Listen closely for turkeys the next time you're out on the trails 🦃 Not only do they gobble, they also cluck, purr, and putt. A whole vocabulary!

The 2025–2026 Winter Hike Series kicks off Dec. 1 at Blacklick Woods! This year, you have the option to grab a physical card or go paperless and join the Winter Hike Challenge on OuterSpatial! bit.ly/3EdTHCi

Behind every successful prescribed burn lies careful planning — firebreaks, weather, prescriptions, and more🔥 Dive deep into the strategy: bit.ly/3KRE4Y4 #cbusmetroparks

If you’ve ever followed up a trek along Highbank’s shale bluff by walking around the nature center, you may have come across the mounted remnants of an ancient, monstrous sea creature in the otherwise quaint surroundings. Read more: metroparks.net/blog/dunkleo...

📍 Sycamore Plains Trail, Prairie Oaks Metro Park This 1.1-mile trail is considered moderate to difficult and winds through grasslands, large sycamore trees, and along Big Darby Creek! #cbusmetroparks

Check out the GRIT Freedom Chair, our newest addition to help make Metro Parks more accessible. This rugged wheelchair tackles trails like a champ, letting more visitors explore the great outdoors! Learn more: bit.ly/4n8h2dB #cbusmetroparks

Welcome to October! Check out some of our highlighted programs for the month 🍁 Don't forget: all of our programs are free! Find a full list of programs and descriptions: bit.ly/4n2XqrU

Open your calendars, invite your friends, and make sure to join us for this year's Darby Creek Day event! 🐟

Join us for Fall Fest at Slate Run Metro Park on October 11 🎃 We'll have hayrides, corn mazes, and so much more!

Berms aren’t just for looks — they make a huge difference for wetland health! We’ve repaired and rebuilt key berms at Sharon Woods & Rocky Fork to restore water levels and support wildlife habitat. Read more: bit.ly/3Ku6J53

It's the best day of the year! That's right - it's National Pawpaw Day! Pawpaws are the only local member of a large, mainly tropical plant family, and produce the largest edible fruit native to North America. They are also the official state fruit!

Outdoor Movie Nights are back in the parks this fall 🎥 Check out some of our favorites - all movies are free and begin at dark! Bring lawn chairs or blankets.

The woods aren’t just alive at night - they glow🌙✨ Peek into the secret nightlife of nature and uncover creatures that shine under UV light. Read the full story: bit.ly/41krTbI #cbusmetroparks

Metro Parks now offers sensory sensitivity backpacks in each of our Nature Centers 🎒 Visitors can check them out to use during their visit, and each one includes various tools to help keep days at the park enjoyable! Learn more: bit.ly/46RlEjb

Blacklick Woods Golf Course was recently awarded the 2025 Ohio Water Conservation Excellence Award by the ODNR! This award recognizes the efforts we have made to reduce water usage, while setting an example for organizations! Read more: bit.ly/4mJ0GrL #cbusmetroparks

September brings all kinds of fun events! It's your last chance for paddling with Outdoor Adventure, Scioto Fest is this month, & we have all sorts of other programs that you can join in on 🍁 Find a list of all programs: bit.ly/4n2XqrU #cbusmetroparks

Join Metro Parks and the Y for a day of outdoor fun and adventure for all abilities! Where: Prairie Oaks Metro Park, Darby Bend Lakes Area When: September 14, 2025 from 11am - 3pm #cbusmetroparks

Blacklick Woods Golf Course is looking for its next Golf Course Superintendent - someone with the passion, leadership, & turf-taming skills to keep our Championship & Learning Courses in top shape. If you've got the drive, apply today: bit.ly/3UKDGfD

Mid-August marks the beginning of fall migration for monarch butterflies 🦋 These butterflies fly about 2,500 miles from the United States and Canada, down to Central Mexico, and can travel anywhere from 50 to 100 miles a day! #cbusmetroparks 📸 Catherine Bigger

Coyotes can leap 14 feet and run up to 45 mph! That’s one fast furball🐾 Discover more about their wild world on our blog: bit.ly/45x29Kp #cbusmetroparks

On August 14, 1945, Judge Cloys P. McClelland signed the document that established the Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks. That's right, we're technically 80 years old! 🎉 Read more: bit.ly/4mEoSLp

Bark Bash is this Saturday! 🐾 More details: bit.ly/44zZgb6

Have you seen something darting around in the creeks and rivers? It could be a darter! Darters are adapted for life in the swift-flowing sections of clear, rocky streams (like Big Darby Creek) 🐟 #cbusmetroparks 📸 Rainbow Darter at Battelle Darby Creek, Mac Albin

The bridge over the Scioto River at Quarry Trails Metro Park is now OPEN! This truss bridge was formerly used for trains, and can now be used as an observation deck to view the Scioto River. Please be aware that there is no access to the east side of the river. #cbusmetroparks

The Blacklick Woods Nature Center recently got a makeover 🐛 Go check out new displays and old friends, and even an indoor mini canopy walk (say whaaaattt?!) Thanks to the park staff and everyone who helped transform the space! #cbusmetroparks

Butterflies use a straw-like mouth part, called a proboscis, to suck up damp minerals. Like the sweat on your body! 🥵 #cbusmetroparks 📽️ Battelle Darby Creek Naturalists

Busy builders, expert swimmers, and ecosystem engineers - there is a lot more to beavers than their flat tails 🦫 Read all about beavers and how they transform the landscape: www.metroparks.net/blog/all-abo... #cbusmetroparks

It's National Moth Week! This moth, the Hyalophora cecropia moth, is a short-lived and nocturnal moth with intricate orange, black, and brown wings that span 5-7 inches. All this, and it has a fuzzy, orange head! #cbusmetroparks 📸 Jeff Krugh

📍 Spring Creek Trail, Sharon Woods Metro Park This 1.8-mile trail is considered easy to moderate, crossing two steep hills, running alongside Spring Creek🌳This trail is also dog-friendly. Please remember that all dogs must remain on leashes within the park. #cbusmetroparks

We're building bridges at Metro Parks...literally! Recently, the team at Prairie Oaks, alongside our CSI (Columbus School Intern) team, was able to rebuild a bridge along the Darby Creek Greenway Trail🔨 #cbusmetroparks 📸 John Klever

We can't read your mind (yet), so we need your thoughts instead! Let us know how we're doing and help guide the future of your Metro Parks🌳 Take the survey: www.research.net/r/cbusmetrop... #cbusmetroparks

A special shout out to all the @cbusmetroparks.bsky.social naturalists who organize program for all ages—like Critter Cookies here at Blacklick Woods. 🐞🍪

We're in the mix of the dog days of summer 🔥 Grab your pooch and head on over to Battelle Darby Creek or Prairie Oaks to cool off in the dog swimming areas! You'll be sure to have a blast 🐶 #cbusmetroparks 📸 John Nixon

Spotted in the woods: the Scaly Ink Cap 🍄 They tend to grow in clusters on rotted hardwood, and while initially white, they turn black as they get older and eventually dissolve into a black "ink"! #cbusmetroparks

Ever heard a sharp “pea-soup!” deep in the forest? That might be the Acadian flycatcher—a tiny bird with a mighty voice and an appetite for flying insects! Learn more about their unique nesting habits: bit.ly/3ZFNdYi #cbusmetroparks

Get ready for a tail-wagging good time at Bark Bash 2025 🐶 Join us at Prairie Oaks Metro Park on Saturday, August 23, from 10am - 4pm for a pawsome day 🐾 Mark your calendars - this FREE event has something for everyone! Learn more: bit.ly/44zZgb6 #cbusmetroparks

Fawns are starting to appear across Metro Parks 🦌 These young deer spend their early days quietly exploring the world & staying close to their mothers. Learn more about their journey: bit.ly/4lfUeY9

Red, White, and Boom is back this week, and we're welcoming all who want to watch from Scioto Audubon! Check out the "know before you go" so that everyone can have a safe and fun time celebrating 🎆 Find more info here: bit.ly/45FuIoL #cbusmetroparks

Inniswood is blooming! 🌸🌼 Stroll the winding paths and take in the colors, scents, and beauty of thousands of flowers bursting to life. There’s no better time to visit the gardens! #cbusmetroparks 📸 Jack Rockwood

June's photo of the month comes from Sharon Woods Metro Park, where Sunny the Aussie got to greet three of the Rangers 🐶 Have a photo you want to submit as a photo of the month? Send it to [email protected] with the subject line "Photo of the Month." #cbusmetroparks

Saturday, June 28th is National Day of Play! Play Day is an annual celebration on the final Saturday of June that recognizes the benefits of sport, play, and movement 🏃 Join us at some Day of Play Programs - check them out below ⤵️ #cbusmetroparks

Fungi Friday.

The Spotted Lanternfly is an incredibly invasive & non-native insect covering more and more ground in Ohio. Learn more about this invasive species: bit.ly/4kSoqrY #cbusmetroparks

June 16th-22nd is Pollinator Week - a week to highlight the vital role that pollinators play in our ecosystems 🐝 These essential creatures, including bees, butterflies, & and hummingbirds, are the heroes behind the food we enjoy & the beauty that surrounds us. #cbusmetroparks

Blacklick Woods Golf Course features an 18-hole championship course, a driving range, a 3-hole practice facility, and a 9-hole learning course that is FREE to play for Franklin County Residents (yes, we said FREE golf). bit.ly/3oamofi

Ready for a summer adventure through time? Join our History Challenge on #OuterSpatial and uncover the history of your Metro Parks! Download the app and join the challenge: bit.ly/4dFYvS7

The word “tropical” doesn’t usually come to mind when it comes to Ohio. Ohio may just surprise you with a little taste of the Caribbean from two of our native plants: Mayapple & eastern prickly pear cactus. Read more: bit.ly/4drJtiP

Longer days = more time for trails, turtles, and tree hikes 🐢 See what’s happening this month across your 20 Metro Parks: bit.ly/43vTzKX #cbusmetroparks 📸 Kim Strosnider

Whaattt? Free paddling? All summer long? Whether you're just learning to paddle or you're an expert but don't want to haul your boat, join us on the lakes and rivers this season! bit.ly/4dBfgxQ Find programs at metroparks.net or by following Metro Parks Outdoor Adventure on Facebook & Instagram!

Before vs. After You may have noticed the rose trellis at Inniswood Metro Gardens getting a complete makeover - over the past several months, it was torn down, rebuilt, and painted🌹 1st photo: May 2025, Liz Christian 2nd photo: October 2019, Bryan Knowles #cbusmetroparks