Author: Carrie Dittman

The chatter is unmistakable. All winter long, the woods have been full of American red squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus. According to Wikipedia, red squirrels are one of three species known as “pine squirrels,” and they are “widely distributed across North America…

As humans, we are accustomed to having a relatively constant, warm body temperature. Whether it’s the middle of summer or the cold of winter, we steam right along at about 37oC (98.6oF), almost always warmer than the surrounding air. That…

The Centerville-Washington Park District maintains 20 soccer game fields, 18 baseball/softball diamonds, 2 football game fields, 2 lacrosse game fields, 5 acres of lacrosse practice area, 5.5 acres of football practice area and 20 acres of soccer practice fields! We…

This winter, the edges of the wood are rich with fruits. Wild grapes, eastern red cedar, crabapple, dogwood, honeysuckle, bittersweet, and others all seem to have thrived. For birds that seek fruits for winter sustenance–robins, cardinals, white-throated sparrows, and others–that’s…

It’s been a good year for Osage oranges (Maclura pomifera). Now, in mid-to late-autumn, the grapefruit-sized “monkey brains” (as Osage orange fruits are commonly called) litter the ground, turning from chartreuse to brown as they soften and decay. What are…

The parks of Southwest Ohio are home to two of the country’s smallest “warm-blooded” critters. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, Archilochus colubris, are conspicuous throughout the warmer months; least shrews, Cryptotis parva, also are common residents, though ¬much less visible. Adults of each…