THE WILDERNESS CENTER IN WILMOT, STARK COUNTY, OH

The Wilderness Center (TWC) owns 967 acres scattered in Stark, Wayne and Holmes Counties.  It’s a self-supporting, 501 (c) 3 nature center, founded in 1964 by members of the Canton Audubon Society.

The Center’s mission is “. . .to connect people of all ages, conserve natural resources and practice environmental stewardship.”

They support their mission through membership fees, fundraising events and sales, program fees, grants, donations, and through what they refer to as “ecopreneurism.”

The physical Center consists of an Interpretive Building, Astronomy Education Building, and picnic shelters.  The visitor is free to wander nearly 10 miles of trails through woods and prairie, along creeks and streams and past Wilderness Lake and ponds.

Fires are not permitted in picnic areas, and dogs are permitted only in certain areas.  The trails are cut but are neither paved nor graveled.

Their parking area is unique in that cars are sheltered from sun, rain and snow by huge solar panels that power the Center’s facilities.

It’s a beautiful campus that teaches environmental stewardship through classes and clubs and–through example.

Here are some of the pretties a friend and I enjoyed at TWC last week:

The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Bee Balm

The Hummingbird Moth

Two photos of the Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly

The Eastern Wood-Peewee

I took several photos of the bird, and in each one he’s looking over his shoulder in the direction where we’d last seen two hawks circling in the sky.

The Eastern Bluebird

Wild Phlox and Cardinal Flower

You can get directions, hours and more information about TWC at http://www.wildernesscenter.org/

Thanks to Susan Wiedmann of Lake Metroparks for IDing the damselfly and to Jim McConnor of Blackbrook Audubon Society for IDing the Peewee.

Photos © Carole Clement

MENTOR SENIOR CENTER: SENIOR HIKING GROUP, JULY 2012 SCHEDULE

A few of the hikers pause at Penitentiary Glen to listen to a bull frog chorus on one of the June hikes.  Tom Yates, right

The hikers meet every Thursday morning at 9 AM at a different park or natural area in Lake County.

Nick Standering, Recreation Coordinator, organizes the walks and has arranged to have Tom Yates, retired Holden horticulturist, accompany us as an interpretive guide—they don’t come any better.

Rattlesnake Master blooming in Pen Glen’s front garden

This plant is an unlikely relative of the carrot family.  Its pale green balls house the plant’s tiny white flowers, which attract a variety of insects.

Male Eastern Bluebird perched in a tulip tree

My thanks to Jim McConnor of Blackbrook Audubon Society for identifying the gender of the bluebird.  Without seeing its wings or back, I couldn’t identify its gender by its breast coloration alone.  Jim can.

A very small snake, may be Plains Gartersnake 

A small snake, may be Common Ribbonsnake 

Fairy Candle or Bugbane

According to Tom Yates, folklore claims the plant repels bed bugs.  I prefer to think it lights the way for fairies.

JULY 2012 HIKING SCHEDULE:

Thursday, July 5 – *New Trail* Lake Erie Bluffs – 2901 Clark Rd. Perry Township  (Metroparks reports tick sightings, so wear long pants.)

Thursday, July 12 – Hell Hollow – 14435 Leroy Center Rd.

 Thursday, July 19 – Veterans Park – 5730 Hopkins Road

 Thursday, July 26 – Mentor Marsh – 5185 Corduroy Road

The center will not cancel the hikes due to inclement weather; we leave it up to each individual participant if they feel it’s safe.

Please bring plenty of water to stay hydrated as July looks to be pretty steamy!

Contact Nick Standering, Mentor Senior Center Recreation Coordinator at  standering@cityofmentor.com for a monthly schedule of interpretive walks.

Photos copyright Carole Clement

WESTERN HUMMINGBIRDS: BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD

Two (polygamous) male Black-chinned Hummingbirds,  . . .

which is one too many.

I was traveling in Utah near Salt Lake City last month and came across several hummingbirds enjoying sugar water at a rest stop.

While it’s difficult to distinguish many hummingbird species from others, male Black-chinned Hummingbirds have a distinctive iridescent purple band at the bottom the throat—sometimes.  It generally appears black, except in excellent light.

These hummingbirds are comfortable in arid habitats as well as along the banks of rivers and around lakes.  They prefer to be in shaded areas and often settle in mountain foothills, canyons and urban gardens.

Their summer range includes the Rocky Mountains and related ranges from west Texas north to Idaho and east Washington and Oregon and in the southern California coastline and sections of northern Mexico.

Black-chinneds winter along the central western coast of Mexico and the Gulf Coast of the US.

The hummingbirds’ call notes are a rapidly repeated “pip-pip.”  When aggressive, they use a raspy chatter.

Other than in mating season, the birds are solitary, though there may be several in the same general region.  When feeding or hovering, they’ll pump their tails, sometimes with the tail feathers spread.

The male Black-chinned Hummingbirds add flair to courtship, engaging in a pendulum-shaped dive of 60-100 feet past a perched female.  They’re also territorial and perch on branches, chasing away any intruders.

Territorial they may be, but they are not monogamous.  They mate with several females during the mating season but do not provide any incubation care.

My thanks to Jim McConnor and Anders Fjeldstad of Blackbrook Audubon Society for confirming the identity of the two species of hummingbirds.

from About.com   Photos copyright Carole Clement

Coming up, Western Broad-tailed Hummingbird