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Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society
Ohio Native Plant Society, Southwest Ohio Chapter
Updated Wednesday June 3, 2026 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 Saturday May 16, 2026 Ohio DNR Naturalist Katalaya Brandenburg (Kat) led our small group on the Blue Heron Trail in the Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve (inside the State Park). Very high-quality woods with large trees and native plants. Weather warm and rainy.
Worth a visit on your own. Google Maps knows “Blue Heron Trail”
Park and Trail Map 1 ,
Trail Map #2
Photos-
Kat Christine Jim and Giant Tulip Tree ,
Bob Christine Jim ,
Tiny Ring Neck Snake ,
Large Leaf Waterleaf ,
Appendaged Waterleaf ,
Puttyroot Orchid Leaf ,
Puttyroot Orchid Flower ,
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**Sunday, June 7, 2026 - From Noon till 4pm (Lunch at 1pm): Potluck Picnic with Northside Greenspace Inc. and CWFPS
Keystone Flora in Wooden Shoe Hollow , Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio
Join us at native plant nursery Keystone Flora, located in historic Wooden Shoe Hollow, whose greenhouses and truck farms once provided fresh produce to urban Cincinnati. There will be informal tours of the nursery, prairie, bioswale, and some of the properties that have been purchased by the native plant conservationists who are slowly colonizing the neighborhood.
Bring a chair, your favorite beverage and a dish to share. Contact Keystone Flora at 513-961-2727 if you get lost.
Directions: From either direction on I-75, take the Mitchell Avenue exit (exit 6). Head north on Mitchell Avenue (left if you were on 75 north; right if you were heading south). Turn left onto Spring Grove Avenue (the first major intersection). Turn right onto Winton Road (at second traffic light). Turn right onto Kings Run (at third traffic light). Turn left onto Winton Ridge (at first intersection). Veer left onto Wooden Shoe Hollow Lane (about 1000 feet from the turn onto Winton Ridge). Follow Wooden Shoe Hollow Lane for 0.3 miles. The lane goes straight, then curves to the right, and goes straight again until it enters a wooded canopy area curving left.
The address for Keystone Flora is 5045 Wooden Shoe Hollow Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45232. Google Maps knows both the name “Keystone Flora” and the above street address.
Saturday-Sunday, June 13-14, 2026: Weekend Field trip (event times are Central Daylight time!)
Saturday, June 13 at 10:00am CDT: Hosah Prairie, Lake Co., IL (North of Chicago)
Sunday, June 14 at 9:00am CDT: Chiwaukee Prairie, Kenosha Co., WI
Please join CWFPS and Kathleen Marie Garness on a field trip to Hosah Prairie,on Saturday, 6/13/26 at 10am CDT;
Hosah info is here
and then explore Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area,
Chiwaukee Info at here and here
On Sunday 6/14/2026 at 9am there’s an optional trip to Beulah Bog, with leader Angela Carter. Info at here
Leader Kathleen is a member of the northeast chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society, Science and Conservation affiliate for the Morton Arboretum and the Field Museum, and the natural areas steward for Hosah Park. She has contributed to several publications, exhibited her botanical artwork, and won several awards.
This will be a weekend filled with diversity and rare plants including dwarf birch (Betula pumila), rock sandwort (Sabulina michauxii), prairie-smoke (Geum triflorum), wild calla (Calla palustris), and carnivorous plants.
RSVP to Angela Carter at 1-513-300-2787 or OhioWildflowerWanderer@gmail.com who may have ideas on carpooling and accommodation.
Directions- Hosah Prairie is approximately 5h 45m from Cincinnati and an hour from Chicago. Plan on bringing water, snacks and a possible lunch each day since we may have additional suggestions for botanical destinations or local dining closer to the date.
Hike Locations- Hosah Park, 100 Shiloh Blvd, Zion, IL 60099
Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area, Al Kampert Trail, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158
Beulah Bog State Natural Area, 9192 Stringers Bridge Rd, East Troy, WI 53120
Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 10:00am: Saturday Field Trip
Deep Woods Preserve , Benton Twp, Hocking Co., OH
Bob Klips will lead our hike into the Deep Woods Preserve in Hocking County. Deep Woods is a privately owned 282-acre nature preserve managed by Deep Woods, Inc. Within Deep Woods is a rich variety of habitats representing many natural communities typical of the Hocking Hills area, including extensive mature oak-hickory forest on ridges and beech-maple-hemlock forest in ravines, along with a narrow riparian forest corridor along the East Fork of Queer Creek.
There are also seral stages ranging from mowed fields through weedy “old fields” to young forest, along with microhabitats including ravines with waterfalls and sandstone ledges, some of which include damp recesses rich in bryophytes.
This hike will emphasize ferns and bryophytes. Highlights will include seeing the Appalachian shoestring fern (Vittaria appalachiana)- a fern that exists only in the gametophyte form- and the globally rare but regionally common sword moss (
Bryoxiphium norvegicum). We’ll keep an eye out for butternut trees, round-leaved catchfly, and cow-wheat.
Directions- : Car-pooling is encouraged. The entrance to Deep Woods is marked by a sign located on the west side at S.R. 56, 1.5 miles south of South Bloomingville. (As you drive eastward from S. Bloomingville, you will see the small sign and driveway on your right). Turn into the driveway to the grassy area where Bob Klips will be waiting for us.
The address is 24835 OH-56, South Bloomingville, OH 43152. The coordinates are 39°24'34.5"N 82°34'29.8"W. Drive time is approx. 2hr 15min from downtown Cincinnati.
Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 10:00am: Sunday Field Trip
The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky , Fayette Co., KY (in Lexington, KY)
"The Weird and the Rare at the Arboretum"
This quirky walk will focus on a variety of either weird or rare native tree and shrub species at The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky. Some are not commonly seen in the region. Others have fun botanical features that help nature-curious participants to remember their identities.
The 100-acre arboretum, located in the middle of Lexington, has an impressive collection. Nearly all of Kentucky’s 120 native tree species are represented, and they are arranged along a two-mile paved path according to the seven physiographic regions of the state. Trees are metal-tagged, geo-located with a GPS device, and have publicly accessible photos on The Arboretum’s website. It’s a one-of-a-kind tree “library” that you can “check out” on June 28.
If the trip is canceled due to weather, information will be posted at cincywildflower.org (as is our usual practice)
Directions- Meet at the kiosk in the parking lot. The Arboretum is located at University of Kentucky, 500 Alumni Dr, Lexington, KY 40503. Drive time is approx. 1hr 30min from downtown Cincinnati.
more info at
https://arboretum.mgcafe.uky.edu/
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Saturday, July 25, 2026 at 10:00am : Saturday Field Trip
Mount St. John Nature Preserve at Mount St John Campus (The Preserve is adjacent to the Bergamo Center), Greene County, OH (6 miles east of Dayton, Ohio)
The Mount St. John Nature Preserve covers more than 100 acres of oak-hickory woodland, natural and created wetlands, restored Eastern tallgrass prairie, and meadow. This diversity supports an impressive variety of plant and animal life, including an estimated 425 plant species, nearly 60 butterflies and more than 100 birds.
The Marianist brothers farmed the land until the mid-1960s. In 1985, Interstate 675 was constructed across the old farm, and 75,000 cubic meters of sand and gravel was excavated from a large borrow pit for the new highway’s substrate. The 17-acre, 40-feet deep pit reached all the way to the groundwater, and was devoid of all soil and vegetation.
The late Don Geiger, Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Dayton, led the restoration effort on the prairie that now bears his name. Today this prairie is one of our region’s most successful restored prairies, home to a variety of grasses and forbs, wet seeps and a pond. Denis Conover assisted in this restoration and together they co-authored a paper on this work. You can find out more at here or see the nice pdf trail guide with good map (showing Parking Lot C) at here
Directions- The Mount St John Campus contains several facilities including the Bergamo Center, the Marianist Environmental Education Center and the Nature Preserve. One can drive into the campus either from Shakertown Road or from Patterson Road.
We are meeting at Parking lot C which is the lot closest to the snakelike earthworks and trailhead. Google Maps knows the meeting location as “Parking Lot C, 4435 E Patterson Rd, Beavercreek, OH 45430”
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Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 10:00am: Saturday Field Trip
Base Line Barrens Nature Preserve , Washington Co., IN
Join INDR botanist Scott Namestnik for a hike through the Base Line Barrens Nature Preserve. This preserve, owned by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, is situated on a karst sinkhole plain and protects examples of open woodlands and chert barrens, with a glade-like area of exposed limestone bedrock. The barrens are dominated by prairie species on shallow, rocky soil with widely spaced trees, whereas the open woodlands are dominated by post oak and black oak. We will move slowly through the barrens and woodland and should expect to see plant species such as hairy sunflower (Helianthus hirsutus), downy sunflower (Helianthus mollis), scaly blazingstar (Liatris squarrosa), pale spiked lobelia (Lobelia spicata), Appalachian ragwort (Packera anonyma), post oak (Quercus stellata), black oak (Quercus velutina), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans). There are no trails through the preserve, so vegetation will be brushing against your legs throughout the hike. The vegetation may be wet, but the ground will be dry and solid. Terrain is generally flat to slightly rolling. There are no restrooms or water facilities at the preserve. Expect and prepare for ticks to join us on the hike.
Directions- Car-pooling is encouraged due to limited parking. The preserve is just north of Fredricksburg, IN, at the intersection of W Bullington Rd & SW Washington School Rd. Park along the underground pipeline right-of-way on the west side of the property, on SW Washington School Road, approximately at 38.465442, -86.207664. Drive time is approx. 2hr 10min from downtown Cincinnati.
Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 10:00am: Saturday Field Trip
Sky Haven Prairie, , Hamilton Co., OH
Bob Myers planted his Sky Haven Prairie in 2015 after a Hamilton County Land Conservancy (Cardinal Conservancy) meeting in Miamitown. At this meeting there was a presentation by Solomon Gamboa showing many examples of Ohio’s native prairie plants, and how they can be used in our area to replace traditional lawns. Solomon assisted in planting the first one-acre plot. The first growing season was 2016 and the prairie is now flourishing in its 11th growing season.
Directions- The prairie is at 4919 Shepherd Creek Rd, Cincinnati OH 45223. From downtown, take Colerain Ave. north past Mt. Airy Forest, turn right on Shepherd Creek Rd. After 0.8mi turn right onto the private drive. Park at the end of the common drive. Drive time is about 15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati.
Info about our Fall 2026 Events will be available in September 2026
Details of our future 2026 events will be posted here soon, and will be sent in our spring newsletter
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