VIDEO CLIPS FEATURE! Click this icon appearing in articles to view videos on the subject. ® APRIL 2021 April Fools Peculiar nature finds Ready for Spring Simple home & garden preparations The Purrrrfect Trio Meet the Zoo’s newest residents Three new tiger cubs at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo A LETTER FROM BRIAN ZIMMERMAN CONTENTS Sights and Sounds of Spring 2 Letter from Brian & Naturalist-Led Programs April is always a welcoming time in Cleveland Metroparks. After a long winter, warmer temperatures and hopefully many sunny days 3 Early Blooming Trees will reward adventurers across the Emerald Necklace! In this issue, our experts will help equip you with tips on natural 4 Naturalist’s Almanac & phenomena to look for during your next visit to the parks. While Sounds of Spring every month offers unique changes to our flora and fauna, the transition to spring in April offers terrific sights and sounds across 5 April Fools’ Animal Antics & our 24,000 acres. From the blooming of ephemeral wildflowers to the annual migration of Ask a Naturalist native amphibians to the arrival of tropical migrant birds on their way northward, there’s much to see and experience in the parks this time of year. 6 What Happened to the Forest City? While this issue has a few “tricks” native plants and animals use this April Fools, we also have plenty to share on two other important dates this month: Arbor Day and Earth Day! 7 Major Plant Communities Did you know that in the early 1900s, Cleveland was known as the Forest City due to its robust tree canopy? Unfortunately, the city has lost about half of its tree canopy since the 1950s. While Cleveland Metroparks has planted more than 31,000 trees over the past 8 Golf Courses & six years alone, there’s still a lot of work to be done! And our mission of conservation will Rental Venues hopefully empower future environmental stewards as we work to create a greener and healthier environment. 9 Zoo News For nature plans at home: we have advice for preparing your flower garden for spring Nature Shops and — with rainy April days ahead — steps towards adding a rain barrel. Rain barrels can 10 make gardening around your home easier, as well as mitigate flooding, help save on your & Pathfinder water bill, and prevent harmful runoff from entering our rivers and lake. 11 Spring Preparations & April is also a great time to get back into golf! With a record-breaking year last year, our Roll Out Your Rain Barrels eight golf courses saw many new golfers as well as those returning to the game after several years. We hope to see many returning faces again in 2021. 12 Directory & Map Please also stay connected to our free and low-cost naturalist led programs throughout the spring. Our programs are a great way to learn a new skill, exercise and visit a new gem Click or touch a section above to access in the Emerald Necklace. it directly. Click on the home button (example shown here) at the top corner Above all, stay connected to nature and enjoy all of the subtle but transformative ways of each page to return here. our natural world is rejuvenated in spring. See you out there! VIDEO FEATURE! Click this icon appearing in articles to view videos on the subject. Brian Zimmerman Cleveland Metroparks CEO Join a free naturalist-led program in April Spring has finally arrived, and Cleveland • Group size per program will be limited Metroparks Outdoor Experiences staff to less than 10 people following CDC are ready to get you and your family guidelines. out and about! This month’s schedule • Advance registration online is required. will be filled with wildflower hikes, bird No in-person or phone registrations at • Program registration will be programs, rock climbing, backpacking, this time. and so much more! Don’t forget to available for two weeks in advance • Facial coverings must be worn by all register as space is limited! and all updates will be available at participants six years of age and older. clevelandmetroparks.com/calendar. 2 Emerald Necklace April 2021 | Vol. 70 #4 FEATURE ARTICLE Top Early Blooming Trees 5 for Native Pollinators s spring approaches, temperatures Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Northeast Ohio has many native tree and rise, the sun shines brighter, and florida)can begin blooming as shrub species that benefit pollinators; Atthe ground begins to thaw. During ➜1 early as late-March. The tiny these are just a few. Willows, maples, this time of awakening, many important blooms are clustered together inside tulips, magnolias are larger trees that also animals emerge as well. Native bees four large white bracts (specialized leaf), benefits bees. As spring approaches, think surface from their cavities and actively start making it look like one large flower. about adding a native tree or shrub to your their search for pollen and nectar from Mason bees, which are smaller and yard. Our pollinators will thank you. nearby flowers. Native trees, which have cold-hardier than honeybees, are the Natalie Schroder, Naturalist coevolved with these bees, will flower at primary pollinator of this tree. CanalWay Center precisely the same time. The first woody Eastern Redbud (Cercis plants to bloom are smaller, understory canadensis) is one of the most trees and shrubs. Prior to leaf-out, the sun ➜2 beautiful understory trees in shines directly on them, allowing them early spring. Blooming in April, the tiny to gather the much-needed energy to purplish-pink flowers can be spotted all produce flowers. Once the canopy leaves over the tree, including the trunk. During unfurl later in spring, plants on the forest the blooming period, you can spot floor will lose that precious light, so timing numerous species of bees on this tree. is everything! Eastern redbud Native pollinators have had a rough go in Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is the recent years due to habitat loss, pesticide oddball of this group because ➜3 it is not pollinated by bees. It is use and non-native competitors. Adding native trees to your spring planting list pollinated by flies. The flower has a smell can increase their abundance and help similar to rotting flesh (though people them succeed. Native trees are not only cannot smell it). The beautiful drooping beautiful, but they are able to withstand maroon shaped flowers are seen before our region’s cold winters and hot summers. the leaves pop out of the buds. After polli- nation, a delicious fruit will begin to grow. Listed are five understory native trees that Pawpaw will not only add beauty to your landscape Allegheny Serviceberry but benefit our pollinators. (Amelanchier arborea) displays ➜4 clusters of flowers throughout its leafless canopy in early April. Mason bees primarily pollinate these dainty white blossoms. The dark berries ripen in the fall and are favored by songbirds. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Spicebush produces clusters of small, ➜5 cheerful yellow flowers in April. Male and female flowers are on separate plants, so two plants are needed for fruit. The flowers are pollinated primarily by mason bees, but other native solitary bees, flies and early butterflies also seek Flowering Dogwood its nectar and pollen. Allegheny Serviceberry clevelandmetroparks.com 3 NATURALIST’S ALMANAC April Awakens Wildflowers & Wildlife he month of April is like a floor. Early in the month hepatica fireworks presentation, highlights the grey brown of the Tstarting slowly and forest floor with purple even building into a spectacular before new leaves appear. Soon finale. Colors begin with to bloom are the yellow of trout early blues and purples of lilies among the whites of squirrel hepaticas and are quickly corn and Dutchman’s breeches. joined by whites and By the end of the month the color yellows of spring beauties display will be at its peak and the and trout lilies returning long Hepaticas Dutchman’s trees will begin to shade the forest breeches lost color to the forest floor. Trout lily floor, shifting the wildflower’s energy to seed production and white and red trillium The first of several waves of neo- Some champions of migration can be found come into bloom. tropical migrant birds arrive. Some will in April. Shorebirds that have spent the only rest briefly as they continue on their winter as far south as Argentina, briefly stop The early rush to vernal pools is now journey farther north. These colorful gems at local mudflats to refuel on invertebrates replaced with the slower and more bring their sweet songs to the developing before continuing to the tundra of Canada. prolonged breeding season of American spring. Riding southerly winds, the first Others like orioles, grosbeaks and tanagers toads, leopard and pickerel frogs. American waves of warblers, vireos, flycatchers return to local Ohio to begin their nesting toads are extreme egg layers; one female and thrushes arrive on the north coast cycle. can lay up to 15,000 eggs in a long-coiled stopping in Ohio only to refuel before string often extending over 10 meters in The race is on for wildflowers too. Ephemeral continuing their journey north. length. Their tadpoles will develop quickly spring wildflowers bloom and are pollinated to emerge as toadlets before the end of before the leaves of trees shade the forest summer. Sounds of Spring …Anything but Silent magine are above 40 degrees. Salamanders to miss. It is amazing that these small hiking (Spotted, Jefferson, Small-mouth and amphibians can make such a loud sound. Ithrough the complexes of these species) travel en While they are most active at night they forest in spring masse to vernal pools to mate. These can sometimes be heard during the day.