Seed party
It may not be on the level of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but local gardeners agree that the 9th annual Toledo Grows Seed Swap is a not-to-miss festival of springtime hopes and dreams. The event features a carnival of vegetable and flower seed packets to be scooped up like so many Mardi Gras beads at Woodward High School (701 E. Central Ave.) on Saturday, February 23rd from noon to 3 pm. Everyone who comes will receive five free tickets to trade for seeds. Additional tickets can be obtained by bringing seeds in labeled packets (no bulk seeds or plants) or by purchasing more packets for fifty cents each. Attend free workshops on bees, soil and nutrition, and tour the Woodward greenhouse. Visit toledogarden.org or call 419-720-8714.
Water world
Northwest Ohio is favored with its proximity to Lake Erie as well as a wealth of many smaller lakes, rivers and streams. Learn about these spectacular bodies of water by attending the University of Toledo Lake Erie Center’s free public lectures. The next two presentations are “A River that Runs Through Toledo (and Point Place!): An Environmental History of Ten Mile Creek/ Ottawa River,” on Thursday, February 21 at 7 pm and “Ecosystem Restoration from the Everglades to the Great Lakes: Fact, Fiction, and (Occasional) Frustration” on Thursday, March 21 at 7 pm. LEC is a research facility dedicated to the preservation of Lake Erie. 6200 Bayshore Rd. Oregon; for more info on lectures and tours, call 419-530-8360 or visit utoledo.edu/nsm/lec.
Crystal ball
Next time you’re planning some wintertime activities gaze easily into the future. Get the best view of Jupiter as it shines so bright this month (see sky maps at popastro.com) or enjoy an optimal day or night sledding or skating outing at Pearson and Sidecut Metroparks (metroparkstoledo.com). Acquire the ability to choose the best day to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count February 15 through 18 (birdsource.org), to dive into the water for a charity polar plunge (sooh.org) or to plan a drive, walk or run locally or at faraway points. AccuWeather’s (accuweather.com) twenty-five day forecast is the newest and most accurate form of long-term weather prediction. Just type in your location and view high/low temperatures, cloud cover, wind speed and direction, precipitation chances, sunset and moon rise, UV exposure index and daily weather video casts.
