Spotted Sandpiper migrating hrough MEP (A. Langdon)Foxglove Beardtongue (Dave Woehr)Gadwall at MEP 2/15/2020 (Austin Langdon)Eastern Blue Bird, MEP 2/15/2020 (Austin Langdon)Yellow Golden Ragwort at MEPNorthern Mockingbird at MEP 2/15/20 (Austin Langdon)Blue violet in MIller Ecological ParkCarolina Tree Wren at MEP 2/15/2020 (Austin Langdon)...Kildeer at MEP 2/15/2020 (Austin Langdon)Red Shouldered Hawk at MEP 2/15/2020 (Austin Langdon)American Tree Sparrow at MEP 2/15/2020 (Austin Langdon)

The Season is Bright at Miller Ecological Park

Located within walking distance of three Lebanon City Schools and along the City's bike path, the opportunities and benefits of developing The Will and Harriet Miller Park as an ecological park for passive recreational activities have inspired City administrators and planners, area school personnel, local businesses, service organizations, neighbors, and the Miller Family descendants to join together to make the idea become a reality.   To see picture titles, place your cursor on the picture. To view a map of the park: Click Here

 

UPCOMING EVENTS DURING THE "SOCIAL DISTANCING" TIME, CHECK OUT THE MILLER PARK FACEBOOK PAGE FOR IDEAS TO HELP KEEP IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

 

April 22: 50th Anniversary of EARTH DAY: Lebanon Green up Clean up. Lebanon is asking that folks help pick up litter in our parks and along the trails. Wear protective gloves.  A great Earth Day Project for your family.

May 9: Wild Edibles Nature Program: 10AM Miller Eco Park

May 23: Harmon Park Earth Day Volunteer Event: 4-6:30

June 13: Miller Eco Park Blitz: 10AM Miller Eco Park

July 11:  Native Plants for Native Pollinators  10AM.  Miller Eco Park

Bird Monitoring with Austin Langdon:  Click here:for ebird.com (See article below)

 CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Contact Casey Burdick to learn about  volunteer opportunities.  Casey is the City of Lebanon Recreation and Natural Resources Coordinator. 513-228-3104; cburdick@lebanonohio.gov

 

Fleabane and bee

Spring Wildflowers in MEP: Fifth in a Series: Common Fleabane

Philadelphia or Common Fleabane
Last week Bob Henn posted this great photo...fleabane and bee

A member of the Aster Family, this is the earliest Fleabane to bloom in the summer. Beginning in April it sends up stalks of flowers 2’-3’ tall. The nectar attracts a variety of insects, and the foliage and flowerheads attract deer, rabbits, groundhogs, horses, cattle and sheep.
Appropriately named, Fleabane was used to rid homes of fleas. The crushed plant produces juices that were applied to the body as a lotion, and the dried plant was burned as a fumigant. Fleabane was also used by Native Americans as a medicinal plant.

 

Spotted Sandpiper migrating hrough MEP (A. Langdon)

SPOTTED SANDPIPER VISITS MEP: Austin Langdon's Birds in MEP Report:

April 15: As spring migration picks-up, keep an eye out for unique or unusual birds at Miller Ecological Park! This Spotted Sandpiper spent its evening hunting for food along MEP’s neighboring pond. One of the easiest shorebirds to identify, Spotted Sandpiper are known for their characteristic tail-bobbing behavior. Look for an orange bill and heavy spotting on breeding adults!

March 25: Did have two Savannah Sparrows today, though. A first for me at MEP.. not sure if others have seen them there in the past? Woodcock are still displaying in the back prairie (had at least 7 last night). Meadowlark are back as well. 

Thank You to Bob Henn for applying for and receiving certificationn!

MILLER ECOLOGICAL PARK IS A REGISTERED NATIONALLY CERTIFIED MONARCH WAYSTATION!

On May 5 the National Wildlife Federation, America's largest wildlife conservation organization, registered Miller Ecological Park as a Certified Wildlife  Habitat site.   This a huge feather in MEP's hat.   
You can see the sign in the Girl Scout Garden.  So now, Miller Ecological Park is registered nationally as a certified Monarch Waystation and a Wildlife Habitat site.   
Enjoy the Park !


Golden Ragwort

 Spring Wildflowers in MEP: Fourth in a Series: Golden Alexanders

     Golden Alexanders with bright yellow flowers have been described as a carefree plant and one of the earliest in the Parsley family to bloom in the spring.  The tiny flowers are arranged in umbrels, resembling the spokes of an umbrella.  While the plant prefers sun and wet soils, it will survive dry summers and shade. Look for Golden Alexanders in Miller Park along the gravel trail on the south side of the large prairie. (May-June)

Foxglove Beardtongue (Photo Dave Woehr)

Spring Native Wildflowers in MEP: Third in a Series: Foxglove Beardtongue

The Foxglove Beardtongue is also known as White Beardtongue and has white to pale pink flowers forming tubes in clusters at the top of 2-4 foot stalk.  The flower is called Beardtongue because one of the 5 stamens is sterile and has a tuft of small hairs that attract long-tongued bees such as honeybees, bumblebees, Miner bees, Mason bees, and even humingbirds. The word Foxglove comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for foxglove plants, Foxes Glofa, which looked like the glove of a fox.  Actually the plant is not a foxglove which is the digitalis family, but rather in the pentstemons family. This penstemons just looks something like a foxglove.  They bloom May-July.

Click: For the First in the series:  

Click: For the Second in the series