From May 16 to 22, the Nature Conservancy and Green Ribbon Initiative partners will host Oak Openings Blue Week, an annual nature festival featuring more than 20 free, family-friendly events across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan that celebrate the arrival of spring and the region’s natural heritage.
Blue Week provides an opportunity to learn about the globally unique Oak Openings region, a truly special place that is characterized by the highest concentration of rare and endangered species in Ohio. The name Blue Week hails the region’s many blue plants and animals, including Karner blue butterflies, wild blue lupine, bluebirds, blue spotted salamanders, blue herons and blue racer snakes.
This year, organizers are celebrating youth in nature. Participants can explore the region at one of several organized hikes with a naturalist or discover area gems at their leisure with self-guided tours and activities such as the Blue Week scavenger hunt and Oak Openings photo contest.
“Children will love listening for frogs and playing games at ‘Frogtastic Night’ and gardeners will want to check out the Blue Week native plant sale to learn more about incorporating native plants into the landscape and to purchase native plants,” said Brittani Furlong, Nature Conservancy’s Green Ribbon Initiative partner specialist.
For a complete list of activities and locations, visit oakopenings.org/blue-week/.
“As a lifelong resident of the Oak Openings region, I’ve come to deeply admire the amazing diversity of plants and animals that define the area,” Ms. Furlong said. “As a kid growing up here, I know what it means to catch your first glimpse of a wild lupine or a blue-spotted salamander. So, I’m especially excited to be able to offer dynamic programming for people of all ages, including kids, to hear, touch and see what makes this place so special.”
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the land and water on which all life depends.
Guided by science, the conservancy creates innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. Working in 76 countries and territories, the organization uses a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector and other partners.
To learn more, visit na ture.org or follow @nature_ press on Twitter.
