What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Tuesday 9am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Thursday 9am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Friday 9am - 12pm

Ashtabula County Metroparks

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Ashtabula County Metroparks

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Ashtabula County-wide Park District For Fun, For Health, For Life, there's a Metropark for you Our Mission:
To preserve adequate greenspace.

Ashtabula County Metroparks-County Wide Parks System operated by a Volunteer Board of Park Commissioners. To provide parks and recreational areas to meet the growing needs of our County. To maintain examples of the natural beauty and rural character of our County. To enhance our natural resources. To promote a pleasant and health-giving environment for the people of Ashtabula County.

11/02/2026

We're grateful for your involvement in our programs. We invite you to join Naturalist Breanna this November and experience the beauty of the season. 🦃🍂

10/29/2026

10/28/2026

Looking at this woolly bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella), you might think that the upcoming winter will be mild with the thick orange and thin black bands that this specimen sports. The truth behind these stripes is actually age! When a woolly bear, or Isabella tiger moth, first hatches from their egg they are completely black. As they molt, the hairs on their backs begin to turn orange.

The myth that Isabella tiger moth caterpillars predict the upcoming winter was given popularity by Canadian entomologist Dr. Charles Howard Curran during his time working in Bear Mountain, New York studying the chemical DDT. While at Bear Mountain, he catalogued the black and orange band sizes of 15 individual caterpillars and made a prediction that was later published in a news article for the New York Herald Tribune.

One of the remarkable skills of the woolly bear is their ability to overwinter as full-grown caterpillars. During autumn, they will be on the move to search for the perfect place to hunker down in, like under logs or curled up in the leaf litter of your yard. As temperatures lower, their metabolism slows down, and the hairs on their body trigger a process in which their bodies produce a type of glycerol "antifreeze" that insulates their bodies to protect the delicate tissues in their bodies during fluctuating temperatures. They can withstand temperatures as low as -90 degrees Fahrenheit with this process.

Every year in October, Banner Elk, North Carolina hosts a Woolly Worm Festival. Residents of Vermilion, Ohio host a Woolly Bear Festival, which was started by TV personality Dick Goddard.

Woolly bears have many other names: banded woollyworm, weatherworm, black-ended bear, hedgehog caterpillar. What do you call these fuzzy creatures? Leave a comment and let us know!

Caterpillar photo taken by Naturalist Breanna at Red Brook Metropark
Adult moth photo sourced from butterfliesandmoths.org/species/phyrrarctia-isabella

10/26/2026

Looking for a Halloween activity that isn't so spooky? Join Naturalist Breanna Thurs., October 29th, 6 - 7:30 PM on a night hike at Camp Peet, 405 Creek Rd., Conneaut, where we will talk about our senses in the dark and discuss any nighttime critters we hear or come across.
Parking available at ODNR Wildlife Access on Creek Rd.

10/24/2026

10/23/2026

🍂Free Fall Wagon Rides on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail🍂
Enjoy the colorful views of the trail on a relaxing Fall Wagon Ride, starting at the Austinburg Lot, 2767 St. Rt. 307, Austinburg on Sunday, October 25th, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM.

10/22/2026

October 21st was World Reptile Day! There are nearly 50 species of reptile in Ohio, including snakes, lizards, and turtles.
One of these animals is the Dekay's brownsnake (Storia dekayi), a commonly found snake in the family Colubridae. These small snakes will only grow to be 8-12 inches long as adults. You can identify a Dekay's brownsnake by the size, and the two rows on dark spots running down their backs. They are nonaggressive, and will rarely bite when picked up, but are known to exercise their musk glands when first grabbed. These snakes are secretive and can be found hiding under debris like old boards, logs, and stones. Dekay's brownsnakes will feed on small invertebrates such as snails, worms, slugs, and soft insects.
Dekay's brownsnakes are commonly mistaken for eastern gartersnakes (Thamnophis sertalis sertalis), who are also in the family Colubridae. You can distinguish adult gartersnakes and brownsnakes primarily by size- an adult garternsnake will be between 18 and 26 inches long, as opposed to the 8-12" of a Dekay's brownsnake. Young gartersnakes can be identified by three (often yellow) stripes on a black or brown body.
Leave a comment below telling us about your favorite reptile found in the parks.
The photo is a Dekay's brownsnake in hand, taken by Naturalist Breanna during a program at Buccaneer Metropark earlier this month.

10/20/2026

Discover the wildlife of Ashtabula County with Naturalist Breanna at the Kingsville Public Library! Explore local animals through hands-on biofacts like antlers, tracks, skull replicas, and fur while learning how wildlife interacts with people and the environment.
Open to all ages. No live animals. Pre-registration is required; register on our website or call 440-224-0239.

Address

4338 Lake Road West, Building B
Ashtabula, OH
44004

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 12pm
	1pm - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 12pm
	1pm - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 12pm
	1pm - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 12pm
	1pm - 4pm
Friday	9am - 12pm

Website

http://www.ashtabulametroparks.com/

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