October 13, Tuesday 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Metea County Park Nature Center
Weather permitting, this is a creek activity, so wear old shoes or water shoes. If it is cold or wet this will be an indoor activity. We will be taking a close look at aquatic macro invertebrates – little creatures that live in water.
Ages 8 through adult.
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Cost: $ 2.00
Pre-register by: 10/8
Min: 5
Max: 15
To register or more information:
Email: rdivelbiss@allencountyparks.org
Call: 449-3778
Ron Divelbiss
The Deciduous Woodlands: How seasonal change affects temperate forest life
By Ron Divelbiss, Metea County Park Naturalist
Most of Fox Island and Metea is woodlands. The changing seasons dominate deciduous woodlands. Woodland animals and plants live and breed in conditions that vary widely throughout the year. The key to their success is an ability to survive the winter and then take full advantage of the spring and summer. Deciduous woodland is the natural vegetation of much of temperate Europe and North America, and also occurs in the limited temperate lands of the Southern Hemisphere. But its water retentive soils make excellent farmland, and in many places woodlands have been replaced by agricultural development.
In the depths of winter there seems to be little life in a deciduous woodland. The trees are bare, snow may lie along the branches, and there is little bird song to be heard. Yet even so, there is activity. On the woodland floor shrews hunt for invertebrates such as woodlice and earthworms. Also active are resident birds like downy and hairy woodpeckers and blue jays. The blue jay survives the winter by eating the acorns it stored in the autumn. The hairy woodpecker changes diet, eating invertebrates in the warmer months and seeds in the winter.
Many species of birds - and a few bats - simply avoid the winter: they head for warmer climates after breeding. Mammals like the mouse and the skunk stay put but become less active, or hibernate.
As winter retreats, the days lengthen, the temperature rises and the snow melts; greenery and life return to the woods. First come the spring flowering plants, which expand their leaves and produce their flowers before the canopy closes over them and shades them from the Sun's light. Woodland trees - oak, hickory, maple, ash, beech and many others burst into leaf, and no sooner are their leaves expanded than they are being eaten by insects and their larvae.
Migrating birds such as warblers return in spring to build their nests and raise their broods. The plentiful harvest of insects provides breeding birds with a protein-rich diet for their young. Down on the woodland floor deer browse the vegetation, and in the dense understory mice are busy searching out seeds, buds and invertebrates.
All parts of the forest - from the woodland floor to the top of the canopy - have their predators. Hunting spiders chase small invertebrates across the woodland floor, and far above, superbly adapted woodland hawks hunt small birds among the branches.
By late summer the migratory birds have raised their young and begin to leave. Trees are preparing for the dormancy of winter by withdrawing the nutrients from their leaves and shedding them. The leaves turn brown, red and gold as they die, and the jays hunt once more for acorns. The cycle begins again.
Most of Fox Island and Metea is woodlands. The changing seasons dominate deciduous woodlands. Woodland animals and plants live and breed in conditions that vary widely throughout the year. The key to their success is an ability to survive the winter and then take full advantage of the spring and summer. Deciduous woodland is the natural vegetation of much of temperate Europe and North America, and also occurs in the limited temperate lands of the Southern Hemisphere. But its water retentive soils make excellent farmland, and in many places woodlands have been replaced by agricultural development.
In the depths of winter there seems to be little life in a deciduous woodland. The trees are bare, snow may lie along the branches, and there is little bird song to be heard. Yet even so, there is activity. On the woodland floor shrews hunt for invertebrates such as woodlice and earthworms. Also active are resident birds like downy and hairy woodpeckers and blue jays. The blue jay survives the winter by eating the acorns it stored in the autumn. The hairy woodpecker changes diet, eating invertebrates in the warmer months and seeds in the winter.
Many species of birds - and a few bats - simply avoid the winter: they head for warmer climates after breeding. Mammals like the mouse and the skunk stay put but become less active, or hibernate.
As winter retreats, the days lengthen, the temperature rises and the snow melts; greenery and life return to the woods. First come the spring flowering plants, which expand their leaves and produce their flowers before the canopy closes over them and shades them from the Sun's light. Woodland trees - oak, hickory, maple, ash, beech and many others burst into leaf, and no sooner are their leaves expanded than they are being eaten by insects and their larvae.
Migrating birds such as warblers return in spring to build their nests and raise their broods. The plentiful harvest of insects provides breeding birds with a protein-rich diet for their young. Down on the woodland floor deer browse the vegetation, and in the dense understory mice are busy searching out seeds, buds and invertebrates.
All parts of the forest - from the woodland floor to the top of the canopy - have their predators. Hunting spiders chase small invertebrates across the woodland floor, and far above, superbly adapted woodland hawks hunt small birds among the branches.
By late summer the migratory birds have raised their young and begin to leave. Trees are preparing for the dormancy of winter by withdrawing the nutrients from their leaves and shedding them. The leaves turn brown, red and gold as they die, and the jays hunt once more for acorns. The cycle begins again.
Collect and Observe - Dominance Hierarchy in Field Crickets
October 6, Tuesday 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Metea Park Nature Center
By watching a small group of male field crickets we will be able to establish the winner (dominant cricket) and losers (submissive crickets). Ages 12 through adult.
Cost: $3.00
Pre-register by: 10/1
Min: 6
Max: 10
You must be preregistered to do this program.
Email: rdivelbiss@allencountyparks.org
Call: 449-3778
Ron Divelbiss
By watching a small group of male field crickets we will be able to establish the winner (dominant cricket) and losers (submissive crickets). Ages 12 through adult.
Cost: $3.00
Pre-register by: 10/1
Min: 6
Max: 10
You must be preregistered to do this program.
Email: rdivelbiss@allencountyparks.org
Call: 449-3778
Ron Divelbiss
Fourth Friday Night Hike
- WHEN: Friday, September 25, 7:30 PM
- WHERE: Metea County Park Nature Center
- WHAT: Join Metea naturalist, Karie Harding as she teaches about the night. We will talk about night animals, night senses, and other fun night things!
- COST: $2.00/person
- PRE-REGISTER BY: September 21
- MINIMUM: 5
- MAXIMUM: 20
- NISTEM reward points: 2
To register or for more information, contact Karie Harding at 449-3778 or email at kharding@allencountyparks.org
Back to Nature in Payton Park
- WHEN: Thursday, September 24, 10:00 AM
- WHERE: Payton County Park
- WHAT: Join Allen County Park Educator, Natalie Haley and explore our 40 acre farm reverted back to nature!
- COST: $2 per person
- PRE-REGISTER BY: September 19
- MINIMUM: 5
- MAXIMUM: 30
- NISTEM reward points: 2
To register or for more information, contact Natalie Haley at 449-3246 or email at nhaley@allencountyparks.org
Autumn Ice Cream Social
- WHEN: Tuesday, September 22, 6:00 PM
- WHERE: Metea County Park
- WHAT: Join Allen County Park Educator, Natalie Haley in a cool autumn celebration by making home-made ice cream!
- COST: $3 per ice cream cone
- PRE-REGISTER BY: September 17
- MINIMUM: 5
- MAXIMUM: We can always buy more ice cream!
To register or for more information, contact Natalie Haley at 449-3246 or email at nhaley@allencountyparks.org
TREADS – Butterfly Walk
- WHEN: Saturday, September 19, 10:00 AM
- WHERE: Metea County Park Nature Center
- WHAT: Join Metea naturalist, Karie Harding as she leads a hike through the park focusing on the different kinds of butterflies – such as swallowtails, monarchs, sulfurs, cabbage whites, etc -- that can be found there.
- PRE-REGISTER BY: September 14
- MINIMUM: 5
- MAXIMUM: 20
To register or for more information, contact Karie Harding at 449-3778 or email at kharding@allencountyparks.org
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