What to See This Week

Milkweed brings more than just monarchs to the garden. In the Learning Garden, the milkweed has attracted milkweed longhorn beetles, a species that specializes in eating milkweed. The large, bright beetles are easy to spot.

The eastern prickly pear is a species of cactus native to Ohio. It is currently in bloom and this photo was taken in the Crevice Garden behind the Visitors Center.

With the warmer weather we have been having, many birds have been visiting the Bird Watching Garden for a drink of water or to take a dip. This cardinal spent a long time in the fountain. Providing water is also a good way to attract birds that aren’t interested in the bird feeders.

Carolina wrens are often seen hopping in and around rotten logs on the forest floor, sharing the space with chipmunks occupying the logs.

The canopy has filled in including the forest understory, comprised partially of pawpaw trees. Pawpaws are small trees but have large, tropical-looking leaves.

There is also plenty of wood nettle growing in forested areas. Wood nettle can cause a painful rash. This is due to the tiny hairs found on the plant seen in this photo. These hairs are hollow and release irritants from the base of the hair when brushed up against.

White jelly fungus is popping up on rotten logs throughout the forest. This gelatinous fungus swells up when it rains and shrivels up when the weather is dry.

False turkey tail is a very common fungus that can be found growing on wood. False turkey tail is a bracket fungus with concentric rings and can look very similar to turkey tail. The biggest difference to note is that false turkey tail has a tan undersurface that is smooth (seen on the left side of the photo) while true turkey tail has a white undersurface when fresh that is covered in small pores.