Plants of Heffner Wetlands

The Heffner Wetland Study Area: This site is a diverse area, the wetland has habitats that support many plant species. There is a mix of marshes, swamps, and floodplains. The plants that thrive in this area are hydrophytic or water loving plants. The plant species that live here thrive in saturated soils and can live through fluctuating water levels. Many plants live in or right next to the water, like cattails, and other species that do well on the banks like cottonwoods. Plants that are well adapted to wet conditions do great here.

Map:

Poison ivy: Poison ivy has a compound leaf arrangement, each leaf has three leaflets. The saying is, if it has leaves of three, let it be. The vine of poison ivy is often fuzzy showing that it is poison ivy.

Part Two:

Pawpaw (Asiminia triloba): 6CC. Pawpaw produces an edible fruit that can humans can eat, it is a very sweet tasting fruit and has the texture of a mango and banana mix. It tastes very tropical. The zebra swallowtail, a type of butterfly uses the leaves of pawpaw trees as food. Pawpaw trees produce unique brown flowers and they are pollinated mostly by flies and beetles.

White Mulberry (Morus alba): 0CC. White mulberry produces silk. It is widely known for the ability and use in the silk farming industry. The fruit from mulberry trees is also edible. People will make pies, jams, wines, and many more things from the fruits. This is a host plant for many species of moths and butterflies. The flowers appear as catkins and have separate male and female plants for reproduction.

Wild Senna (Senna deltoides): 4CC. Wild senna is known as a natural laxative, however is should be taken as a laxative under guidance. Due to the tall, bushy, and bright yellow flowers this plant has ornamental value. This is a nitrogen fixing plant because the roots have a bacteria that convert nitrogen into forms surrounding plants can use. This plant uses buzz pollination.

Honeyvine (Cynanchum laeve): 0CC. Honeyvine can grow along fences or arbors in gardens, allowing there to be an appealing cover for these areas. This is a host plant for monarch butterflies. The flowers are very small but they are fragrant. It can offer a, hence the name, honey like smelling aroma. This plant grows very fast and has invasive potential.

Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii): 0CC. Amur honeysuckle was brought to North America in hopes for a new ornamental plant. This is an invasive species. Different species of honeysuckle have been used for inflammatory and antimicrobial uses. This is a large food source for birds, birds such as cardinals and robins will eat the red fleshy fruits of this plant. White-tailed deer will also browse this plant for food.

Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana): 0CC. This tree of erosion control properties and is an ornamental plant. It’s main dispersal if from birds. With birds being the driving dispersal factor, it allows for more widespread invasion of this species. The flowers of callery pear are white and have an unpleasant smell. The fruits of this plant are not edible to humans. It is a fast growing plant.

 

Part Three:

Invasive plant: Amur honeysuckle

Amur honeysuckle is native to East Asia particularly China, Korea, and South East Russia. It has become a large issue in North America because it grows aggressively and is too apparent in this area. It has become an issue in forests, woodlands, riparian zones, and gardens. The Amur honeysuckle can displace native plants, cause changes in wildlife habitat, and changing to soil and water systems. Suggested control measures are hand picking, cutting, and prescribed burns. I'm unable to say with confidence that amur honeysuckle will ever be eradicated but it can make a difference by planting native plants when the invasive plants are removed.
Amur honeysuckle is native to East Asia particularly China, Korea, and South East Russia. It has become a large issue in North America because it grows aggressively and is too apparent in this area. It has become an issue in forests, woodlands, riparian zones, and gardens. The Amur honeysuckle can displace native plants, cause changes in wildlife habitat, and changing to soil and water systems. Suggested control measures are hand picking, cutting, and prescribed burns. I’m unable to say with confidence that amur honeysuckle will ever be eradicated but it can make a difference by planting native plants when the invasive plants are removed.

Invasive plant: Callery pear

The callery pear originated in China, Vietnam, and East Asia. It is a problem in Eastern and Central United States. It is problematic in prairies, grasslands, fields, forests, and woodlands, gardens, and riparian zones. The callery pear can cross-pollinate with other species of pear and can create viable seeds. Just like the amur honeysuckle, this plant disturbs and alters wildlife habitat and native species. Control methods such as cutting, burning, and chemical control can be effective. Ongoing monitoring of the areas where this species and other species is needed for preventing the species from coming back. By removing these invasives, it’s important to know that there will be better biodiversity and reduce the negative spread of the aggressive invaders.

Invasive Plant: Porcelain Berry

Porcelain berry is a woody vine that is native to Eastern Asia, particularly China, Korea, Japan, and Russia. It was introduced to America for ornamental use but it has become invasive. It’s thick mats and aggressively growing vines make this plant smoother others. Hand pulling, chemical, and mulching are some of the best management options for this species.

Invasive Plant: Shepherd’s-needle

This species is native to Europe and parts of Asia and is commonly found in agricultural landscapes. It has become invasive to Ohio because it’s ability to out compete by growing and the ability to disrupt crops. Nutrient poor soils can become a problem and allow this species to grow. Regular tilling, plowing, crop rotation, and chemical control can be used for this species.

Part Four: Fruits

Fruit: Common milkweed

Milkweed produce follicles, they are dry elongated fruits that split open and release seeds. Milkweed follicles are 3 to 6 inches long, slightly fuzzy, and the seeds are fluffy, light and are wind dispersed.

Fruit: Black walnut

The black walnut fruit is a drupe because of the hard inside and flesh outside surrounding the hard seed inside. However, in some cases the black walnut fruit is commonly referred to as a nut. It is identifiable by the thick, green husk. The ripening season for black walnut is late summer and into fall.

Fruit: Amur honeysuckle

Amur honeysuckle produces bright red or orange berries as fruit. These berries are little and grow in clusters. Each one of the individual berries has a thin covering and the seed inside. Birds and animals eat these berries up.

Fruit: Callery pear

The fruits of callery pear are pomes. These fruits are unique because they come from the rose family, which includes this species. The pomes are round or oval, usually yellow or olive green, the skin is smooth and firm. Most animals and wildlife species do not consume these fruits because of the bitterness and hard texture.

 

Part Five: Mosses and Lichens

Moss: Rough Speckled Shield Lichen

Lichen:  Star Rosette Lichen

Moss: Delicate fern moss

Moss: Silvergreen bryum moss

Sources:

“A Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Ohio” by Edward L. Braun: A must-have for identifying tree species.

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/

https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-white-mulberry-88659

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