Local nature enthusiasts had the chance to learn more about the natural history of Allen County! The Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park District was at the Lima Public Library talking about past landscape in the county. The park district talked about remnants of bedrock and limestone deposits underground along with glacial traces left behind. They also discussed how these things altered the soil and how that affected plant, animal, and human life throughout the county.

The Kiwanis Ohio District Governor was at Tuesday's family meeting inducting new members into the Lima Kiwanis Club and also spoke about her Bee a Hero Project. With the rate at which bees have been dying, she is encouraging clubs and others to create pollinator habitats to allow bees to thrive so they can pollinate our food sources. But it's more than just planting native plants that needs to be done to protect the bees.

September 18, 2024, Press Release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: COLUMBUS, Ohio – Picking and planting milkweed seed pods this fall can help future eastern monarch butterflies, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. These butterflies are currently migrating through Ohio on their way to Mexico, where they spend the winter. Various species of milkweed are the only host plants for monarch caterpillars. Each spring, eastern monarchs lay eggs on milkweed as they migrate north from Mexico. Monarchs travel between 50 and 100 miles per day on a journey that may cover several thousand miles in total. After several generations, monarchs reach their northernmost range in southern Canada.

August 12, 2024, Press Release from the Red Tornado Collective: (Findlay, OH, August 12, 2024) – The Hancock County Parkinson's Network is excited to announce the second year of its "Plant Tulips, Grow Hope" Tulip Bulb Fundraiser, running through August. This fundraiser supports the Network's mission of empowering individuals affected by Parkinson's disease and their caregivers through education, programming, and community awareness.

July 27, 2024, Press Release from the Swiss Community Historical Society: The Swiss Community Historical Society of Bluffton and Pandora will hold its final Second Saturday event of the summer on August 10, at the Schumacher Homestead, located at 8350 Bixel Road, Bluffton. Open hours are between 1-4 p.m. Visitors are especially invited to tour the garden. This year marks the second season that the garden has been ably cared for by committee members Becki Ahmed, Joyce Suter, and Nancy Yeager, assisted by their husbands and a few friends. There will be docents available to point out and discuss the plants used by the early settlers, including the labeled herbs and broom corn.

BLUFFTON, OH (WLIO) - Volunteer researchers spent Saturday documenting biodiversity in local nature reserves. 

If you have driven on Main Street in downtown Lima, you can't miss them. The large lamp planters that line Main Street are in full bloom. It's a beautification project through Downtown Lima, Inc. to bring living beauty into the heart of the city. The variety of pink petunias has turned into huge balls of blooms. The planters are maintained by Stratton Greenhouse and sponsored by Nutrien, Allen Economic Development Group, and other donors. Downtown Lima, Inc. is hoping to get more sponsors on board.

Dozens flocked to the Allen County Children's Garden this afternoon as a fan favorite started a new season. The Ohio State Master Gardener Volunteers are once again hosting the "Brown Bag Lunch" series on Tuesdays. Today's topic was everything you wanted to know about peonies. The flower is a captivating perennial that can flourish for more than a hundred years. The belief that it takes ants to open your peony bud is an old wives' tale. They are attracted to the sap but aren't needed to open the flower. The most important thing about the flower is how to plant it.

May 31, 2024, Press Release from the Hardin County OSU Extension: Hardin County – The Hardin County OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers are hosting three summer garden programs at the Friendship Gardens of Hardin County located at 960 W. Kohler Street in Kenton. The programs will begin with an event on “Raised Bed Gardening” on June 18, “Growing with Intentions” on July 16, and another on “Flower Arrangements” on August 20. All programs will begin at 6:00 pm and end by 7:00 pm. “Raised Bed Gardening” will be the topic on June 18. Master Gardener Volunteer Stewart Coats will present how to construct a raised bed garden, bed depth based on plants to be planted, and where they should be located. Also, he will speak about what kind of soil, fertilizer, best plants to grow in raised beds, and how to water to be successful with this type of gardening.