Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society
Ohio Native Plant Society, Southwest Ohio Chapter
Updated Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 10pm
Our hikes and lectures are free and open to the public, (but we depend on our memberships to cover our expenses.) . All are welcome. Note: Home Tab above does not work correctly- fixed soon, I hope.
For descriptions and photos of the our other missed events, scroll down on our Newsletter tab
What you missed- On Saturday June 16, 2018, Dr. Jim Bissell and Dan Boone led a trip to Northeast Ohio to Singer Lake. Exciting botanizing for the group of 16 on warm day- Photos by Angela Carter and Bob Klips-
The Group ,
CWFPS group Leatherleaf Bog ,
sphagnum moss ,
rose pogonia ,
Potentilla palustris (Marsh Cinquefoil) ,
Jim D and Northern Figwort ,
Shooting star ,
pippsissewa ,
Jim Bissell and spotted pondweed ,
male elfin skimmer ,
Christine H- Bob K-Leatherleaf -swaying bullrush (1280x720).jpg
----June 2018----
Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 10 am: Leadingham Prairie Preserve & Estel Wenrick Wetlands, Clark County, Ohio
Join Dave Kuehner as he leads us through Leadingham Prairie, which is part of the Spangler Nature Preserve of the Clark County Park District.
The botanical highlight of the wet sedge meadow will be the prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea). This stunning wildflower is not only strikingly beautiful, but is rare. Other notable wet meadow species will also be observed. The nearby Estel Wenrick Wetlands contains high-quality wetlands and woodlands, including typical wetlands species.
Be sure to pack a lunch.
Feet may get wet, so dress appropriately.
Contact Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585 or christinehadley@earthlink.net if you have any questions.
Directions: From Cincinnati, take I-75 North to exit 43 for I-675 North.
Drive for 25 miles on I-675.
I-675 North ends after crossing I-70 and you will keep left to continue on Spangler Rd. for approximately 0.8 miles to the parking lot where we will meet. (Just after crossing the Mad River, Union Rd. will be on the right; the parking lot is just north of Union Rd. on the right).
The address for Leadingham Prairie Preserve is 3656 Spangler Rd, Medway, OH 45341.
The main parking lot for Estel Wenrick (our second destination) will be 0.5 miles down Union Rd. at 2855 Union Rd., Medway, OH 45341.
Allow about 1 hour from Cincinnati.
----------------- July 2018 -----------------
Sunday, July 1, 2018 at 1 pm: Chrys Cook’s Meadow, Dearborn County, Indiana
Chrys Cook has invited the Society to visit her beautiful property nearby in Indiana. Expect to see butterfly weed, common milkweed, purple coneflower, grey-headed coneflower, wild bergamot, and more in bloom. Chrys will share her restoration efforts for this property with us.
Everyone should bring binoculars. Warblers, orioles, and buntings all make their appearance, as well as, of course, the butterflies. Whoever has 4-wheel drive is welcome to drive the mile up to the upper meadow. There's a 10-acre lower meadow for those unable to hike to the upper meadow.
Directions: Take I-275 to the west of Cincinnati and take exit 16 for US 50 toward Lawrenceburg/Aurora. Turn left onto US 50 West/E. Eads Parkway. Travel for 6 miles on US 50 (into Aurora) to IN 56 West/Importing Street. Turn left onto IN 56 West. Follow IN 56 as it jogs through Aurora. Travel on IN 56 for 2.3 miles and turn right onto E. Laughery Creek Road. Travel for 0.7 miles. Address on Google Maps is 4286 E. Laughery Creek Rd., Aurora, IN 47001. Park about 0.1 miles before the driveway at the tractor road.
Saturday, July 7, 2018 at 10:00 am: Siebenthaler Fen & Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, Greene & Champaign Counties, Ohio
Join Dave Kuehner as he leads us through Siebenthaler Fen, which is owned by the Ohio Division of Wildlife with the involvement of the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association. A boardwalk affords access to both a wet woods and fen. The fen supports hundreds of the majestic queen of the prairie (Filipendula rubra), one of the most stunningly colored of Ohio's native wildflowers. Cedar Bog is probably the most significant ecological and botanical preserve in Ohio. Rare and unusual plants, including boreal species, abound in the sedge meadow, prairie fen and wet woods. There will be an admission fee of $5.
Be sure to pack a lunch and bring a water bottle. Contact Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585 or christinehadley@earthlink.net if you have any questions.
Directions: From Cincinnati, take I-75 North to I-675 North (exit 43). Drive for 12 miles on I-675 to exit 13A for US 35 East. Drive 4 miles on US 35 to Factory Road. Turn left onto Factory Rd. and drive for 0.6 miles to Dayton Xenia Road. Turn right onto Dayton Xenia Road and drive 0.2 miles. Turn left on Beaver Valley Rd. and drive 1.6 miles to Fairground Road. Turn right onto Fairground Road and the parking lot where we will meet will be 0.5 miles on your left. Allow about 1 hour from Cincinnati.
From Siebenthaler Fen, turn left onto Fairground Road. Drive 1.3 miles and turn left onto Trebein Road. Drive for 2.8 miles before turning left onto Commerce Center Boulevard. Drive 0.7 miles to Dayton Yellow Springs Rd. and turn left. Drive 0.3 miles and turn right onto the entrance of I-675 North. Drive for 5 miles to exit 26A for I-70 E/OH 4 East toward Springfield/Columbus. Drive 2.6 miles; keep right at the fork to continue on OH 4 East for 6.3 miles. Keep right to merge onto US-68 North towards Urbana. After 10.6 miles, turn left onto Woodburn Avenue; there is a small sign (easily missed) noting Cedar Bog to your left on US-68. Cedar Bog is 1 mile on your right. Allow 35 minutes from Siebenthaler Fen.
Saturday, July 14, 2018 at 10:00 am: Yahoo Falls, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, McCreary County, Kentucky
Dan Boone will guide this moderate, one-mile loop hike through the lush Big South Fork forest. We will view, at 113 feet, the highest waterfall in Kentucky, passing behind it and under a huge rock shelter where the rare Appalachian bristle fern or filmy fern (Trichomanes boschianum) is found. We will also look for the lesser rattlesnake plantain orchid (Goodyera repens) and other species. Bring water and pack a lunch. Restrooms are at the trailhead parking lot. The trail is easy except for some very steep metal steps. Contact Angela Carter at 513-300-2787or amcarter@fuse.net, if you have questions.
Directions: From Cincinnati, take I-75 South to Williamsburg, KY, exit 11; turn right onto SR 92 West and continue until it intersects with US 27. Turn right onto US 27 North and go north on through Whitley City; turn left at a closed gas station on the north-west corner onto Route 700/Alum Road, which is a small narrow road. (Alum is called Sandhill Road on the east side of US 27.) Travel approximately 4 miles on Alum Road/Route 700. This road will fork and intersect numerous times, but hang in there and stick to Alum/700 until you come to Yahoo Falls Road. Turn right and follow the signs to the Yahoo Falls Loop trailhead parking lot where we will meet. Please allow 3.5 hours travel time from Cincinnati.
** (new) Friday-Sunday, July 27-29, 2018 : 10th Annual Midwest Native Plant Conference, Bergamo Center, Dayton, Ohio
This event, hosted by the Midwest Native Plant Society, has excellent speakers as well as a variety of field trips. (Note that the full weekend package is sold out.) There will be a native plant and artisan sale on Saturday from 9 am – 5 pm that will be open to the public. This year there will be a special presentation on Sunday at 9:30 am by the keynote speaker, Jeff Lowenfels, which will also be open to the public, for a fee of $10.00 (RSVP is required). For more info, visit www.midwestnativeplants.org.
(new) **Saturday, July 28, 2018 at 10:00 am: E. Lucy Braun Lynx Prairie Preserve, Adams County, Ohio
The Lexington (Kentucky) Wild Ones have invited us to join them at Lynx Prairie, an Adams County cedar glade, where Dave Kuehner will lead this field trip. During our visit in late July, the prairie forbs should be putting on a show—black-eyed Susan, prairie coneflower, stiff goldenrod, prairie dock, tall larkspur, liatris species, western sunflower, green milkweed, spider milkweed and many others. If lucky, we will find the leaves of the rare ear-leaved foxglove, or perhaps a box turtle, a hog-nose snake or an eastern fence lizard.
The efforts of Dr. E. Lucy Braun toward protecting and preserving Lynx Prairie culminated in it being the first preserve acquired by The Nature Conservancy in Ohio. It is one of the most significant ecological and botanical treasures in the state. We will be visiting there at the optimal time for viewing prairie wildflowers.
Be sure to bring a water bottle. Contact Janet James at 859-552-3676 or cdrwaxwing@aol.com if you have questions.
Directions: From Cincinnati to Lynx Prairie, take I-275 to OH 32 and drive east for about 41 miles. Turn right (south) on OH 247 to West Union. Turn left (east) on OH 125 (Main Street) and travel about 7 miles toward Lynx. Turn right (south) onto Tulip Road. Drive past the first left (the old entrance to East Liberty Church and Cemetery) and take the second left onto Cline Road. Drive to the end of Cline Road, where you will find a parking lot to the preserve. (Lexington Wild Ones will first meet at the gas station in Lynx.)
----------------- August 2018 -----------------
Saturday, August 11, 2018 at 11:00 am: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Ottawa County, Ohio
Join Dan Boone and refuge manager Jason Lewis as they lead us on a field trip at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. We hope to see the state-endangered Olney's Three-square (Schoenoplectus americanus). Ottawa NWR is also home to the federally and state-threatened eastern prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea). We will be able to compare the native reed grass, phragmites (Phragmites australis ssp. americanus), with the invasive, non-native one (Phragmites australis ssp. australis). We hope to catch a glimpse of the rare Black Terns.
Be sure to pack a lunch and bring a water bottle. Contact Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585 or christinehadley@earthlink.net to let her know if you will be attending or if you have any questions. Inform Christine if you would like to carpool and let her know what area of town you are in.
Directions: From Cincinnati, take I-75 North toward Toledo to exit 195 for OH 795. Turn right onto OH 795 East/Avenue Rd./Indiana Rd. and drive for 9.1 miles. Turn left onto N. Fostoria Rd. and drive for 2.9 miles. Turn right onto OH 579 East and drive for 8.3 miles. Turn right onto OH 2 East and drive 2.8 miles. The entrance to the refuge and Visitor’s Center where we will meet is on the left. Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is located at 14000 West State Route 2, Oak Harbor, OH 43449. Allow at least 3.5 hours from Cincinnati.
Friday, August 24, 2018 at 7:30 pm: Bat Walk at Fernald Preserve, Hamilton County, Ohio
Join CWFPS and Fernald Preserve for a bat walk led by Anita Buck. Fernald is rich in bat species and it is lovely at night. We'll begin in the auditorium at 7:30 pm with a few slides and a close-up visit with an education bat and then about 8:15 pm we'll hike out to the pond and boardwalk area, where we will watch the sky and listen to the bat scanner for different echolocation calls.
Contact Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585 or christinehadley@earthlink.net if you have questions.
Directions: Take the Blue Rock Rd. exit off of I-275 at exit 31. Head west on Blue Rock Rd. for 3.1 miles. Turn right onto River Road and drive for 2.1 miles to OH 128. Turn right onto OH 128 North and drive for 430 feet. Turn left onto Willey Rd. and drive for about 1 mile to the Fernald entrance. Turn right into the preserve and follow the drive to the Visitors Center. The address for Fernald is 7400 Willey Rd., Hamilton, OH 45013.
----------------- September 2018 -----------------
Friday, September 14, 2018 7:30 pm: Members’ Photo Sharing Program, Avon Woods Nature Center
Our annual schedule published in Sept 2017 had the incorrect date. September 14 is the correct date for the first event of our 2018-2019 season.
Please bring your photos (on a thumb drive or CD) or slides to share with friends. We will have a digital projector and computer, and cookies and coffee, too.
Come early, at 6:30 pm, and bring a picnic dinner, if you like. Call Bob Bergstein at 513-477-4438 for computer information and to let him know if you are sharing photos.
Directions: Avon Woods Nature Center is a Cincinnati City Park at 4235 Paddock Road, Cincinnati 45229. From the Norwood Lateral (SR 562), drive 0.9 miles south on Paddock to the Avon Woods Park driveway. Turn sharp right onto the drive next to the park sign (on the west side of Paddock) and go to the lodge at the end of the long dark drive.
**September 14-16: Shawnee Weekend Workshop, Autumn’s Asters, Scioto County, Ohio
Join the Midwest Native Plant Society for a weekend of discovery studying asters in beautiful Adams and Scioto counties. Keynote speakers are Jim McCormac and Heather Holm. Field guides will lead Saturday field trips offering opportunities to connect with nature: kayaking, birding for migrant Fall warblers, botanical sketching in the field, pollinators on the prairies of Adams County, rare plants of Shawnee, photography, herps, butterflies, general nature and more! See details and register at http://midwestnativeplants.org/workshops/.
----------------- October 2018 -----------------
Saturday, October 6, 2018, 11:00 am: Eastview Barrens State Nature Preserve, Hardin County, Kentucky
The high-quality grasslands and open woodlands on this location are maintained by controlled burns to preserve a notable example of extensive prairie-like areas called barrens that used to cover much of Kentucky. Bill Edwards will lead us through the site on a two-mile path as we look for rare plants that bloom at this time, including prairie gentian (Gentiana puberulenta), Great Plains ladies’-tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum), and silky aster (Symphyotrichum pratense). This field trip will be a great opportunity to see how the area responds to a burn done earlier this year.
Hike size will be limited to 15, so an RSVP is required. RSVP with Angela Carter at 513-300-2787 or amcarter@fuse.net the names, email, and contact number. Eastview Barrens is approximately 2.5 hours from downtown Cincinnati; driving directions and meeting location information will be provided two weeks before the event.
Details of further events will be posted here in Sept 2018
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.
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