The Invasion of the 17-Year Cicadas in Ohio 2016

While we do get cicadas annually here in Ohio, once every 17 years there is a massive brood that emerges and 2016 was one of those years. Today, while visiting an area near the Bedford Reservation (part of the Cleveland Metroparks and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park), I recorded the sound of thousands upon thousands of the cicadas which recently hatched. There were piles of their shells laying in the grass underneath the trees where they emerged, making for a very “crunchy” walk. A few cicadas were still crawling up a nearby tree but for the most part, they were already in the treetops. The sound was incredibly loud. My mother, who wears hearing aids, said it sounded like a never ending group of motorcycles. Here’s my video; you won’t see the thousands of cicadas but you will certainly hear them!





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Autumn at Tinkers Creek Gorge in Bedford, Ohio

One of my favorite locations to view fall colors is at the overlook at Tinker’s Creek Gorge in the Bedford Reservation, which is part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and also part of the Cleveland Metroparks system. The sky was bright and the colors were bold! Here’s a photo - click on the image for a larger view. 

All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com


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Fall Colors at Tinkers Creek Gorge

I’ve been very busy in the last few weeks and have quite a few photos to sort through. I decided to work backwards and show one of my recent photographs.

One of the best views of the fall colors here in the Cleveland area is at the overlook at Tinkers Creek Gorge, a National Landmark in the Bedford Reservation, part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and also part of the Cleveland Metroparks system. It provides a spectacular view of the area carved out by Tinkers Creek and by glaciers from long ago. It is hard to imagine that, in the mid 1960s, people were making plans to flood the Gorge to create “Lake Shawnee.” Thankfully, the plans were abandoned, leaving a lovely view and a carpet of color in the fall. It is a "must see" for visitors to Bedford Reservation and to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Here’s a photo I took of the Gorge this past week, the fall colors were just starting to creep in. (Clicking on the photo will open a larger view.) When fall colors are at peak at the Gorge, the view is spectacular.

Tinkers Creek Gorge photo © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com

Check out my blog home page for the latest information, chriszimmer.blogspot.com, here.