Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society

Ohio Native Plant Society, Southwest Ohio Chapter
Updated Thursday October 9, 2025 at 11am

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 September 12, 2025, we met at Avon Woods Nature Center for the first meeting of our year, our photo sharing event. Randy J presented photos of central America, including the Monarch Butterflies winter home. Carol T presented about Gorman Heritage Farm in Reading, Angela C showed photos of plants from her many trips, and Jeanne R. showed a variety of orchids. 18 in attendance plus the zoomers.

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Friday, October 10, 2025 7:30 pm: Lecture (Live but Remote), Avon Woods Nature Center, or by Zoom (watch from home)

“Muck Mats, Sand Flats and Coastal Plain Marshes: Coastal Plain Disjunct Plants in Indiana” presented by Scott Namestnik, Indiana State Botanist

This program is being presented live, but remotely. You may wish to come to Avon Woods to watch it with others (and enjoy good refreshments) or you may watch from home, by Zoom. All of our events are free and open to the public.

Indiana’s diverse flora has relicts and influences from many regions that surround the Hoosier State – the tallgrass prairie to the west, the boreal forests to the north, the eastern deciduous forests to the east, the Appalachian Mountains to the southeast, and the Mississippi Embayment to the southwest.

Of great interest to botanists and ecologists, though, are the Indiana plants that are found hundreds of miles away from the core of their ranges on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico’s coastal plains; these are our coastal plain disjunct species.

These species are found in natural communities referred to as muck and sand flats (sometimes occurring floating on glacial lakes) and inland coastal plain marshes. How did they arrive here? What is in store for them in the future?

Learn more about these intriguing plants from Indiana’s state botanist, Scott Namestnik, during this live virtual presentation

** Saturday, October 18, 2025 from 9 am–noon: Give Back Day, Honeysuckle Blitz at Caesar Creek Nature Center, Warren County, Ohio
Janet Lasley was one of the founders of the Dayton Area Wild Ones and its first President. Her sudden and unexpected death in January of 2023 was a tremendous loss to our community. Janet was involved in our community in many ways, but what gave her the most satisfaction was the volunteer work she did at the Caesar Creek Nature Center. To honor her memory, a major renovation of the grounds at the Caesar Creek Nature Center is underway. Join the Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society, the Dayton Area Wild Ones and other supporting groups as we remove invasives to assist this project. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585 or christinehadley@earthlink.net.

Directions: Meet at the Caesar Creek Nature Center at 4006 Pioneer Village Road, Waynesville, OH 45068. Take I-71 to Wilmington Road (exit 36). Head east on Wilmington Road. Take the first left onto Olive Branch Road (crossing over I-71). Take the first right onto Jeffrey Road. At the first stop sign, turn right onto Oregonia Road. Turn left onto Pioneer Village Road following the signs to the Caesar Creek Nature Center.
The Society works in several locations in the Caesar Creek Area. Google maps knows this location as Caesar Creek Nature Center.

Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 1 pm: Culberson Woods State Nature Preserve, Clinton County, OH
Join Dan Boone through this swamp forest dominated by red maple and pin oak with substantial stands of shagbark hickory, shellbark hickory, swamp white oak, American elm and sweet gum. We should be seeing some fall color in this 280-acre preserve that is one of the largest remnants of the distinctive "Wet Beech Forest". Our hike leader Dan Boone is well known as one of the best botanists in our area.
Contact Angela Carter, 513-300-2787 or wildflowertrips@gmail.com, if you are interested in attending or carpooling since there is limited parking at the preserve located at 8865 State Route 730, Clarksville, OH 45113.

** Sunday, October 26, 2025 from 9 am-noon: Give Back Day, 17th Annual Honeysuckle Blitz at Caesar Creek U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gorge Spillway Tail Water Area, Warren County, Ohio
Join the Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and supporters as we sponsor this volunteer effort in its 17th year to help remove that invasive alien, bush honeysuckle, from the Caesar Creek Lake Spillway Tail Water area.
Come help your friends and kindred spirits continue the protection of this natural treasure. One of the area’s prime features is a gorge formed by glacial meltwaters cutting down through the bedrock. Steep walls formed, rising 180 feet above the river, with more than two miles of Caesar Creek flowing through the gorge. We will be working in the diverse habitat of this natural area, which features heavily wooded hillsides above the gorge of beech, maple, hickory, oak and a luxuriant herbaceous-flora-covered floodplain. The work done in this area for the past 16 years has had a very positive impact to wildflower diversity.
This is a terrific social, educational, and work activity, with a great lunch provided.

Your RSVP would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585, or email christinehadley@earthlink.net, for more information. Chainsaw & steel blade trimmer operators must be pre-registered.
Bring your favorite tools: gloves, pruners, loppers, saws, trimmers, and protective gear for power equipment. We will provide tools and gloves to volunteers new to honeysuckle removal. Stump treatment will be furnished.

Directions: Meet at the Gorge parking lot off Clarksville Road. Take I-71 to Wilmington Road (exit 36). Head east on Wilmington Road. Take the first left onto Olive Branch Road (crossing over I-71). Take the first right onto Jeffrey Road. At the first stop sign, take Oregonia Road; jog right and then jog left onto Clarksville Road. Follow across the dam, turn left at the gorge sign, and drive one mile downhill to the parking lot. We’ll meet at the gorge shelter, next to the parking lot.
The Society works in several locations in the Caesar Creek Area. Google maps knows this location as “Caesar Creek Fishing Pier”. Look for signs directing you to the event.

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Friday, November 14, 2025 at 7:30 pm: Lecture Program, Avon Woods Nature Center (and by Zoom) "Beetles Like It Spicy” by Greg Torres

Beetles are among the oldest pollinating insect Orders, and as such have worked with some of the oldest flowering plants to forge a symbiotic relationship over millions of years. Some ancient flowers exhibit characteristics that hint at their relationship with beetles. “Beetles Like it Spicy” highlights some key features of ancient plants, how those flowers show special adaptations to accommodate beetles and showcases examples of this relationship in some of our native plants.

Greg Torres, one of the Society’s new Board members, has a long experience in natural history. He attended UC, worked in Florida’s parks, is former President of Northside Greenspace and currently works in Natural Resources for one of our local park systems.
Questions- Contact Bob Bergstein at 513-477-4438 or Bergstein123@gmail.com) with any questions. (Text me with any problems logging in to Zoom.)

Directions for Zoom for website: Contact Bob Bergstein at Bergstein123@gmail.com who will send you the Zoom Link for this meeting. Or, you may tell Bob to add you to our email reminder list. The reminders include the actual zoom link for all our lectures. And are sent out on the Monday or Tuesday before the Friday event

Directions to Avon: 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. Google maps correctly directs you up the driveway to the Nature Center building, using either the location “Avon Woods Nature Center” or “4235 Paddock Road”. Apple Maps sends you to the wrong location.

Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 9-noon am: Give Back Day, Hazelwood Botanical Preserve

Join us to help eradicate invasive bush honeysuckle in the preserve. Volunteers may bring their gloves, loppers, and other implements of destruction, or they will be provided. Beginners may work with someone who can apply herbicide to the cut stumps.

The Harris M. Benedict Nature Preserve, aka Hazelwood Botanical Preserve, owned by the University of Cincinnati Department of Biological Sciences, was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1977 by the Department of the Interior for the study of plants and animals in eastern deciduous forests. This preserve, unique for its location and diverse habitat, has a wonderful mature forest. Interestingly, Harris Benedict was chair of the UC Botany Department at the time of his death in 1928, when a streetcar struck his auto. Benedict was E. Lucy Braun’s doctoral advisor. Braun studied Hazelwood.

Many of the mature trees were destroyed by the lethal April 9, 1999, F4 tornado, drastically altering the landscape. Although our members have successfully removed honeysuckle here for 16 years, the honeysuckle experienced a great resurgence after the tornado opened the forest canopy to sunlight.

For more information, contact Christine Hadley at 513-850-9585 or christinehadley@earthlink.net.

Directions: From I-71, take exit #15 (Pfeiffer Rd). Drive east for 0.7 mile. Turn left (north) on Deerfield Road for 0.8 mile to the "T". Turn left (west) STILL on Deerfield Rd. for 0.1 mile. Meet at the Johnson Nature Preserve parking lot on the right. (Johnson Preserve is adjacent to Hazelwood Preserve.) The Google address for our meeting location is Johnson Nature Preserve, Montgomery, Ohio. Driving time from downtown Cincinnati is 20 minutes.

**Saturday, November 22 at 10am: Give Back Day, Avon Woods Nature Preserve
This preserve is only 15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. Your assistance on this project directly benefits our Society, since we now have a written agreement allowing our use of Avon Wood Nature Center for five meetings per year in exchange for our volunteer hours working in Avon Woods (and other Cincinnati Parks). You may set up a volunteer account with Cincinnati Parks or just show up. Google maps knows this location as Avon Woods Nature Center.

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**Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 10am: Give Back Day, Avon Woods Nature Preserve This preserve is only 15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. Your assistance on this project directly benefits our Society, since we now have a written agreement allowing our use of Avon Wood Nature Center for five meetings per year in exchange for our volunteer hours working in Avon Woods (and other Cincinnati Parks).

Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 3 pm: Annual Hardy Souls’ Hike, William Harbin Park, Butler County, Ohio (followed by the holiday potluck and program) Join us for a winter hike at Harbin Park, a Fairfield City Park. Angela Carter will lead us on the 1.8-mile moderately easy Green Trail that takes you on 196 ft of elevation gain. We will meet at William Harbin Parking, 1365 Hunter Rd, Fairfield, OH 45014 After the hike you may proceed to the Gathering at Northern Hills, at 460 Fleming Road for wine and fellowship at 5:15; dinner at 5:45. Bring a dish of your choice: appetizer, main or side dish, or dessert. Google knows this address.

Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 7pm: Lecture, Gathering at Northern Hills (in person and by Zoom) "Forests, Wetlands and Flamescapes of the Dayton Region: 1800 and Today" by Dave Nolin
This talk will illustrate the outstanding records of early surveyors documenting what the region was like in 1800, discuss the importance of land management by American Indians, and the challenges of taking care of the scraps that remain today.

Dave Nolin is a major figure in conservation in the Dayton Area. He served as director of conservation of Five Rivers MetroParks for many years. He helped found the Beaver Creek Wetland Association in 1988 which has preserved large areas of wetlands east of Dayton. He has been instrumental in restoring Huffman Prairie and is author of the excellent book “Discovery and Renewal on Huffman Prairie: Where Aviation Took Wing”

Next newsletter in January 2026


	Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society, Ohio Native Plant Society , SW Ohio Chapter, Come Learn about Cincinnati and Ohio Native Plants. pdf sizes are small ( < 300k ) Schedule Inside 2025 2026 pdf Schedule Cover 2025 2026 pdf Newsletter Sept 2025 pdf January 2025 Newsletter pdf September 2024 Newsletter pdf Schedule inside 2024 2025 rev oct 23 Schedule cover 2024 2025 pdf Link to our Facebook Page Note- Even if you are not on Facebook, you can view the content and nice photos posted there. office use only- Membership Renewals It's membership renewal time again. All memberships need to be renewed on September 1 of each year (unless you have paid for multiple years). Please go to our membership page and renew wth PayPal. Alternatively, from the membership, you can print out the renewal form and send it to our Membership Chair. Donations The Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society exists because of the generosity of our members and donors. To become a member, go to our membership page by clicking on the "Membership" tab in the upper bar. To give a direct donation to the society, please go to our donation web page by clicking the button below: The society is a 501(c)(3) organization and your membership or donation may be tax deductible. --Quick look ahead 2024-- means Non-Society event Friday, October 10, 2025 7:30 pm: Lecture (Live but Remote), Avon Woods Nature Center, or by Zoom (watch from home) “Muck Mats, Sand Flats and Coastal Plain Marshes: Coastal Plain Disjunct Plants in Indiana” presented by Scott Namestnik, Indiana State Botanist Saturday Oct. 18, 2025 9am: Honeysuckle Blitz, Caesar Creek Nature Center, Warren Co, OH Sunday Oct. 19, 2025 at 1pm Culberson Woods SNP, Clinton Co, OH Sunday Oct. 26, 2025 at 9am: Give Back Day Honeysuckle Blitz, Caesar Creek Gorge Tailwaters Area, Warren Co, OH Friday Nov. 14, 2025 at 7:30 pm Avon Woods Nature Center In Person and Zoom Presentation "Beetles Like It Spicy" by Greg Torres Nov. 15, 2025 at 9am: Give Back Day, Honeysuckle Removal, Hazelwood Preserve, Hamilton Co, OH Nov. 22, 2025 at 10am: Give Back Day Honeysuckle Removal, Avon Woods Sunday Dec. 7, 2025: Hike Potluck & Lecture 3:00 pm Annual Hardy Souls’ Hike William Harbin Park, Butler Co, OH The Gathering at Northern Hills 5:15 pm Appetizers and fellowship 5:45 pm Covered dish potluck dinner 7:00 pm "Forests, Wetlands and Flamescapes of the Dayton Region: 1800 and Today" by Dave Nolin (Zoom available) Friday Jan. 9, 2026 at 7:30 pm: Avon Woods Nature Center In Person and Zoom Presentation “Lichens!” by Bob Klips Friday Feb. 13, 2026 at 7:30 pm Avon Woods Nature Center In Person and Zoom Presentation “Wildflowers Through the Year” by Tom Hissong Feb. date TBD - Indoor Field Trip Tour of UC’s Greenhouse, Laboratories, and New Herbarium Friday March 13, 2026: Potluck & Lecture The Gathering at Northern Hills 5:15 pm Appetizers and fellowship 5:45 pm Covered dish potluck dinner 7:00 pm Annual Meeting and Program “Amphibian and Reptile Conservation in Ohio” by Greg Lipps Saturday March 28, 2026: California Woods, Hamilton Co, OH Saturday Apr. 11, 2026: Devil’s Backbone, Preble Co, OH Saturday May 2, 2026: Joan Jones Portman Trail, Adams Co, OH Saturday May 9, 2026 at 9am: Give Back Day Garlic Mustard Pull, Caesar Creek Gorge SNP, (Corwin Road) Warren Co, OH Saturday May 16, 2026: Hueston Woods, Butler & Preble Co, OH Sunday June 7, 2026: Potluck Picnic Picnic at Keystone Flora, Hamilton Co, OH June 13-14, 2026: Weekend Field Trip Hosah Prairie, Lake Co, IL Chiwaukee Prairie, Kenosha Co, WI Saturday June 27, 2026: The Deep, Hocking Co, OH Sunday June 28, 2026: The Arboretum, Fayette Co, KY Saturday July 25, 2026: Bergamo Center, Greene Co, OH Saturday Aug. 1, 2026: Base Line Barrens Nature Preserve, Washington Co, IN Saturday Aug. 15, 2026: Sky Haven Prairie, Hamilton Co, OH End of list indicates events co-sponsored by the Society Questions about events, lost going to an event, need e-mail reminders of events? Call President Angela Carter at amcarter@fuse.net or 513-300-2787, or Bob Bergstein, Communications Chairman at 513-477-4438 text/phone or email bergstein123@gmail.com 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