The thirteenth or “Blue Moon” appeared last Friday night and the next one won’t be seen until January 2018. Native Americans living in harmony with natural occurrences gave the August moons the names of Moon of Thunder, Heat Moon, Maize Moon, Green Corn Moon and Big Ripening Moon. Joseph Bruschac poetically describes several of these stories in his book, “Thirteen Moons on Turtles Back.”

The Dog Star continues to rise with the sun as we experience the sweltering “dog days” of summer and the corn turns Morrow County roadways into green canyons. Sometimes one gets a whiff of the spreading pollen and the organic scent of the rich bottomlands in the evening. The corn of today is thought to have originated from teosinte grass in Mexico and many genetic modifications had to occur for the present crop to be developed.

Prairie plants are in full bloom this month and several nearby locations demonstrate their beauty: Guy Denny’s prairie on State Route 95 at the Knox County line, Gale Martin’s Natives in Harmony, the Marion Tall Grass Prairie and Terradise on the Whetstone River Road.

By nesting later than most birds, Goldfinches or wild canaries take advantage of thistle and milkweed down to make the softest of homes.

By late August the garden harvest is abundant, the squirrels explore the new nut crop, a few colored leaves appear and we scurry to make a few more summer memories before another Ohio winter is upon us.

The Headwaters Outdoor Education Center will have a booth at the Morrow County Fair in building 17 and the southeast corner of the racetrack and will be taking part in Earth Day at the Fair on the small stage the afternoon of September 2.

The WEE Discover preschool will begin on Thursday, September 10 with sessions at 10:15 am and 12:45 pm.

Mushrooms and other fungi will be the topic of the September 22 program at the center at 6:00 pm. coinciding the fall equinox on the next morning, September 23 at 8:30 am, the Headwaters Board and the Mount Gilead Tree Board will meet to begin work on an Arboretum at Headwaters.

The Headwaters Outdoor Education Center is a Morrow County facility located on Home Road north of the Morrow County Sheriff’s Department and administered by the Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District. Everyone is invited to enjoy the property, take part in activities, and help with maintenance and programming.

The full length version of this story can be found on our website at www.morrowcountysentinel.com.

By Marilyn Weiler,

HOEC volunteer & board member