Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society
Ohio Native Plant Society, Southwest Ohio Chapter
Updated Monday Sept 9, 2019 at 10:30pm
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.) .
For descriptions and photos of the our other missed events, scroll down on our Newsletter tab
Our Next Event
Friday September 13, 2019, 7:30 pm: Photo Sharing Program, Avon Woods Nature Center (or come early at 6:30 with your picnic dinner, or to take a walk in the woods)
This is our first program of our 2019-120 season. Please bring your photos (thumb drive or CD) of flowers or places to show your friends. It's always amazing to see the variety of nature photos.
Come early at 6:30, and bring your own picnic dinner to enjoy on the outside picnic tables, if you like. You may wish to take a walk on the fine woodland trails. Contact Bob Bergstein at 513-477-4438 Bergstein123@gmail.com) with any questions. Free and open to the public.
Directions: Avon Woods Nature Center is a Cincinnati City Park at 4235 Paddock Road, Cincinnati 45229.
From the Norwood Lateral (SR #562), drive 9/10 mile South on Paddock to the Avon Woods Park driveway.
Turn sharp right and go to the lodge at the end of the long dark drive.
Saturday September 14, 2019, 11am: Kitty Todd State Nature Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio (12 miles west of Toledo, Ohio) RSVP Required
Join Todd Crail, naturalist and Lecturer in the Environmental Sciences Department of the University of Toledo for a walk in the Oak Openings Region of Lucas County, home to more rare species than any other county of Ohio. Featured species in bloom will be gentians (andrewsii, crinita and saponaria), ladies tresses orchids (arcisepela, magnicamporum, ochroleuca, potentially ovalis), and all the asters you care to identify.
There will be many other exciting Ohio rarities along our path as well.
We will begin at The Nature Conservancy's Kitty Todd Preserve at 11 am, which is a day in itself. We will walk about 3 miles at this site and will cover the entire gradient from dune top to wet prairie in the Lakeplain Oak Savanna continuum. Further sites will depend on conditions and people's willingness to walk more elsewhere to pick up a few more species or see more robust presentations of certain species. Bring a lunch and water.
For a park map click here .Be sure to RSVP to Angela Carter at amcarter@fuse.net or 513-300-2787, so we know you are coming. She may suggest carpool possibilities.
Directions: Google maps knows the name “Kitty Todd Nature Preserve” at 10420 Old State Line Rd, Swanton, OH 43558. Driving time about 3 hours and 18 minutes from downtown Cincy. Please be prompt.
From Downtown Cincy, drive 192 miles North on I-75.
Take exit #192 (Rte 2) a left lane exit.
At the bottom of the exit, turn left onto Rte 2 West and drive 4.0 miles.
Turn right (traffic light) onto S. Crissey Road and drive 0.7 miles.
Turn Left onto Old State Line Road and drive 1.5 miles to the small preserve entrance on your right, where we will meet.
** Saturday, September 28, 2019 at 10 am: Great Outdoor Weekend: “Beach” Hike to the Miami Whitewater River, Campbell Lakes Preserve, Hamilton County, Ohio
This three hour walk is the Society's event in the 16th Annual Great Outdoor Weekend. You are sure to find many other exciting events about birds, butterflies and more by scrolling down at https://www.greatoutdoorweekend.org/events
Lakes, white sand- clear stream- In Cincinnati! Join us as we walk in Campbell Lakes Preserve, a unique landscape that will certainly be new to you. From the parking lot (a great area to see birds e.g. hawks, eagles and herons) we will walk along the sandy shore of small lakes, passing a beaver dam, looking at plants, birds, insects and tadpoles. Our trail leads to the beautiful Miami Whitewater River (a tributary of the Great Miami River) where we will relax, wade, and net (temporarily) some of our native fish for observation. Please show your discoveries to our leaders Wayne Wauligman and Denis Conover, fine naturalists, who can share their knowledge with you. Great hike for kids and all! You may wish to wade, so dress so feet can get wet. For more information, contact Bob Bergstein at 513-477-4438 or Bergstein123@gmail.com.
Directions: Google knows the address “Campbell Lakes Preserve” at 10431 Campbell Rd Harrison, OH 45030. Only 26 minutes from Downtown Cincy.
From Downtown, drive 4 miles north on I-75.
Take exit #4 (from I-75) onto I-74 West (always towards Indianapolis) and drive 19 miles.
Take exit #3 (Dry Fork Road).
At the bottom of the exit, turn left and drive 0.4 miles.
Turn right onto Simonson and drive 0.5 miles.
Turn left onto Kilby Road and drive 0.1 miles.
Turn right onto Campbell Road and drive 0.3 miles.
Turn left into the Campbell Lakes parking lot where we will meet.
Friday October 11, 2019 at 7:30pm: Lecture Program, Avon Woods Nature Center
Crayfish, Crawdads, and Mudbugs: Our Curious Crustaceans
by Dr. Emily Imhoff
Emily Imhoff is an astacologist (crayfish scientist) and a bona fide crayfish enthusiast. She will tell us "Everything you ever wanted to know about crawdads but were too afraid to ask", including their life histories, the kinds we have in our region, worldwide crayfish facts (which even includes a few plants), and some current crayfish research topics.
Every kid (and former kid) will want to finally discover the full story of these mysterious, and rarely seen, creatures that build mud drip towers in wet areas, scurry under rocks when we cross creeks, (and what if you pick them up!)
Emily Imhoff, PhD is the Zoology Collections Manager at Cincinnati Museum Center.
Directions: Avon Woods Nature Center is a Cincinnati City Park at 4235 Paddock Road, Cincinnati 45229.
From the Norwood Lateral (SR #562), drive 9/10 mile South on Paddock to the Avon Woods Park driveway.
Turn sharp right and go to the lodge at the end of the long dark drive.
Friday November 8, 2019 at 7:30pm: Lecture Program, Avon Woods Nature Center Dr. Charles Louis Metz and the American Indian Archaeology of the Little Miami River Valley- by Dr. Kenneth Barnett Tankersley
Our speaker this month is Dr. Tankersley, who, along with Robert Brand Newman, co-authored the book, Dr. Charles Louis Metz and the American Indian Archaeology of the Little Miami River Valley.
He will tell the story of Dr. Metz’s search for archaeological sites in the Little Miami River Valley seeking to understand the American Indians who had inhabited them. It is a thrilling tale seen through the eyes of an unsung hero and country doctor, self-taught in archaeology, who lived his whole life (1846-1926) in Southwest Ohio, pursuing his scientific research. His life and times and those of American Indians are revealed in this journey into Ohio's past.
Dr. Tankersley, an archaeology professor at University of Cincinnati, is an enrolled member of the Piqua Tribe of Alabama, and has been featured on PBS and National Geographic Television. Books will be available for purchase, and Dr. Tankersley will be glad to sign your book after the lecture.
Directions: Avon Woods Nature Center is a Cincinnati City Park at 4235 Paddock Road, Cincinnati 45229.
From the Norwood Lateral (SR #562), drive 9/10 mile South on Paddock to the Avon Woods Park driveway.
Turn sharp right and go to the lodge at the end of the long dark drive.
**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
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.
