Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society
Ohio Native Plant Society, Southwest Ohio Chapter
Updated Thurs July 11, 2019 at 1am
Our hikes and lectures are free and open to the public, and all are welcome. (but we depend on our memberships to cover our expenses.) . Note: Home Tab above does not work correctly- use the "previous" on your browser
For descriptions and photos of the our other missed events, scroll down on our Newsletter tab
What you missed- On Sunday June 30, 2019 we visited Wahkeena Nature Preserve near Lancaster, Ohio. Park Manager Tom Shiseler and Nora showed our group of 15 through this lush woods. We saw about half of the 33 species of ferns there. A beautiful place, that you may wish to visit on your own. Photos soon.
Our Next Event
Saturday, July 13, 2019: 11am - 5pm
Triangle Lake Bog, Kent Bog, & Herrick Fen Field Trip
Be sure to RSVP our field trip chairperson Angela Carter at amcarter@fuse.net or 513-300-2787. Since it is a little over four hours away, you may wish to stay overnight, either before or after. Angela may know about carpooling or accommodation (eg there are several motels on I-76 exit #33).Weather looks good too, 76 warming to 86 and dry. Details and directions below.
Dave Kuehner will take us on a tour of several outstanding state nature preserves in northeast Ohio. Ohio’s bogs and fens originated during the last ice age. They developed as a result of glacial activity when the Wisconsinan Glacier receded 12,000 years ago.
The field trip will provide an opportunity to visit two acidic bogs and one alkaline fen. These highly specialized ecosystems provide a link to what Ohio was like at the end of the ice age. They also enable us to observe rare and unusual species indigenous to these unique plant communities considerably south of their normal geographic range.
First, we will meet at Triangle Lake Bog State Nature Preserve. It is one of the finest and least disturbed sphagnum kettle-hole bogs in the state. The vegetation here remarkably resembles that of the boreal forest and tundra of northern Canada. Plants that will be targeted include northern pitcher plant, round leaved sundew, high bush blueberry, large cranberry and cinnamon fern.
Then we travel to Kent Bog, which in contrast to Triangle Bog is an excellent example of a late successional bog. It is highlighted by the largest population of the rare tamarack tree in Ohio. It represents the southernmost stand of this unique deciduous needle-bearing tree in the United States. Unusual northern plants here include gray birch, leatherleaf, catberry, winterberry and Virginia chain fern. For the SNP brochure, click here
Finally, we go to Herrick Fen, which is important for its tamarack fen and cinquefoil-sedge fen communities. It is one of only two known sites in Ohio for the state-endangered bayberry, Myrica pennsylvanica. Also present are shrubby cinquefoil, alder-leaved buckthorn and poison sumac.
Directions from Cincinnati to Triangle Lake Bog. Triangle Bog is on a park road off of Sandy Road, approx. google address is 3600 Sandy Lake Road, Ravenna, Ohio 44266. There is a brown park sign where you turn south off of Sandy Lake Road.
Approximate driving time from downtown Cincy is 4 hours and 10 minutes. Be sure to RSVP to our field trip chairperson Angela Carter at amcarter@fuse.net or 513-300-2787. She may know about carpooling or accomodation
From Cincinnati, drive north (going through Columbus) on I-71 for 209 miles to exit 209a, I-76E towards Akron.
Drive about 38 miles on I-76 E. There are two places where you must get into the right lanes to continue on I-76 East (NOT I-76 alternate).
Take exit 38b (from I-76) to get onto Route 44 North and drive 1.0 mile.
At the traffic light, turn left onto Sandy Lake Drive and drive 1.1 miles.
The Preserve entrance will be on your left (at the Brown sign). Turn left and drive a short distance to the parking lot.
Directions to Kent Bog and Herrick Fen. Follow your hike leader, for these 15 minute drives.
**On Thurs July 11, 2019 at 6:30 pm at the Reading Library there is a free lecture entitled "How Geology influenced the Lives of the Hopewell and Ft Ancient Cultures of Ft Ancient" by J Todd Stephenson. This non-Society event is presented by the Reading Historical Society. For more info click here
**Dayton Controversy - Paul Knoop Prairie- The Dayton Airport is seeking to sell for development 140 acres of restored Prairie. It had been farmland and was purchased by the airport in 1993, then leased to Aullwood Audubon Center and restored as a prairie. It is named after Paul Knoop, former director of Aullwood. (Paul spoke to the Society and led a hike for us in 2017). The Society has not taken a position on this, but if you wish to sign a petition, click here , or see much more info at Aullwood’s website https://aullwood.audubon.org/preserve-knoop-prairie with info on City Commission meetings on July 10 and 17.
Sunday, July 21, 2019 at 10 am: Slate Run Metropark & Lake Hope State Park, Fairfield & Vinton Co., OH
Sunday, July 28, 2019 at 2 pm: Miami Whitewater Forest, Hamilton Co., OH
Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 10 am: Hazeldell Meadow, Pulaski Co., KY
Saturday August 10, 2019 Invasive removal at Warder Perkins Preserve, Hamilton County, OH
Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 10 am: Crooked Creek Barrens State Nature Preserve, Lewis Co., KY
Friday September 6, 2019 – Photo Sharing Program at Avon Woods Nature Center, Hamilton County – Note: date for this meeting is one week earlier than usual.
Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 11:00 am: Oak Openings, Lucas Co., OH
Details of further events will be posted here in Jan 2019
All of our events are free and open to the public. Of course if you enjoy our events, as we think you will, it is nice to join to help support the Society. Our hikes and lectures are excellent, in a wonderful casual atmosphere. You will have the opportunity to talk with our speakers after the meetings. Our hike leaders are knowledgeable and will be glad to point out the plants that we are seeing.
