Banana trees flourish in a tropical jungle in of Lorain County

AVON, Ohio - If you are looking to get away to the tropics during this cold season in Northeast Ohio, you need look no farther than Avon. There, in a quiet corner, you will find orchids flourishing near a tranquil waterfall.  Nearby are other tropical plants, many of them in bloom.

It is a tropical setting in Lorain County that has drawn many who want to experience slow walks through a jungle peppered with banana trees filled with fruit, poinsettias in bloom, and a wide array of other plants. The setting is the Miller Nature Preserve of the Lorain MetroParks. Since last year, it has been a beacon for visitors to walk through a large greenhouse made mostly of glass.

Under a steady temperature and humidity, the plants flourish. Nearby, in another section of the same building, is an area dedicated to plants of the desert. The cacti are in bloom as each sports spiny needles, which give subtle warning to the visitor to look but not touch. 

Learn more about the Lorain MetroParks Miller Nature Preserve in my continuing series, "My Ohio with Leon Bibb," which airs on NewsChannel 5 Friday, February 3, on the "Live on Five" broadcast at 5 p.m.