Lake Metroparks shows off 'Best of the Bluffs,' highlights migrating species
Jun. 4—Lake Metroparks invited visitors to experience the "Best of the Bluffs" on June 4, introducing them to the migrating birds and insects they can see at Lake Erie Bluffs in Perry Township.
Representatives from the park district and other community organizations discussed local birds, monarch butterflies and gardening during the event, while children raced around an obstacle course near the park's Lane Road Shelter. Visitors also watched animal demonstrations, created eco-friendly bubbles, learned about the insects in the park's fields and toured the park.
Visitors David and Sarah Strock visited the event's monarch butterfly display early on, which provided lessons on the insect's life cycle and migration patterns.
"It's just been a fantastic time," he said. "Anytime we go to the metroparks to learn, everybody's knowledgeable and helpful."
Lake Metroparks interpretive naturalist Nick Gaye noted that monarch butterflies stop at the park as part of their journey south to Mexico.
"It's actually really incredible, because we get these massive monarch booms towards the later half of their migration," he said, adding, "You can come up to the bluffs and end up seeing just thousands of monarchs at a time, enveloping all of the trees here as they make their 3,000 mile long journey."
Gaye said that monarchs usually begin to arrive in the beginning or middle of June, adding that "some have already been spotted here in Northeast Ohio."
Meanwhile, naturalists Tony Gazso and Brendan Tisch used nets to catch some of the insects in the park's grassy fields.
"It's a good thing to show how many bugs are actually out here and how many of those bugs actually migrate, but they're also good food for birds that are migrating," Gazso said.
"We have a lot of open fields here, so you're going to get a lot more different varieties of grasshoppers and katydids and your field-sort of jumping bugs," he added.
Representatives from the Blackbrook Audubon Society came to discuss birdwatching. Vice President Mary Ann Wagner noted that people can visit the organization's website or Facebook page to learn more.
She noted that people can watch birds at parks from Lake Metroparks and the Geauga Park District. She also listed Mentor Marsh, Mentor Lagoons and Mentor's Springbrook Gardens.
"I'd just encourage people to come out," Wagner said. "Beginners and more experienced people are always welcome to come to our events."
She noted that people interested in attracting birds can also grow native plants.
Gaye noted that migrating bird species in the area include warblers in late April and early May, as well as various swallow species.
"There are cliff swallows and bank swallows all up along Lake Erie Bluffs, on the bluff itself, burying themselves six feet deep into those nests," he said.
According to Gaye, migrating species that temporarily stop at the park include marbled salamanders in October, spotted salamanders in February and April and steelhead trout.
He said that part of the draw for migrating species is the fact that the park is a large green space in a "landscape of gray."
"Really, any time of the year, you can find a migrator, whether it's waterfowl, warblers, salamanders or butterflies," Gaye added.
