Let your heart sing this spring as you explore nature

As the old adage goes, April showers bring May flowers. And while the woods may not be the first place you think of looking for flowers, the delicate wildflowers of spring are not to be missed.

Master Gardeners Tim and Paula Lavey will be leading a wildflower walk as part of Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District’s Conservation Chat: Wild Things on May 18 at the Hazel Willis Woods near Mifflin.

This will be the second year the Laveys have led a wildflower walk and worked to catalog the wildflowers that call the Hazel Willis Woods home. Last year they identified over 50 distinct species of wildflowers on the property during three trips to the woods.

This year will provide valuable insight to their catalog as they look for returning wildflowers and note any changes. In addition to searching for wildflowers, the Mohican Audubon Society will also be on-hand to lead a guided bird walk through the woods as well.

The Hazel Willis Woods is a 40-acre outdoor educational laboratory that was donated to Ashland SWCD in 1980 by Walter Willis in memory of his wife Hazel. The property features a loop road and trails along with a spring development and wildlife viewing area as well as a pavilion and primitive restrooms.

Identifying species of both wildflower and birds this year will be a vital resource going forward as some significant changes are underway on the property this year. One of the most visible of those changes is a timber harvest planned in cooperation with a forester and the Hazel Willis Woods compliance committee.

The harvest will remove mature trees from along the long, winding driveway that leads to the central portion of the property. This will open up that area and provide more early successional forest habitat that should eventually attract more wildlife and birds to that area.

It will also reduce the frequency of trees falling across the drive and limiting access to the woods. Eventually, plans are to add additional parking and pull off locations along the drive to make it easier for vehicles to pass each other going in and out of the property and improve access for visitors.

Later this spring, a privacy fence will also be installed along the entrance to the woods to better identify property boundaries and to provide opportunities for local organizations to assist in developing pollinator plantings as well as plantings for native trees and shrubs.

The Wild Things! Conservation Chat will take place on May 18 at 9 a.m. at Hazel Willis Woods, 1155 Township Road 2156, Ashland. Registration will be $5/person, or when you bring a friend you can both come for free. Coffee and donuts will be provided.

RSVPs are required to plan for meeting supplies. Registration can be made by calling Americorps service member Emma Burkhalter at 419-281-7645 or online at www.eventbrite.com/e/conservation-chat-wild-things-tickets-795501605717