Portage County – What do a Monarch chrysalis, New England Purple Aster wildflowers, and Woolly Bear caterpillars all have in common? Stop scratching your head tryin’ to figure it out! You know I’m going to tell you! They are found in the great outdoors where you can go for a stroll and reaffirm your soul in the peaceful parks of Portage County.
Education Program Coordinator, Jennifer White, recently led participants on a guided walking tour of the butterfly trail in Towner’s Woods Park. We learned about late summer insects and wildflowers that can be pollinators (or carriers for spreading seeds). A ripple of excitement went through the group each time someone shouted, ‘Hey what’s this?’ Then the knowledgeable Jennifer would enthusiastically explain what sort of little creepy crawly creature was in the observation jar she had just captured it in.
As the oldest park in Portage County, Towner’s Woods, has a history rich with details of the past. Approximately, 2,000 years ago the Hopewell Indians created a burial mound, located near Lake Pippen which was excavated in the early 1900s. The 1913 Brady Interlocking Switch Tower, located at the entrance to the park, was used to switch the lower set of train tracks on the Erie Railroad line. Then in 1975 it was developed as parkland and opened to the public (according to the Portage Park District Website). The 234 acres of forests, wetlands, and meadows are a wonder to behold as you keep a look-out for pollinators crawling on the leaves or the interesting vegetation that grows along the path, such as the wild cucumber growing high above our heads intertwined with grapevines (they are bitter, but the grapes are edible).
As we hiked along those paths Ms. White told us the Goldenrod wildflower which gets blamed for all our sneezing is not the culprit at all. It is the ragweed that can cause your allergies because it uses the wind to pollinate. Goldenrod attaches its pollen to the legs of bumblebees. “They use the hair on the back of their legs to catch pollen for pollenating. Bumble bees are not interested in stinging us. We get in their way. They are more interested in eating,” she said smiling at the bee that had just flown by.
As we walked along you could hear crickets and katydids chirping, a deer stepping on twigs deep in the brush and a Barred Owl hoot in the distance. White explained you know it’s that type of owl because when it hoots it sounds like ‘who cooks for you’? The youngest member of our trekking party was a 15-month-old named Willow, who ‘Hooted’ back at the owl showing nature can be appreciated by both big and small. Her mother, Paige Henson, is a Portage Park volunteer studying conservation biology at Kent State University. She takes Willow on a hike almost every week.
“I found something!” announced Terri Wiard, an employee of Job and Family Services, who brings her family on park activities regularly. The group came to see what Terri had found. Ms. White said she was not familiar with this particular insect. So excitedly everybody pulled out the guides they had been given at the beginning of the hike to see if they could find this bug in their reference books. We eventually figured out it was a White Marked Tussock moth. “We learn something new and get to try new parks we normally wouldn’t see,” Wiard said of her love for the Park District.
On Sunday, September 15th another exciting introductory hike on Geocaching was led by April Smith, a volunteer, who is an avid geocaching aficionado. What exactly is geocaching? Simply put, it is a worldwide treasure hunt using your GPS on your phone and the geocaching app. The origin of the word ‘cache’ is French and was invented in 1797. The original definition referred to a hiding place someone would use to temporarily store items, say, pirates and gold miners. The term can also be applied to animals like squirrels when they are hoarding away food for the winter.
Nowadays, geocaching has evolved into an outdoor recreation for the modern hiker or as a wholesome family outing combining technology and nature. According to Smith the first recorded GPS-located cache happened on May 3, 2000 in Beavercreek, Oregon. Geocaching was made possible after the removal of something called ‘Selective Availability’ from the Global Positioning System on May 2, 2000 which allowed for improved accuracy. Meaning your phone could use its GPS to guide you to where you would be within feet of a very small object; hence, geocaching is born!
April led the hunting party along the Portage Hike and Bike trail near Cleveland Rd. in Ravenna. It was a gray, overcast afternoon, but the group was in upbeat spirits as we used the compass feature from the app to find small black tubes hidden in the brush along the trails.
Sometimes there will be a trinket for you to take, but it is proper caching etiquette to replace it with a new small treasure, so be prepared. April said there are many acceptable things little bracelets, marbles, McDonald’s toys etc. There will also be a logbook for you to record your username from the geocaching app. Then record your experience on the app even if you did not find the cache. There is an option to add pictures, give hints and tell about your experience.
There will be a sunset yoga event on Thursday, September 26th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Dix Park in Ravenna. There are many other upcoming activities, so feel free to check out their calendar online. The next Geocaching 102 hike will be on October 16th from 6-7p.m. at Towner’s Wood. Prior experience is not necessary.
Portage Park District Autumn 2019 calendar hosts a variety of programs and workshops for all ages and ability levels. Activities include pond exploration, pollinators, Park Rx, geocaching, nature for families, group hikes and more. Those interested can get a copy of the schedule from a park kiosk, at the park office or view the website at www.co.portage.oh.us/portage-park-district. Programs are free to attend, and registration for programs is encouraged, so information can be sent out prior to the event or in case of inclement weather.
