Come take a field trip with the EEOB 2210 class to Battelle Darby Metropark! Here we visited two distinct habitats, the wet prairie and the woods. Enjoy descriptions below!

Wet Prairie

The Battelle Darby Metro Park wet prairie is a unique ecosystem characterized by its flat, open landscape, which is seasonally flooded and dominated by tall grasses. In the overstory, few trees are present due to the wet conditions, but scattered wetland-adapted species like Eastern Cottonwood and Sycamore can occasionally be found. The shrub layer is sparse, with low-growing, moisture-tolerant shrubs such as dogwood and buttonbush dominating, particularly along the edges of wetter areas. The ground cover is dense with native prairie grasses and sedges, like big bluestem, switchgrass, and Indian grass, along with a rich diversity of wildflowers such as sneezeweed, goldenrod, and pilewort, which provide essential habitat and resources for pollinators and wildlife.

Woods

The woods of Battelle Darby Metro Park offer a stark contrast to the open prairie, with a more closed canopy and a shaded, moist environment. In the overstory, large, mature trees dominate, including species like sugar maple, American beech, and various oaks, creating a thick canopy that filters sunlight. The shrub layer is moderately developed, with shade-tolerant shrubs and small trees like spicebush and pawpaw, providing dense cover in some areas. The ground cover consists of a rich array of woodland plants, including ferns, Virginia creeper and wild ginger, which offers a vibrant understory in the forest.

2 trees in the wet prairie and how to ID Them

Eastern Cottonwood — To identify the eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides), look for its triangular, coarsely toothed leaves with flattened petioles, which allow them to flutter easily in the wind, along with deeply furrowed gray bark on mature trees.

American Sycamore — To identify the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), look for its distinctive mottled bark that peels away to reveal smooth, whitish or greenish inner layers, along with large, broad leaves with three to five lobes and a unique fuzzy texture on the underside.

A prairie grass and a prairie forb and how to identify them.

Big Bluestem — To identify big bluestem grass, Andropogon gerardii, look for its tall, bluish-green stems that can grow up to 8 feet and its distinctive “turkey foot” seed head, which typically has three spikelets branching out at the top.

Sneezeweed — To identify sneezeweed, Helenium autumnale, look for its bright yellow, daisy-like flowers with wedge-shaped petals and a prominent, rounded central disk, as well as its sharply toothed, lance-shaped leaves on branching stems that typically bloom in late summer to fall.

4 limestone-loving plants in the woods and how to identify them

To identify hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), look for its distinctive corky, warty bark, often with irregular ridges, and its asymmetrical, lance-shaped leaves with serrated edges, along with small, dark purple berries that ripen in late summer or fall.

Blue Ash — To identify blue ash (*Fraxinus quadrangulata*), look for its unique square-shaped stems, compound leaves with 7 to 11 serrated leaflets, and grayish bark with shallow ridges, as well as its winged seeds (samaras) that are long and narrow, typically ripening in late summer

Eastern Red Cedar — To identify Eastern red-cedar (*Juniperus virginiana*), look for its scale-like, dark green needles that are densely packed on branchlets, along with small, blueish berry-like cones and reddish-brown, fibrous bark that peels in thin strips.

Eastern Redbud — To identify eastern redbud (*Cercis canadensis*), look for its heart-shaped leaves with a smooth margin, vibrant pink to purple flowers that appear in clusters directly on the branches before the leaves emerge, and its distinctive, smooth gray bark that becomes more scaly with age.

1 invasive plant and how to identify it

Autumn Olive — To identify autumn-olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), look for its silvery, elliptical leaves with a distinctive metallic sheen, small, fragrant yellowish to silver berries that turn red or orange when ripe, and its thorny, woody branches that often form dense thickets.

Natural History Note!

Grasses and sedges can be distinguished by their structural characteristics: grasses typically have hollow stems and parallel-veined leaves, while sedges have solid stems with triangular cross-sections and leaves with a distinct, three-angled shape. Additionally, sedges often have a more rigid and clumped growth habit compared to the more flexible and tufted growth of grasses.

Essay Questions to answer on webpage after reading Jane Forsyth “Geobotany” Article:

Geology of Ohio: Ohio’s geology can be divided into two primary regions: the Glaciated Region and the Unglaciated Region. The Glaciated Region, located in the northern part of Ohio, is characterized by a landscape shaped by glacial activity, with sedimentary rocks like limestone, shale, and sandstone underlying the region. This area features relatively flat terrain with fertile soils. In contrast, the Unglaciated Region, found in the southern and southeastern parts of Ohio, has a more rugged topography with steep hills and deep valleys. It is underlain by older, more resistant rocks like sandstone and siltstone, which contribute to its more varied and hilly landscape.

Sedimentary Rock Strata and Arch Formation:The original sequence of sedimentary rock strata in Ohio from top to bottom consists of limestone, shale, and sandstone. Around 200 million years ago, an arch known as the Cincinnati Arch formed, with its crest located in the central part of Ohio and the toe extending towards the outer regions. The Teays River system, which flowed for approximately 10-15 million years, significantly influenced the landscape by carving out valleys and shaping the region’s topography. The river’s activities were curtailed by the advance of the glaciers during the Pleistocene, which redefined the drainage patterns and filled many of the valleys with glacial deposits.

Pleistocene Glaciers and Glacial Boundary: During the Pleistocene Epoch, glaciers advanced into Ohio, and the glacial boundary cutting across the state was influenced by the presence of the Allegheny Plateau. This feature slowed the glaciers, creating a distinct boundary between the glaciated and unglaciated regions.

Glacial Till:Glacial till is an unsorted mixture of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and boulders deposited directly by glacial ice. In western Ohio, glacial till is often thick, rich in lime, and has a more uniform texture due to the extensive glacial coverage. In contrast, eastern Ohio’s till is generally thinner, more variable in composition, and has a higher proportion of sand and gravel, reflecting the lesser influence of glaciers in that region.

Substrate Differences for Plants:The basic substrate for plants in western Ohio is characterized by well-drained, lime-rich soils with high pH and good aeration, supporting a diverse range of species adapted to these conditions. In eastern Ohio, the substrate tends to be more acidic with lower pH, poorer drainage, and less lime content, creating a different set of conditions that support species adapted to these more challenging environments.

Name 5 species of trees/shrubs that have a distribution generally limited to limestone or limey substrates (such as Ohio’s Lake Erie islands).
1. Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
2. Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica)
3. Chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)
4. Hop-hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)
5. American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
Name 5 species of trees/shrubs that have a distribution generally limited to high-lime; clay-rich substrates developed in the thick glacial till of western Ohio
1. Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
2. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
3. Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
4. White Oak (Quercus alba)
5. Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
Name 5 species of trees/shrubs that have a distribution generally limited to sandstone hill of eastern OH
1. Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana)
2. Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum)
3. Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
4. Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
5. Greenbrier (Smilax glauca)
Restriction comparisons:
1. Sweet Buckeye (Aesculus flava): The major determinant is well-drained, lime-rich soils that support its growth. This contrasts with Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), which prefers cooler, moist, and acidic conditions found in shaded environments.
2. Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis): The major determinant is the presence of cool, moist, and shaded environments with acidic soils. In contrast, Sweet Buckeye thrives in warmer, lime-rich soils that are more alkaline.
3. Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum): The major determinant is acidic, well-drained soils in cooler, shaded environments. It requires specific conditions that are typically found in the forested highlands of eastern Ohio, contrasting with species that thrive in different soil types or moisture conditions.