https://www.cmnh.org/mentor-marsh

Mentor Marsh, Mentor Marsh Nature Center, 5185 Corduroy Road, Mentor, OH (2026)

09/14/2026

What a weekend! In addition to spotting soooo many migrating Monarchs yesterday on our Sunday hike, we had a glorious weekend exploring the biodiversity of the Marsh. A diversity of plants supports a huge diversity of animals. This marsh sure is marvelous!

Enjoy our caterpillar finds from our weekend explorations! You can join us on these forays, Sundays at 2 pm, and we offer other special programs, too. See the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s website for our upcoming Mentor Marsh programs.

Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, 9/12 and
9/13/26
Photo credits: Becky Donaldson

09/12/2026

Good morning from the Marsh! It’s such a lovely, soft morning! We’re out here for Second Saturday Science, our monthly open house into the wild, western end of the Marsh until noon today. Access is at the gate at Woodridge and Forest.

If you can’t join us today or you simply want more opportunities to visit this fantastic habitat at the west end of the marsh, we’re also hosting a special open house next Saturday from noon until 3 pm as part of the Headlands Birding Fest. Mark your calendars!

Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, 9/12/26
Photo credit: Becky Donaldson

09/11/2026

Caaw! Caaw! Caaw! sounds across the Marsh catch our attention and we spot the glossy black birds perched across the marsh and marvel at these avian black beauties-all black actually, from their beaks to their claws.

These crows gathered near the original eagle nest earlier in the week and were fun to watch jostling for perches. American Crows are ubiquitous and live in our area year round. They’re denizens of woodland patches, fields, and can be found in nearly all human modified habitats from backyards to urban spaces to athletic fields. American Crows are in the Corividae family along with the other corvids-Fish Crows and Common Ravens who may also be observed here as they are expanding their current ranges.

Distinguishing which is which of the three species is more challenging, but calls and behaviors plus morphology sort them out. Ravens are a bit larger with chunkier beaks and diamond shaped tails with deep croaks as calls. Fish Crows are smaller and have distinct, nasally caw calls. See links in comments for more natural history information on all three Corvids plus a link to learn about Roxy who lives in the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

American Crows flock in family units with several generations of birds, so it’s rare to observe just one crow. If you observe just one, there’s likely more (family!) nearby!

There’s nothing spooky about these black birds as they’re known for their intelligence. Some Native American cultures consider them as signs of good luck, too. Luck to you all as you spot crows in this season and beyond!

Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, 9/8/26.
Photo credits: Nan Patrick

09/10/2026

Piggybacking along with yesterday’s migration post is another incredible migratory phenomenon! Monarchs are on their way to overwinter in the mountains in Mexico and we’re observing them in great numbers! Every time you see a Monarch flying, do you marvel at this amazing migration?

In northeastern Ohio, we’re at about peak migration today and these hundreds of Monarchs were spotted resting and recharging a stone’s throw away from the Marsh at Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve yesterday. These Monarchs likely emerged as adults in Canada and flew across the big waters of Lake Erie and were happy to have nectar resources to support them on this leg of their journey!

Late summer and early fall nectar resources are vital for migrating Monarchs. Goldenrods, asters and other composites like Wingstem are plants that offer late season floral resources for Monarchs and more.

“actions you can take to support monarch populations is providing nectar-rich flowers and milkweed host plants. Adult monarchs depend on diverse nectar sources for food during all stages of the year, from spring and summer breeding to fall migration and overwintering. Caterpillars, on the other hand, are completely dependent on their milkweed host plants. Inadequate milkweed or nectar plant food sources at any point may impact the number of monarchs that successfully arrive at overwintering sites in the fall” (Xerces). Read more about nectar sources for Monarchs at the link in comments.

Are you observing an uptick in Monarchs sightings in your outdoor explorations?

Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve, 9/9/26
Photo credits: Nan Patrick

09/09/2026

We’ve been lucky to host Osprey on their migratory routes and activity peaked a couple of days ago! Folks reported seeing seven Osprey at one time at Mentor Marsh’s Shipman Pond on Monday! While we have nesting Osprey a stone’s throw away from the marsh and watch them all summer, we’re glad to host these ones in migration, too, as they rest and refuel on their long migration south for the winter!

“An Osprey may log more than 160,000 migration miles during its 15-to-20-year lifetime. Scientists track Ospreys by strapping lightweight satellite transmitters to the birds’ backs. The devices pinpoint an Osprey's location to within a few hundred yards and last for 2-3 years. During 13 days in 2008, one Osprey flew 2,700 miles—from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, to French Guiana, South America” (All About Birds).

These migrations are a marvelous feat! Osprey are a joy to watch in flight and while fishing, too. Go Osprey!

Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, 9/7/26
Photo credits: Jacquelyn Hall

09/08/2026

As we tiptoe towards fall, more late summer blooms are popping including one of our favorites, New England Asters! These purple cheery flowers are a great nectar source for insects as their prolific flowers will bloom from now through frost.

“The flowers are visited primarily by long-tongued bees, bee flies, butterflies, and skippers. Short-tongued bees and Syrphid flies also visit the flowers, but they collect pollen primarily and are non-pollinating. Among the long-tongued bees, are such visitors as bumblebees, honeybees, Miner bees, and large Leaf-Cutting bees. Cross-pollination by these insects is essential, otherwise the seeds will be infertile” (IL Wildflowers). These plants plus other aster species support many moth larvae (see moth table in comments). Deer and rabbits may browse on New England Asters, but even with this herbivory, the plants will still bloom albeit shorter.

What’s not to love about New England Asters?! The royal colors of autumn are here!

For more natural history information on New England Asters, see links in comments.

Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, 9/7/26

Photo credits: Nan Patrick

09/07/2026

Mentor Marsh’s Shipman Pond is teeming with life! This cascades up the food chain and the presence of these raptors shows it! David spotted seven juvenile eagles and two Osprey yesterday morning and Nan’s observing three juvenile eagles and three Osprey this morning! The biodiversity of Mentor Marsh is incredible!

And Happy Labor Day, too! Today (especially!) we celebrate the hard work and achievements and recognize the efforts of workers around the world to make this world the best it can be for all of us. Thank you for all of your work!

Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, 9/6/26
Photo credits: David Virant

09/06/2026

Oh, this time of year is a fantastic time! We worked on our native landscaping at the Mentor Marsh Nature Center and check out our fabulous finds on our native plants! What are you finding in your outdoor explorations?

And the best part is that we’re out exploring today at 2 pm doing more of this bug hunting!

Bring your love of arthropods—plus your curiosity and imagination—as we hunt for all kinds of “bugs” around Mentor Marsh.

September is peak time for insect activity! We might be able to catch and tag some monarch butterflies, too! We’ll have containers to lend so you can try your hand at catching butterflies, bees, bugs, spiders, and more.

See link in comments for more information on today’s program.

Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, 9/5/26
Photo credits: Becky Siekkinen Donaldson

09/04/2026

Bottoms up, it’s nearly the weekend! This bumble bee was taking a deep dive into these Great Blue Lobelia flowers yesterday afternoon before the storms in the native landscaping at the Mentor Marsh Nature Center. What a cutie!

Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica, has striking blue violet flowers that are narrowly bell shaped and two lipped. It was entertaining to watch this bumble crawl into the flowers for its nectar and pollen reward!

“The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract primarily bumblebees and other long-tongued bees (Anthophora spp., Melissodes spp., Svastra spp.). Less common visitors include the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, large butterflies, and Halictid bees. The Halictid bees collect pollen only and they are non-pollinating. The caterpillars of a moth, Enigmogramma basigera (Pink-washed Looper Moth), feed on the foliage of Great Blue Lobelia (Schweitzer & Roberts, 2007). Most mammalian herbivores don't eat this plant because the foliage contains several toxic alkaloids, chief among them being lobeline and lobelanine. These toxic substances produce symptoms that resemble ni****ne poisoning. However, it has been reported that deer occasionally eat this plant, perhaps enjoying greater immunity to these toxic substances than other animals” (IL Wildflowers). Our plants indeed were cropped by deer earlier in the season, but are blooming in a more compact form.

For more natural history information on Great Blue Lobelia, see link in comments.

What blooms and “bugs” are you enjoying watching lately?

Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, 9/3/26
Photo credits: Becky Donaldson

09/03/2026

include finding these treasures! Do you know this woodland wonder in fruit now? It’s a low growing shrub that sprawls along the forest floor, almost like a ground cover. It’s described as a dwarf shrub or short woody vine and grows in part sun to medium shade conditions in well drained, rocky to loamy soils. It’d make a great addition to native landscaping!

What is this? It’s Running Strawberry Bush, Euonymus obovatus. In these pictures, the striking fruits are ripening and the showy warty capsules or “fleshy arils covering the seeds are revealed; they are scarlet (IL Wildflowers).

“Running strawberry is a host plant to 14 species of Lepidoptera larvae, including cecropia silkmoth, specialist American ermine moth, zigzag herpetogramma, and black-shaded platynota. There is limited information about floral-faunal relationships, but the nectar and pollen probably attract small bees and flies.

The fruits are eaten by wild turkeys and other birds, while the foliage is occasionally eaten by deer and rabbits” (Leaves for Wildlife).

Do you know this neat wildflower? They’re a fun find in the fall as the bright fruits catch our attention!

Northeastern Ohio, 8/27/26
Photo credits: Becky Siekkinen Donaldson

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