Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies: Pollinating Along the Cuyahoga

 

Insects can be tough to identify. This is either a banded or a sycamore tussock moth perched on common milkweed.

© Anthony Rodgers

When you bite into an apple or sip your coffee, you can thank a pollinator. They make it possible for the world to eat. Most pollinators are insects—bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, and moths—but some are birds and small mammals. Globally, about 75% of flowering plants and about 35% of food crops rely on these diverse animals to reproduce. Many insect pollinators are in decline. The best way to help is to avoid pesticide use and plant native bushes, trees, and wildflowers that bloom throughout the growing season.

Bees, Bugs, and Butterflies: Pollinating Along the Cuyahoga is a traveling exhibit presented by Community Life Collaborative, Tinkers Creek Watershed Partners, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Through the masterful photography of six local artists, it celebrates the variety of tiny creatures visiting the flowers in our parks and near our homes. They are strange and beautiful. By supporting their needs, we can better support our own.

The exhibit curators are Mary Grodek, Arrye Rosser, and Joe Valencic. After opening in May 2023, it will run into 2025. Some venues offer gallery talks and other related programs. The project has generous support from the Akron Community Foundation, Ohio Arts Council, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and a dozen community partners.

Our traveling exhibit series is devoted to helping people make connections to the Cuyahoga River and discover its beauty and challenges. Previous exhibits were Crooked River Contrasts (2019-2020) and Wings and Voices Over the Cuyahoga (2021-2023). Our next traveling exhibit will be Nature Includes You (2025+), exploring the experiences of Black Northeast Ohioans in nature—past and present. The exhibit and community conversations will help mark Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s 50th anniversary. To get involved, e-mail us.

 

A green sweat bee covered in pollen.

© Danae Wolfe

Traveling Exhibit Schedule

• Community Life Collaborative’s Family Life Center in Chagrin Falls – May 2023 and fall 2023
• The Gallery across from Boston Store (near Boston Mill Visitor Center) at Cuyahoga Valley National Park – June 3 through September 3, 2023, Fridays to Sundays, 11 am - 3 pm
• Moos Gallery at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson – January 19 though March 2, 2024
• Nature Center at Shaker Lakes – March 2 through April 30, 2024, Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 am–5 pm on the upper level. Free admission. Meet the artists at the opening reception on Thursday, March 7, 5:30–7 pm.
• Twinsburg Public Library – May 2 through June 30, 2024
• Judson Park Senior Living's main gallery, 2181 Ambleside Drive, Cleveland – July and August 2024
• Watershed Stewardship Center at West Creek Reservation in Parma – September through December 2024
• Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center on Cuyahoga Community College's East Campus, 4250 Richmond Road, Highland Hills – mid-January to mid-February 2025
• Akron-Summit County Main Library – to be announced
• Summit County Courthouse – July 2025
• Community Life Collaborative’s Family Life Center in Chagrin Falls – October through December 2025

 

A feathered-legged fly.

© Jerry Cannon

Meet the Artists

Jerry Cannon

After Jerry Cannon retired from his career in the telecommunications industry in Akron, he turned his interests toward photography, a long-time area of fascination. Over the last decade, this self-taught photographer has pursued his passion non-stop as a second career. He works primarily in Summit Metro Parks. His captivating and diverse images soon came to the attention of metro parks staff. They frequently feature Jerry’s work on their social media pages and other communications. Jerry’s wide collection of images includes native insects, birds, and landscapes plus other flora and fauna. His aim is to delight and to help people discover the wonders waiting to be explored in their own parks, backyards, and other green spaces. His work helps Summit Metro Parks connect with its audiences and uncover a world that is often difficult to see.

Jim Roetzel

Jim Roetzel is an Ohio native who has lived in Summit County his entire life. He has photographed all over the US and Canada, following nature’s rhythms, migrations, and seasons. His work regularly appears in nation and local publications including Audubon, National Parks, Ohio, Smithsonian, and Time-Life. In 2005, Jim co-wrote his first book, Cuyahoga Valley National Park: A Photographic Portrait, with renowned photographer Ian Adams. He wrote Birds of North America in 2007 using nearly 250 of his own images. In 2008, he and photographer Jim Zipp created Birds of New England. Jim Roetzel taught photography with the Hudson City Schools for 30 years, has led workshops for 20+ years, and leads tours from Alaska to Florida. His work formed our 2021-2023 traveling exhibit, Wings and Voices of the Cuyahoga: How Birds Connect Us. jimroetzel.com

Danae Wolfe

Danae Wolfe is a macro photographer and conservation educator. She officially launched Chasing Bugs in 2015, although her organization’s seed was planted as early as 2010. Danae began photographing nature as a young girl. Her love for the natural world bloomed during her first environmental studies course in college. At the same time, she received her first macro lens as a Christmas gift. That lens, paired with a newfound passion for environmental education, changed her artistry and her view on insects and spiders forever. Danae uses her photography, public speaking, and writing to teach about the beauty, diversity, and importance of these small creatures. Her website is full of backyard stewardship and macro photography tips. Danae provides workshops and talks throughout the region. chasingbugs.com

Anthony Rodgers

Born and raised in Cuyahoga County, Anthony Rodgers has a life-long interest in the natural world. He has local expertise in assessing wetlands, surveying snakes, and studying beetles. Currently he teaches high school science in Cleveland. As a photographer, Anthony’s favorite subjects include the insects, birds, wildflowers, reptiles, amphibians, and fungi native to Northeast Ohio. He challenges himself to continuously add to his toolbelt of photographic skills: experimenting with macro, wide-angle, light, composition, and freezing birds in flight. Anthony’s images help inspire and educate his students about the ecology of the world around them. His first published print image was in The Nature Conservancy’s fall 2021 issue. Follow his Instagram page to see his work. @Platydracus

Denny Reiser

Denny Reiser taught math and science for 30 years in Bay Village and Aurora. For six years, he was a seasonal ranger at Cuyahoga Valley National Park, frequently leading school groups. Later, he spent more than a decade as a volunteer photographer. His work can be viewed throughout the national park, in its gift shops, in many publications, and online. Denny is also a Summit Metro Parks volunteer, an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist, a member of the Ohio Bee Survey, and a certified Volunteer Pollinator Specialist through The Ohio State University. Denny provides history and nature talks on a wide range of topics, using his storytelling and photographic skills to engage and inspire. His work was included in Crooked River Contrasts, our first traveling exhibit.

Jeffrey Gibson

Jeffrey Gibson is a retired biology teacher from Revere High School who has photographed nature extensively within the Cuyahoga River watershed. He earned first place in the Ansel Adams International Photo Contest and has been published in National Geographic. Jeffrey’s images have been displayed at the Cleveland Institute of Music, University Hospitals, Cleveland Hopkins Airport, and other community spaces. They are part of permanent exhibits at the national park, 41 have been featured in the park’s annual calendar over the past decade, and some appeared in a multi-media park tribute performed by the Akron Symphony Orchestra. Seven of Jeffrey’s photos are murals at Woodridge Elementary in Peninsula and two are murals at Summa Cardiac Rehabilitation Center in Akron. Jeffrey is a regular vendor at regional art events. crookedriverimages.com

 

Which Insects Live Here?

Use the search tool below to see which creatures call the Cuyahoga Valley home.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Select a Species Category (optional):

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Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.

 

Learn More at Cuyahoga Valley

Park scientists and volunteers have been studying butterflies and restoring habitat for many years.

 

 

 

Gardening for Pollinators

If you have a backyard or community green space, these tips can help you make it more pollinator-friendly.

 

 

Learn More at Other National Parks

There are many articles about pollinators in parks. Here are some recommendations.