As the name implies, milkweeds – a group of plants in the genus Asclepias – are weedy plants. They are characteristic of disturbed habitats like forest edges and open meadows, and though they are perennials, they also produce copious wind-borne…
Athletic Field Survey
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…
Yankee Park Playground: Design Preference Survey
The Yankee Park playground is getting an upgrade! The Centerville-Washington Park District is interested in learning which of the proposed playground designs the community prefers. Goals previously identified for this project are: an ADA safety surface, an ADA specific element,…
Where Have All the Insects Gone?
It’s the middle of summer; mosquitoes are buzzing, the nighttime chorus of crickets and katydids is picking up volume, and we’re just coming down from an emergence of periodical cicadas. It might seem like an odd time to be asking:…
If You Build It, They Will Come
Birds’ nests serve a number of functions. One of those, of course, is to provide a secure place to lay and incubate eggs and, for many species, to raise young. In addition, the design and structure of nests may help…
Toads at a Cocktail Party
In some ways, frogs and toads (amphibians in the order Anura, meaning “no tail”) are visual creatures. Their eyes are finely attuned to movement, and they feed on insects that make the mistake of crossing their visual paths. But when…
Periodical Cicadas: What’s the Buzz?
Image: courtesy of Katja Schulz, Creative Commons I have lived in Dayton, OH, since 1986. This May and June, for just the third time in those 35 years, I look forward to the spectacle of Magicicada Brood X, the 17-year…
Harbingers of Spring
Spring! It’s the season when robins and red-winged blackbirds regale us with song and, in Ohio, when Hinckley welcomes back its turkey vultures. Who doesn’t look forward to the lengthening daylight and warming weather? But why wait for the robins…
The Gall of Those Goldenrods!
In late summer, at their colorful flowering peak, goldenrod (Solidago) flowers provide an important source of nectar for the late-season activities of butterflies, bees and wasps, flies, and other insects. But even in winter, when the plants have long since…
New Grant Park Master Plan Adopted
The Centerville-Washington Park District began work on the Grant Park master plan project in March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proposed community engagement sessions were modified to include an online survey and a virtual community meeting. The online survey…