Come out and explore Nature’s Neighborhood, which boasts an array of indoor activities for children all year long at the Toledo Zoo! Explore ‘Home sweet home,’ where you can learn about taking care of pets and interact with our guinea pigs, or discover ‘The Workshop’ where visitors can try various activities to learn about animal behaviors and their diets. Click here to learn more.
This herbaceous perennial is a shrubby plant that will grow to approximately 3 feet tall by mid-spring, bloom, display attractive foliage throughout the summer and then die to the ground after frost. Peonies come in many flower colors and provide fragrant, large blooms that are good for cut flowers and attracting butterflies. This plant requires full sun to part shade to grow best. It is believed that peonies produce small amounts of nectar and other ant attractants to encourage ants to help open the flower buds. Peonies can be found throughout the Zoo’s Gardens.
American Coots or Mudhens (yes, like the Toledo minor league baseball team) are found all across the United States but are common in the marshes of Lake Erie. Mudhens have slate gray bodies, red eyes and an ivory bill with dark markings on the top and tip. They also have lobed feet instead of webbed feet. Mudhens are omnivores that eat plants, algae, insects, fish crustaceans and eggs. These tough, adaptable waterbirds can both swim and walk on land well. They are commonly found in flocks near shallow freshwater sources. Mudhens are known to be aggressive and noisy birds that have a large variety of calls and sound off often. Interestingly, Mudhens are known to fight each other with their feet, usually over territory.
The Zoo currently has an American Coot, supported by the Gary Marck family, on exhibit in Flamingo Key. Our bird staff suggests looking toward the back of the exhibit to spot the Mudhen!
Join us for the Medical Mutual Dart Frog Dash on Saturday, May 19! Participate in the 5k race, running a course both on and off Zoo grounds, or bring the whole family out for the Kids 1K Fun Run. Learn more and register here.
Saturday, June 2
Look for more details here: https://www.toledozoo.org/lucas-birthday
Lucas the elephant calf is fun to watch as he continues to grow up, and you can join us for his 7th birthday party! Free with your Zoo admission.
Why is his name Lucas, you may ask? This big little guy was name in honor of the residents of Lucas County for all of their support of the Toledo Zoo!
The world renowned band, known for their multi-dimensional rock-opera live shows, will donate $1 from each ticket sold to the Toledo Zoo’s conservation initiatives. Buy tickets Ticketmaster, Live Nation and The Huntington Center Box Office.
He or she will experience non-stop fun with exciting exhibit tours, amazing animal visitors, cool crafts and goofy games. All camps run 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., and children can sign up for just one or more. On 1/15, join the Zoo’s education staff for “From the Arctic to the Equator” to explore the animals found in some of the most extreme habitats around the world and how they survive in these harsh environments.
Learn more and sign up here.
The program launched in 1999 with 17 members and now over 400 teens are participating in the ZOOTeen program. Youth are recruited for the summer season and then have the opportunity to be involved throughout the year. The teens are also able to participate in successive years until they turn 18, at which point they may continue as adult volunteers. This continuity provides the Toledo ZOOTeens with innumerable opportunities to create long-term service opportunities that allows our members to build their skills, explore new experiences and be engaged within their communities.
Please join us on Thursday, September 28 for an event to learn more about this program, engage with current and alumni members and meet some of the Zoo’s education animals.
To learn more, click here.