Wet ‘n Wild Camp at the Darke County Parks’ was another week of success for the Parks. We had fifteen 6-7 year olds who collected critters throughout the week.

The week consisted of taking a Wetlands Hike, Creek Hike, Frog Hunt, and going Fishing.

During our creek hike at Worth Persevere in the Greenville Creek the children collected fish and a seemingly endless supply of crawdads. Before going to the pond to catch some frogs, the children were shown different amphibians and reptiles who call the Nature Center home. We saw several frogs during our hunt, but were not lucky enough to catch any of them. Fishing on Friday was also a huge success; we even caught one bass which was about 1.5 feet long. The children were excited each and everyday to get wet again and to find different critters from the day before!

If your 6 and 7 year old missed out this year, be sure to check out our camps for next summer!

Seasonal Naturalist

Hello, I am Laura Pohlman, and I am a graduate from Wright State University with a Bachelor in Earth and Environmental Science. I grew up in Yorkshire, Darke County, Ohio on a small dairy farm. I have six sisters and three brothers and I am the second oldest. Currently, I am keeping busy making the final touches for my wedding, which is on August 29, 2009. I enjoy being outside and exploring new things each and every day. In the past I have gone camping as a Girl Scout, hiking, and canoeing. I also enjoy sewing, painting ceramics, and cooking.

I recently started with the Darke County Parks as a Seasonal Naturalist. I hope to see you soon out at the Parks taking advantage of the beautiful weather and at one of my many upcoming programs!

Monarchs are Back

Just a quick note to mention that the 1st Monarch of 2009 has been spotted at Shawnee Prairie Preserve! This individual must have made use of recent weather patterns to get here in time for June 1st.

(Not the best of photos, but only had my cellphone on me at the time...)

Be sure to stop in the Nature Center later this summer to check out our Monarch rearing work-station. Here we'll raise young monarchs from egg to caterpillar to adult.

Once they complete their metamorphosis, changing from caterpillar into their adult form, we'll carefully apply a sticker 'tag' to them for study through Monarch Watch's website. Stay tuned for more info on this neat project!