Join us for a hike, a light supper, and a presentation! Naturalist, photographer, author, and friend of Camp Oty’ Okwa will lead us for an enjoyable evening.

4:30 p.m. Hike
6:00 p.m. Soup and Salad Bar
6:30 p.m. Presentation about spring wildflowers

Event is free but donations are always appreciated and accepted.

RSVP to Jen: Jsomerville@bbbscentralohio.org

More about program:

Ohio’s Spring Wildflowers:
Come winter’s end lengthening days, spring wildflowers begin their eruption. The parade commences in late February and early March with the emergence of snow trillium, harbinger-of-spring, hepatica, and other hardy flora. The floral procession picks up steam and develops diversity as spring rolls along, until leaf-out of the forest canopy largely puts an end to the show. Spring wildflowers are among our showiest plants, and are eagerly anticipated by winter-weary people. The ecology of vernal flora is fascinating – their ties to insect pollinators, the role of ants in seed dispersal, wildflowers as indicators of healthy ecosystems, and the Ohio-centric human history of certain species. This program will be a colorful romp through the showy world of spring wildflowers.

Jim McCormac – Bio:
Jim worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 31 years as a botanist, and later specializing in wildlife diversity projects, especially involving birds. He has authored or coauthored six books, including Birds of Ohio (Lone Pine 2004); and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage (Kent State University Press 2009). The latter won the 2010 Ohioana Book award. He is a coauthor of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II book. Jim writes a column, Nature, for the Columbus Dispatch, and regularly publishes a natural history blog. He has written numerous articles in a variety of publications, and has delivered hundreds of presentations throughout the eastern United States. He was named 2015 Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Ohio League of Sportsmen. Jim is an avid photographer, shooting a range of natural history subjects. He has had hundreds of photos published in various forums.