Spring’s Floral Scenery

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Spring is in bloom and nature is on full display at all of your local public parks. 

Muskingum Valley Park District Executive Director Russell Edgington shared some of nature’s attractions that can be found when you stroll along their trails.

“Well, spring is kind of the rebirth. After a long cold winter, things start coming to life. And we’re here at Mission Oaks Gardens and I think it’s important, one of the things people really like about spring is flowers and blooming things. We do have limited supplies of native spring wildflowers here at Mission Oaks Gardens and that’s primarily because of the whitetail deer,” Edgington said.

Mission Oaks Gardens is located off of Euclid Avenue and is surrounded by urban neighborhoods, which the deer forage through while using the park as cover. Edgington noted that wildflowers are a delicacy for the deer.

“Spring wildflowers are kind of unique,” Edgington said. “They’re called… or recognized as ephemerals, which basically just translates to the fact that they come up early in spring and they’re at a race. They have to get finished with their reproductive process and produce seeds before the tree canopy closes in. and once that canopy closes in, the wildflowers will die back and they will lay dormant until next spring.”

Edgington noted that just about every kind of wildflower that is native to Ohio can be found along the many trails within the Muskingum Valley Park District. And there are multiple wildflower identification apps that can name the type of flowers that have caught your eye.