Ravenna at Night

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While in the daytime Ravenna Park is a beautiful place to observe nature, it takes on an entirely different feel at nighttime. Make sure you grab a flashlight or headlamp (or both) before you journey into Ravenna at night, as there are no lights in the park and often times the dense canopy makes it difficult for the moon to light your way.  When you’ve got your source of light on hand and a buddy in tow,(safety first) make your way down the paths of the park.

Due to the dulling of your sense of vision, different characteristics of the park become more evident at night. With your vision limited, your ears strain to give you a sense of surrounding; let them. Take a moment to enjoy the various sounds of nature around you. The creek gurgling off to the side, the scurrying of some unknown animal in the tree tops, perhaps a toad call, and if you’re lucky, the call of the resident Barred Owls. Its only at this moment, when you are alone in the park, the cars of the surrounding areas are quiet and the wildlife of the park feels safe that you can hear the park in such a natural state.

Once you’ve had an earful of the sounds offered at this hour its time to use your eyes again. Under the safety of nightfall many creatures otherwise hidden during the day make an appearance. As previously mentioned the Barred Owls of the park become the sentinels of the night. Scan the trees and sky for the silhouette of these silent hunters at night.

Easier to find than these masters of the sky are the creatures of the ground, and night is the best time to find the invertebrates mentioned elsewhere in this guide. Many times the beetles, centipedes, millipedes and rolly pollys of the park can be seen by looking down at a nearby log. At night these creatures come out from underneath the logs they inhabit. Additionally, you can often times find many slugs making their way along the skunk cabbage leaves along the creekbed. And finally, while you’re down there, use your ears to hone in on any toad or frogs you can hear. At night they call, making them much easier to locate than by sight alone!

Ravenna’s beauty during the day is well documented, and rightfully so. However, if you want an adventure on the wild side in this otherwise tame city park, journey forth into the night!