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Early Morning
Discovery Hikes with Darke County Parks
If you haven’t attended one of the Early Morning Discovery Hikes this
summer with Darke County Parks, you’re missing out! Most weeks we spend
around an hour or so hiking the trails of Shawnee Prairie Preserve
searching for as many species of birds, wildflowers, dragonflies and
more that we can find. Occasionally, we’ll take a foray to one of
the many other Darke County Parks and see what we can discover that
morning. Last week we traveled to the newest addition to the
Darke County Parks, Eidson Woods, located near the junction of OH-502
and Union City-Palestine Rd, to check out the newly cleared trails.
While hiking the early successional prairie portion of the park we
discussed plants such as Queen Anne’s Lace, an edible (with extreme
caution as it has many look-a-likes that are deadly), as well as
searching for another glimpse of the Yellow Breasted Chat that’s been
seen and heard there. We were also treated to nice views of Field
Sparrows, Common Yellow Throats, Indigo Bunting’s and a flashy
Baltimore Oriole. Once into the woods we heard the distinct call of the
Northern Parula and Prothonotary Warbler and were dazzled by a plethora
of Ebony Jewelwing Damselflies while meandering through the wide
trails. If you've yet to visit this stunning park, grab your
hiking boots, some water (maybe a bit of mosquito repellent) and go for
a hike!
The Early Morning Discovery Hikes are held every Tuesday at the Nature
Center and we begin at 8am. If you would like any more information,
please visit our website, www.darkecountyparks.org, or feel free to
contact the Nature Center at 937-548-0165. See you on the trails!
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