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Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Invasive Species Removal at Cooperrider-Kent Bog State Nature Preserve |
10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
1028 Meloy Road, Kent Portage County |
Kent Bog is a living relict from the Ice Age. In glacial times, the boreal forest, including tamarack, dominated the landscape far south of northern Ohio. Today, Kent Bog supports one of the largest, southernmost stands of tamarack in the continental United States. There are over 3,500 tamaracks in the population with many robust seedlings growing among the larger trees. Here, too, is a fine population of gray birch, also a tree of northern distribution. Gray Birch and tamarack are both potentially threatened species in Ohio.
We will be removing invasive glossy buckthorn and other invasive woody species in the bog using a combination of cutting and treating the cut stems with herbicide, as well as hand-pulling buckthorn seedlings (which are numerous). Trained DNAP staff and ONAPA volunteers will conduct the herbicide application.
Directions: From I-76 east, take the Kent exit (SR 43) north to Meloy Road, then head west (turn left) to the parking lot.
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, rubber/leather gloves and muck/knee boots. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: If you would like to attend, please REGISTER. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE. Online registration is important for our planning.
We will be removing invasive glossy buckthorn and other invasive woody species in the bog using a combination of cutting and treating the cut stems with herbicide, as well as hand-pulling buckthorn seedlings (which are numerous). Trained DNAP staff and ONAPA volunteers will conduct the herbicide application.
Directions: From I-76 east, take the Kent exit (SR 43) north to Meloy Road, then head west (turn left) to the parking lot.
What to bring: Bring lunch, water, rubber/leather gloves and muck/knee boots. Tools will be provided.
RSVP: If you would like to attend, please REGISTER. If you have questions, please contact The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association HERE. Online registration is important for our planning.
REGISTER for August 21 ONAPA Annual Meeting in Geauga County by August 16
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Keynote speaker Lisa Rainsong will show how crickets and katydids tell us about habitat, resiliency, and even climate change. Rainsong holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music and is a member of CIM’s music theory faculty. When not in her classroom, she teaches birdsong classes, makes field recordings of bird and insect songs and does field research on crickets and katydids. She has an online field guide to the crickets and katydids of NE Ohio, Listening to Insects, and her recordings, photos, and stories from the field can be found on her blog, Listening in Nature.
Participants may choose from one of four afternoon field trips: Mentor Marsh, NE Ohio Bogs, Lichens of NE Ohio, and Exploring Frohring Meadow. REGISTRATION is open and is limited to 75. In addition to the meeting, Guy Denny will highlight ONAPA accomplishments. A buffet lunch is included. |
Saturday, August 21, 2021
West Woods Nature Center Novelty, Ohio 10:30 am - 5:00 pm 
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The Crane-fly Orchid - tipularia discolor - is efficient seed producer
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By John Watts
Though it may lack in color, the Crane-fly Orchid is one of the more unique in Ohio among the 50 native wild orchids recorded. It belongs to a genus of three species worldwide, with two species in Asia and one in North America. Its common and scientific names are derived from its resemblance to a group of insects knows as crane flies (specifically Tipula crane flies). The projecting flowers and flower parts along the smooth upright stem were thought to look like a swarm of these long, dangly legged insects. The specific name, discolor, is from Latin meaning "of different colors" or "faded" referring to the dull color of the blossoms that have bee described as a "watery purplish green." |
Photos by John Watts
Above, mating crane flies, Licking County, Ohio. At right, Crane-fly Orchid, Hocking County, Ohio.
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It takes great focus to find this plant as it blends in very well with sticks, leaves and filtered beams of light across the summer forest floor. Close inspection of a flowering stem will show that the flowers are angled and arranged on the side of the stem, some to the left and others to the right. This is known as floral positioning and appears to play an important role in pollination. Retired Ohio professor and orchid expert Dr. Warren Stoutamire, observed that floral positioning of the flowers controlled the placement of pollinaria (masses of collected pollen) on the eyes of pollinators. Crane fly orchids are pollinated by several species of nocturnal moths. When visiting the flowers, moths with pollinaria attached to their right eye pollinate "right handed flowers" and the same occurs with pollen on the left eye visiting "left handed flowers." While only a small percentage of plants in a population tend to bloom, this mechanism of pollination must be fairly efficient as it is not uncommon to see fully developed seed capsules in the fall on previously blooming plants.
References: Homoya, Michael A., 1993, Orchids of Indiana. Indiana Academy of Science & Indiana University Press. Bloomington and Indiana. 276 p.
Luer, Carlyle A., 1975, The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada, Excluding Florida. The New York Botanical Garden. 361 p.
References: Homoya, Michael A., 1993, Orchids of Indiana. Indiana Academy of Science & Indiana University Press. Bloomington and Indiana. 276 p.
Luer, Carlyle A., 1975, The Native Orchids of the United States and Canada, Excluding Florida. The New York Botanical Garden. 361 p.
Johnson Woods: photo by Beth Sanderson
2021: Three field trips scheduled
After suspending our regular series of field trips last year and again early this year due to the threat of COVID-19, now, with so many of us fully vaccinated, we have decided to cautiously resume to see how things work out. We want to encourage particularly those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to participate. Un-vaccinated participants will be required to wear face coverings and social distance. To sign up, please email Guy Denny at guydenny@centurylink.net.
Saturday, July 31 Denny’s Tallgrass Prairie Tour - 10:00 am Naturalists Dick Moseley, Jennifer Windus, and Guy Denny will give participants a walking tour around the tallgrass prairie. We will be discussing the origin of the tallgrass prairies of North America and Ohio and introducing folks to the various grasses and wildflowers comprising this ecosystem. Participants will not only learn how to recognize the various prairie species, but also learn interesting facts about their uses by Native Americans and early settlers. See the October 2 field trip for directions. Saturday, September 25 Johnson Woods Old Growth Forest Walk - 10:00 am Join naturalist Gordon Maupin for an easy walk along the mile-long boardwalk at Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve. Johnson Woods is an amazing old growth forest. The towering trees will be approaching the peak of fall color. In addition to the towering old growth trees, Johnson Woods has areas for forested wetlands with vernal pools and native wildflowers in all seasons. Johnson Woods is located a few miles north of Orrville on Fox Lake Road between Highways 57 and 94. Saturday, October 2 Annual Prairie Seed Collecting Event If you have ever wanted to try your hand at growing native prairie plants, this is your opportunity to collect seeds and learn how to establish your |
own prairie garden. Participants should bring
hand pruners, and containers such as bags in which they can deposit the seeds they collect. Several prairie specialists will be on hand to answer your questions and help you identify the various species of prairie plants. This 20 plus acre prairie is located in Knox County about 45 minutes north of Columbus. The street address is 6021 Mt. Gilead Road (SR 95) Fredericktown, Ohio. From the junction of Interstate 71 and State Route 95, follow State Route 95 east for just under five miles to the Knox County Line. Just about 20 feet beyond on the north side S.R. 95 is the driveway where there will be an ONAPA events sign directing participants up the driveway to the designated parking area. No limits on the number of participants, but you must sign up so that if the event needs to be cancelled for any reason, we can let you know. Sign up by emailing Guy Denny at guydenny@centurylink.net. Pack a lunch, and dress for the weather. 
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Stewardship project crews stay busy during the summer heat of late June into July
Jackson Bog
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Milford Center Prairie
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ONAPA stewardship assistants and volunteers have been busy over the past month working with DNAP preserve staff. On Saturday, June 26, ONAPA had seven people work at Daughmer Savanna, which is managed by the Crawford County Park District. We removed teasel and woody species, and cleared some trails.
On July 15, we removed invasive plants at Milford Center Prairie. DNAP had woody species removed in the winter, so we worked on mullein, teasel, giant ragweed and sweet clover. The prairie plants are looking impressive and responding well to the clearing.
On July 17, a crew of eight worked at Jackson Bog, removing purple loosestrife and cattails. It threatened rain but we were able to accomplish three hours of work.
At Clifton Gorge on July 22, we pulled a recent invasion of Japanese stiltgrass along the river through the gorge and removed woody species such as bush honeysuckle on the scientific side of the preserve.
Despite the heat and recent rain, we continue to make progress with habitat management thanks to our stewardship assistants and volunteers.
On July 15, we removed invasive plants at Milford Center Prairie. DNAP had woody species removed in the winter, so we worked on mullein, teasel, giant ragweed and sweet clover. The prairie plants are looking impressive and responding well to the clearing.
On July 17, a crew of eight worked at Jackson Bog, removing purple loosestrife and cattails. It threatened rain but we were able to accomplish three hours of work.
At Clifton Gorge on July 22, we pulled a recent invasion of Japanese stiltgrass along the river through the gorge and removed woody species such as bush honeysuckle on the scientific side of the preserve.
Despite the heat and recent rain, we continue to make progress with habitat management thanks to our stewardship assistants and volunteers.
Beetle specialists: Keith, Lydia, Rachael, Ken, and Mary
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ONAPA busy helping root out invasives many habitats: bogs, prairies and forests
On Tuesday, June 8, eight ONAPA volunteers worked with two DNAP staff at Chaparral Prairie in Adams County to pull the invasive sweet-clover from two different areas. Sweet-clover can be hard to pull, especially when the soil is dry but we all worked hard to pull out as much as possible to improve the prairie habitat.
On Wednesday, June 9, a small group of eight ONAPA volunteers collected purple loosestrife beetles and larva from Moxley Wildlife Area and delivered them to Jackson Bog SNP. This is our third year of doing this transfer to help control purple loosestrife at Jackson Bog. This is a type of biological control where a small beetle native to Europe that feeds on purple loosestrife leaves has been introduced to control purple loosestrife in wetlands. We collect them in small mesh bags, travel to the new introduction site, and release them onto purple loosestrife plants.
On Thursday, June 17, five ONAPA volunteers worked with four DNAP staff at Hueston Woods scouting the woods for Japanese stiltgrass. We are trying to be proactive by scouting for this invasive grass and implement aggressive control methods to limit its spread. The grass primarily occurs on the perimeter of the preserve in the state park currently and fortunately very little was found in the interior of the woods.
On Tuesday, June 8, eight ONAPA volunteers worked with two DNAP staff at Chaparral Prairie in Adams County to pull the invasive sweet-clover from two different areas. Sweet-clover can be hard to pull, especially when the soil is dry but we all worked hard to pull out as much as possible to improve the prairie habitat.
On Wednesday, June 9, a small group of eight ONAPA volunteers collected purple loosestrife beetles and larva from Moxley Wildlife Area and delivered them to Jackson Bog SNP. This is our third year of doing this transfer to help control purple loosestrife at Jackson Bog. This is a type of biological control where a small beetle native to Europe that feeds on purple loosestrife leaves has been introduced to control purple loosestrife in wetlands. We collect them in small mesh bags, travel to the new introduction site, and release them onto purple loosestrife plants.
On Thursday, June 17, five ONAPA volunteers worked with four DNAP staff at Hueston Woods scouting the woods for Japanese stiltgrass. We are trying to be proactive by scouting for this invasive grass and implement aggressive control methods to limit its spread. The grass primarily occurs on the perimeter of the preserve in the state park currently and fortunately very little was found in the interior of the woods.
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Board member Randy Haar, above, holds a "bouquet" of Dame's rocket. ONAPA workers pulled 16 bags of this and garlic mustard.
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Augusta-Anne Olsen SNP now has less Dame's rocket On Thursday, June 3, eight ONAPA volunteers and stewardship assistants worked with DNAP staff at Olsen Preserve to pull and remove garlic mustard and Dame's rocket - 16 large bags! We had a good day working in a large area in the woods to remove these two invasive plants, then went on a nice hike through the preserve and along the Vermilion River. Several new staircases are being built and will improve the hiking experience here. |
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ONAPA's help with Lakeside daisy mapping important to species recovery plan
During the month of May, three ONAPA stewardship assistants and Jennifer Windus assisted DNAP and USFWS with an important mapping and population estimate project for the Lakeside daisy on all six locations for this Federal threatened species. Every five years, the USFWS is expected to conduct a five-year status review to evaluate how the species is doing on a national level. In Ohio, this involves visiting the sites (two on Marblehead Peninsula, one at Castalia Quarry, and three on Kelleys Island). We are mapping the existing patches with a GPS unit and estimating densities so that we can develop an accurate map of its distribution, as well as a estimate of population size. It is very tedious work and must be done consistently so the results can be compared to the 2015 status review. ONAPA has already spent nine days on this project, with a couple more to go. ONAPA is a significant part of this important project and it gives our stewardship assistants great experience. |
Lakeside daisy in early May
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Volunteers pull butterweed and garlic mustard at Fowler Woods, Clear Fork preserves
Butterweed
Pulling invasive plants at Fowler Woods
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On Tuesday, May 4, seven ONAPA volunteers worked with two DNAP staff at Fowler Woods SNP to scout the preserve for garlic mustard and butterweed. Butterweed is a new invasive plant expanding its range in Ohio (native further south) and impacting wet woodland areas in natural areas. While we did not find much garlic mustard, we did find a lot more butterweed than last year in the wet areas at Fowler Woods. We pulled a significant amount and identified some dense areas that the DNAP preserve manager will selectively spray with herbicide. Watch out for this new invasive and let us know if you see it in a nature preserve!
On Thursday, May 13, six ONAPA volunteers worked with two DNAP staff at Clear Fork Gorge SNP, within Mohican SP and SF, to pull garlic mustard. While there is plenty of garlic mustard in the surrounding state park and state forest, we are working hard to control it in the nature preserve. This small, majestic preserve holds large white pine and hemlock trees with some rare plants in the understory. It is always a beautiful hike! 
At left and above, volunteers at Clear Fork
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