Five Rivers Metroparks recently purchased a 147-acre tract of farmland adjacent to Germantown MetroPark on Boomershine Road. MetroParks created a planted prairie on this land, designed to give a lift to the 2,000-mile annual flight of the Monarch butterfly across North America. Plantings included native grasses, plants and flowers such as milkweed that are favorites of the Monarch butterfly and other pollinators, including honeybees. It took two years for the field, which had been planted in soybeans, to return to an appearance similar to a native Ohio prairie of the type that was common here hundreds of years ago. Hiking trails were recently opened to take visitors through this important habitat.
If you would like to follow our trip leaders as they drive from Oxford, meet at the TJ Maxx parking lot located at 550 South Locust Street in Oxford at 8:15 am. If traveling directly, the destination address is Germantown Wetlands/Heart Healthy Trails parking Lot, 6401 Boomershine Rd, Germantown, OH 45327. Please arrive at 9:00 am. Travel time from Oxford is approximately 45 minutes. Please bring a personal lunch if you would like to join us for an informal picnic mid-day.