. Although the carnivorous animals at The Wilds live in fenced areas, most of the big, herd animals live in enclosures that are so large they don't feel like enclosures at all. Instead of walking from one wildlife habitat to the next as you would at a traditional zoo,