Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society
Ohio Native Plant Society, Southwest Ohio Chapter
Updated Tuesday March 12, 2024 at 11pm
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.) ."You don’t have to be a plant expert to enjoy these trips and lectures. The locations are amazing and the atmosphere is casual. I’ve enjoyed every event that I’ve attended for many years!"- BB.
What you missed- On Friday March 8, 2024, we enjoyed a great potluck, followed by the Society’s annual meeting. Christine Hadley, Randy Johnson, and Pat Coyle were re-elected to the Board. The attendees approved the Society’s plan to contribute $500 to each of the following groups for land acquisition of natural areas: Nature Conservancy, Arc of Appalachia, Cardinal Land Conservancy, and Western Wildlife Corridor.
Dr. Walter Carson then presented a thought-provoking talk on “Biodiversity Collapse and the Future of the Eastern Deciduous Forest Biome”. His research studied 3 things that have a significant impact on forest health, and the most impactful is … ! To learn the answer, watch the video of the lecture here.
The results are useful for those restoring forests to a natural and diverse habitat. Over 35 in attendance at the Gathering at Northern Hills, as well as many Zoom attendees.
-----March 2024-----
Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 10 am: Versailles State Park, Ripley County, Indiana
Versailles State Park is Indiana’s second-largest state park and snow Trilliums are very rare and local in almost all of the 16 states in which it occurs. Nick Ludwig and Angela Carter will lead you on part of the Creekside Trail for the smallest of trilliums, and other wildflowers along the trail.
Indiana State Park fees are $7 In-State Daily Entrance and $9 Out-of-State Daily Entrance. Plan on meeting at the Schimmerhorn Shelter parking lot.
Please contact Angela Carter, amcarter@fuse.net or 513-300-2787, if you have any questions.
---------------- April 2024 -----------------
Saturday April 6, 2024 at 10 am: Kamama Prairie, Adams County, OH
John Howard will guide us along the trail in search of some of the early and rare mustards (Michaux’s gladecress, L. uniflora, and Draba spp.) found in Ohio. Afterwards we may go down to the Ohio River to view early woodland wildflowers.
Please bring water and a lunch or snacks since you may want to spend the day visiting the numerous preserves in the area. Cell reception may be spotty; contact Angela Carter at 513-300-2787 or amcarter@fuse.net if you have questions and plan on attending before the field trip. https://www.arcofappalachia.org/kamama-prairie
Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 10 am: Quiverheart Gorge Preserve, Adams County, OH
Marjie Becus and Ann Geise will lead us on the 2-mile loop Quiverheart Trail in this new Arc of Appalachia Preserve with a profusion of wildflowers. We'll first hike down into the large scenic gorge and along one side of the stream. Crossing the stream we'll hike up and along the ridge on the other side. We will be hiking a narrow, rocky and possibly muddy trail amidst numerous wildflowers and various habitats. Bring your lunch, and we’ll stop and eat along the trail.
Directions: From I-275 take exit 63 onto OH-32 E/State Rte 32 E towards Batavia for 51 miles to Steam Furnace Rd. on your right. Go 2.3 miles on Steam Furnace Rd and find the Quiverheart parking lot on the right just past the Black Diamond Country Store.
Sunday, April 14, 2024, 11 am: Kope Hollow Nature Preserve, Brown County, OH
Dan Boone will guide us through Kope Hollow, one of Cardinal Land Trust’s newest preserves, that he has been surveying with over 150 species. This will be a moderate hike through mesophytic woods with waterfalls. You will have an opportunity to brush up on tree, grass and sedge ID and we hope to see Miami Mist and wild hyacinth in bloom. https://cardinallandconservancy.org/kope-hollow-nature-preserve/
Please RSVP and contact Angela Carter at 513-300-2787 or amcarter@fuse.net if you have questions.
Directions: Follow I-75S or I-71S to I-471 S. After 4.9 miles stay left to take exit 1A for I-275E toward Columbus/Ohio.US-52. Drive 3.9 miles and take exit 71 for US-52 toward New Richmond. Continue straight onto US-52 and drive 30 miles to 5051 US-52; Kope Hollow will be on your left. Google maps knows the address “Kope Hollow Nature Preserve, 5051 US, US-52, Ripley, OH 45162”
Saturday to Sunday, April 27 - 28, 2024: Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
Please join naturalist, Dave Kuehner, on one or both days. Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area encompasses 125,000 acres of the naturally beautiful and biologically diverse Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee. It is characterized by scenic gorges, waterways, sandstone bluffs and impressive natural features. It is a splendid area for botanizing. The native flora is plentiful and diverse, including plants not found in Ohio.
We will seek out wildflowers along the Angel Falls and Leatherwood Ford trails on Saturday and along the Burnt Mill Bridge Trail on Sunday. We will target the following species: Pink Azalea, Rhododendron periclymenoides; Gaywings, Polygala paucifolia; Eastern Sweetshrub, Calycanthus floridus; Sweet Betsy, Trillium cuneatum; Shrub Yellowroot, Xanthorhiza simplicissima; Mountain meadow-rue, Thalictrum clavatum; Box Huckleberry, Gaylussacia brachycera; Dwarf Ginseng, Panax trifolius; Dutchman's Pipe, Aristolochia macrophylla; and many, many others.
Accommodations are available in Oneida, TN. We will meet at the Bandy Creek Visitor Center, accessible from TN-297 and 15 miles west of Oneida. Please allow 4 hrs from Cincinnati with start times of 10am. RSVP and contact Angela Carter at 513-300-2787 or amcarter@fuse.net with questions.
---------------- May 2024 -----------------
Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 10 am: Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve, Warren County, OH
Marjie Becus will guide us on the trails and areas within the Caesar Creek Gorge SNP in the area just below the dam, down the Access Road off Clarksville Road. This is the opposite end of the preserve from where we have been pulling garlic mustard and one of the best natural woodlands with a fantastic display of spring ephemerals near Cincinnati. It is a moderately strenuous hike with hills. This is the location where we have partnered with Debi Wolterman for 15 years of our Autumn Give Back Days removing invasive bush honeysuckle in the Gorge. Now we get to enjoy the results of our work.
Directions: From I-71 N Take Exit 28 for OH-48 N toward Lebanon Raceway/Lebanon. The road name changes to US-42 N BYP. Turn right onto US-42 N and go north for 7 miles. When you come into the town of Waynesville, turn right at the light, onto State Route 73 E. Drive one mile and turn right onto Clarksville Rd. Proceed for 2.5 miles to the entrance of Caesar Creek State Park on your left, continue 700 ft past this road and take the Caesar Creek Gorge Access Road to the right. Drive to the end and park in the parking lot, where we will meet. If on Clarksville Rd., you get to the fossil area, you’ve gone too far.
Google maps knows this location as Caesar Creek Fishing Pier.
Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 9 am–noon: Give Back Day, Garlic Mustard Pull at Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve on Corwin Road, Warren County, Ohio
Join us to pull the invasive garlic mustard plant, which is easy to recognize and yank out of the ground. No experience is necessary. We want to help DNAP (Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves) preserve this lovely area where so much work has already been done on the bush honeysuckle. Bring gloves and enthusiasm. We'll furnish bags.
Note that we will be working at the Caesar Creek GORGE STATE NATURE PRESERVE and NOT the nearby Caesar Creek STATE PARK. Meet in the parking lot. The address is 4080 Corwin Rd., Oregonia, OH 45054. Contact Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585 or christinehadley@earthlink.net if you have any questions. Google maps knows the location as Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve, 4080 Corwin Rd, Oregonia, OH 45054.
Next Newsletter will be available in May 2024
-----June 2024-----
**Sunday June 2, 2024
Potluck Picnic
At Keystone Flora
Hamilton Co, OH
Saturday June 29, 2024
Field Trip
Bender Mountain, Hamilton Co, OH
-----July 2024-----
Sunday July 7, 2024
Field Trip
Location TBD by Shaun Pogacnik
Sunday July 14, 2024
Field Trip
Shawnee State Park, Scioto Co, OH
-----August 2024-----
Saturday Aug. 31, 2024
Field Trip
Pearl’s Fen, Greene Co, OH
-----September 2024-----
Friday Sept 13, 2024
Avon Woods Nature Center (&Zoom)
6:30 Optional Picnic
7:30 Photo-Sharing Program
Next Schedule will be available in Sept 2024
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