Cincinnati Wildflower Preservation Society
(Ohio Native Plant Society, Southwest Ohio Chapter)
Updated Tuesday June 27, 2017 at 9pm
Our hikes and lectures are free and open to the public, (but we depend on our memberships to cover our expenses.) Come learn about Cincinnati Native Plants at our many hikes and lectures. All are welcome.
For descriptions and photos of the our other missed events, scroll down on our Newsletter tab http://cincywildflower.org/main/page_newsletter.html
On June 24, 2017 we visited Adams Lake State Nature Preserve in Adams County, and walked the small prairie loop trail. The highlight was featherbells (Stenanthium gramineum). The weather was a cool dry sunny 74 for our group of 23. Photos- Featherbells1, Featherbells 2 , Group Photo. After lunch we went to Davis Memorial where we walked in the powerline clearing ,north of the road, then returned and walked the woodland loop trail. Dwarf Hawthorn , Anglepod(by AC), Butterfly_Weed_Hairstreaks (photos will be posted soon)
----------------- July 2017 -----------------
Sunday, July 2, 2017 at 1 pm: Chrys Cook’s Meadow, Dearborn County, Indiana
Chrys Cook has invited the Society to visit her 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 mile before the driveway at the tractor road.
Saturday, July 15, 2017 at 10:00 am: Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, Chelsea Flatwoods Nature Preserve & Charlestown State Park, Jefferson County & Clark County, Indiana
Join Dan Boone as he leads us through Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, a good example of Illinoian till plain. We hope to see steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa), Virginia meadowbeauty
(Rhexia virginica), and Maryland meadowbeauty (Rhexia mariana). From there, we will head to Chelsea Flatwoods in search of mayflower or trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens). Chelsea is interesting because it has both northern and southern species and has a nice, high-quality southern flatwoods including southern red oak. We hope to have time to continue to the cedar glades of Charlestown State Park.
Be sure to pack a lunch and bring a water bottle. RSVP to Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585 or christinehadley@earthlink.net.
Directions: Take I-275 West out of Cincinnati to exit 16 for US Route 50. Follow US Route 50 West for 27 miles to Versailles, Indiana. Turn left onto US Route 421 South. Drive for about 20 miles on US Route 421 South to the main entrance for Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. Meet in the parking lot.
----------------- August 2017 -----------------
Saturday, August 5, 2017 at 10:00 am: Spring Glen & E. Lucy Braun Lynx Prairie Preserve, Adams County, Ohio
Join Paul Knoop as he leads us on a field trip at his Spring Glen Preserve, an Adams County cedar glade. This small, 30-acre property is located next to the celebrated Lynx Prairie. Spring Glen is located down slope from Lynx Prairie in a more moist valley. A small stream, Ellis Run, flows along the southern border and there are numerous springs (seeps) that provide habitat for water-loving plants and animals. During our visit in August 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.
Dave Kuehner will then lead our field trip at Lynx after we eat lunch. The efforts of 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. Dr. Braun referred to it as the "August . . . riot of flower color."
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 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. We’ll meet here.
**August 25–27: Shawnee Weekend Workshop, On the Trail of E. Lucy Braun,
Scioto County, Ohio
Join Midwest Native Plant Society and CWFPS for a weekend of discovery based on the lives and careers of Drs. E. Lucy Braun and her sister, Annette Braun. Their pioneering work focused on the study of forest ecology, botany, geology and entomology, primarily in the Appalachian Mountains and in Adams and Scioto counties, Ohio. While we will be honoring their work, our focus will be to introduce you to the ecosystems that they studied and loved. There will be speakers and guided field trips, led by expert naturalists, to some of the most beautiful areas in Ohio, which will enable us to explore forests and naturally occurring prairie communities in order to gain a full understanding of the role that geology, native plants, and wildlife play within these ecosystems. See details and register at http://midwestnativeplants.org/workshops/.
----------------- September 2017 -----------------
Friday, September 8, 7:30 pm: Members’ Photo Sharing Program, Avon Woods Nature Center
Please bring your photos (on 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 mile 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.
Details of further events will be posted here in May 2017
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.
