LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District bringing an up-close experience of Ohio's native wildlife to the Allen County Fair this week.
The park district has spent this week introducing people to the animals that live right in our backyards and nature trails, that we might not get to see often. Naturalists brought several of their ambassador animals to meet, including snakes, turtles, and on Wednesday, two gray tree frogs and an American toad. Each program has hands-on activities and teaches animal facts in a fun way. Yesterday the audience learned about the life cycle of frogs and toads, how they eat, and where they go during wintertime.
"In the wintertime, it will dig itself, it comes down from the tree and it digs itself down in the dirt but just very shallow, like right underneath the leaves. And it's still kind of on the top layer of dirt and it freezes itself solid. Its body makes its own antifreeze. And if you knew where one was, you could in theory unbury it and it would be so solid you could tap it gently against a table and bury it back and it would be totally fine the next year," explained Marie Walton, seasonal naturalist at Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District.
One young animal enthusiast says his favorite part of the program was when everyone used everyday objects to make the sounds you could hear from every frog and toad native to Allen County.
"We were doing a band and all of us had to make the sounds all at one time so we can know what kind of animals are inside the tree, what kind of toads and frogs," commented Easton Woods, a young animal enthusiast.
Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District's B.E.E.T.L.E. experiences at the fair wrap-up tomorrow. Kids will have a chance to become scientists and discover for themselves what creatures call the pond at the fairgrounds home.
"So we're going to be giving out nets and people can come and see what there is in this pond. Interesting animals such as little fish or dragonfly larvae, or, I guess we'll have to find out," stated Walton.
If you're interested in learning about aquatic wildlife, you can come catch the final program at 2 p.m. or 5 p.m. right by the pond on Friday.
