I went to three locations in Scioto Grove Metro Park to observe the plant makeup of different environment types.
The first place I went to was a previously highly disturbed abandoned quarry. The quarry was turned into a fishing pond, but to the east and south sides of it there are rock land type environments. For my survey, I stayed on the east section of the rock land between the old quarry and the lower wet area that has formed along the edge of the woods on the far east side. I found a diverse group of plants in the area. The ground cover includes flowers and grasses such as chicory, grey and flat top goldenrod, small white aster, and indian grass and splitbeard bluestem. The shrub layer includes spike hawthorn and small trees that will one day make up the overstory. The overstory is made up of a sparse group of small to medium sized sycamore, white ash, and red-cedar.
Location 1 – Coordinates: 39.84367°N, 83.02525°W
The second place I went to is an open field environment that is a restoration site where the MetroParks is trying to revive the natural environmental setting by planting trees and taking care of young trees in the field so that there is a place for animals to take shelter and for partial shade plants to grow. The ground cover includes different types of asters, goldenrods, knotroot bristlegrass and very young cottonwood trees. The shrub layer includes young trees that will eventually make up the overstory and amur honeysuckle. The overstory includes common cottonwood, red-osier dogwood, boxelder maple, and pin oak.
Location 2 – Coordinates: 39.85236°N, 83.02232°W
The third place I went to was in a forested area down one of the provided hiking trails. The trail was located down a hill within view of the river. For my survey I walked a ways down the length of the trail and walked around the nearby area within view of the trail. The ground cover included calico aster, black snakeroot, low smartweed, wood nettle, and canada clearweed. The shrub layer was near nonexistent with a few amur honeysuckle near the bottom of the hill. There were also poison ivy, fortune’s spindle, and virginia creeper on the trees in various locations. The overstory included american sycamore, white ash, boxelder maple, black walnut, american elm, and silver maple.
Location 3 – Coordinates: 39.85181°N, 83.02030°W
Poison Ivy is a common vine that can cause an allergic reaction that results in a rash. Since no one wants to touch poison ivy, it’s important to be able to identify it. The three key identifying factors to look for are: trifold leaves (three leaflets), aerial roots, and white fruit. The leaf and aerial roots are shown in the two images below, but the vines do not currently have their white, drupe type fruits.
Poison Ivy Leaf
Poison Ivy Vine
New plants I found at Scioto Grove! I’ve listed two trees, two shrubs, and two flowering/fruiting plants that are ones I have not seen before along with a quick fact about each one.
New plants I found at Scioto Grove! I’ve listed two trees, two shrubs, and two flowering/fruiting plants that are ones I have not seen before along with a quick fact about each one.
Pin Oak – Quercus palustris
I observed this tree at the second location. The Pin Oak was used by some Native Americans in various ways. The bark was used to make medicine for intestinal pains and colds, while the acorns were used to make coffee and soups. (https://libraryexhibits.uvm.edu). Unlike other members of the oak family, Pin Oak wood tends to warp and is not used for the same purposes as other oaks, instead being used for pulp, fuel, and railroad ties (https://libraryexhibits.uvm.edu).
Pin Oak
Pin Oak Leaf
Silver Maple – Acer saccharinum
I observed this tree at the third location. The Silver Maple is not used as an important economical tree. People prefer other hardwood for building and the maple syrup from the tree is harder to make and doesn’t produce as much as other maples due to the sap being thin, watery, and having a low sugar content (https://www.weekand.com). The Silver Maple is important for animals. It is a nesting site for wood ducks and Goldeneye ducks, provides food for squirrels during the end of winter when the stored food is starting to run out, and is one of the preferred food choices of beavers (Acer saccharinum L (usda.gov)).
Silver Maple
Silver Maple Leaf
Spike Hawthorn – crataegus succulenta var. Macracantha
I observed this shrub at the first location. Spike Hawthorn is also known as Long-Spine Fleshy Hawthorn. Hawthorns are often used by people as a medicinal herb. They are used for heart health due to decreasing blood pressure, improving congestive, and reducing cholesterol. They also support the gastrointestinal tract, have anti-inflammatory properties, and have antimicrobial properties that affect some fungi and bacteria strains. (https://botanicalinstitute.org).
Spike Hawthorn
Spike Hawthorn Branch
Fortune Spindle – Euonymus fortunei
I observed this shrub at the third location. Fortune Spindle, also called Wintercreeper, comes in different colors and variations and the vine can act as both a climbing vine or as ground cover making it a common ornamental plant (https://www.epicgardening.com). It is an invasive species that can spread rapidly so it is important to keep the vines inside a closed space where they cannot spread out into the ecosystem (https://www.epicgardening.com).
Fortune Spindle
New England Aster – Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
I observed this plant at the second location. New England Aster is a late season blooming flower, which makes it an important flower for pollinators, including the Monarch who migrate during this time and need a source of nectar (https://www.gardenia.net). It is also a host plant for over three dozen species of moths, the seeds are eaten by insects and birds, and the foliage is eaten by deer, rabbits, and other mammals (https://growitbuildit.com).
New England Aster
Black Snakeroot (Black Cohosh) – Actaea racemosa
I observed this plant at the third location. Black Snakeroot was used traditionally by Native Americans as medicine. Today it is used in women’s health supplements to help alleviate menopause symptoms and aid fertility. This is because it contains Phytoestrogen, which is a compound that mimics estrogen. Although it has benefits, it also has some drawbacks. It can cause symptoms such as muscle pain, upset digestive system, and even damage red blood cells if the dosage is too high. (https://www.healthline.com).
Black Snakeroot
Invasive plants are problematic plants that cause damage to the ecosystem. It is important to know which plants are invasive so that they can be managed and removed.
Amur Honeysuckle – Lonicera maackii
I saw the Amur Honeysuckle at both the second and third location. The Amur Honeysuckle is native to the Amur River area, which runs through China and Russia and is also found in areas of Japan and Korea as well (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu). The honeysuckle is invasive throughout the Midwest and is a problem in every kind of ecosystem due to its wide range of tolerance for heat, drought, cold and substrates (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu). The honeysuckle is hard to control, but the most effective method is by cutting the shrubs in early spring and applying glyphosate directly to the stump (https://www.magnificentmissouri.org).
Amur Honeysuckle
Amur Honeysuckle Flower
Wild Teasel – Dipsacus fullonum
I saw the Wild Teasel at the second location. Wild Teasel, also called Common Teasel, is native to Europe and was brought to the US during the 1800s (https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov). It is prevalent in fields, meadows, and roadside areas that prefers sunny places with moist soils, but can also survive in drier solids (http://www.wildflowerweb.co.uk). The teasel can outcompete the native plants so it is important to try and manage it. It can be controlled through manually pulling or using herbicides. For manual pulling, it is important to make sure all the roots are removed, which makes chemical herbicides more effective (http://www.wildflowerweb.co.uk).
Wild Teasel
Chinese Bush Clover – Lespedeza cuneata
I saw the Chinese Bush Clover at both the first and second location. Chinese Bush Clover is native to Asia and Australia. The bush clover prefers clay and silt soils that are acidic. (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu). The three main management strategies are mechanical removal, fire, and chemical control. Mechanical removal requires the plant to be pulled before seed production. Fire is used along with chemical control to force new growth. Chemical control is done by applying herbicide during bud formation (https://extension.illinois.edu).
Chinese Bush Clover
Chinese Bush Clover Flower
Low Smartweed – Persicaria longiseta
I saw the Low Smartweed at the third location. Low Smartweed is native to Southeast Asia that was introduced to North America and Europe (https://www.inaturalist.org). It is found in many habitats including man-made disturbed habitats, floodplains, forests, meadows, and fields (https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org). Control measures include the typical weed control measures of herbicides, manual pulling, cutting, and flaming. Cutting is not very effective on its own, since it stops them from spreading, but not getting rid of the current plant so it is used with other methods. Flaming, the use of a portable gas torch that creates extreme heat, is mostly used only for extremely infested areas to kill off the young weeds (https://garden.org).
Low Smartweed
Identifying fruits! I was able to find three fruits to identify using the Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs book by William M. Harlow. I had a nut, an aggregate of achenes, and a samara. I also included an herbaceous plant fruit that is a legume since I couldn’t find another woody plant fruit.
Black Walnut
The Black Walnut Trees fruit is a nut. The nut is identifiable since it has a large boney pit that has rounded ridges. The only other Walnut is the Butternut, which has a long oval fruit compared to the Black Walnuts rounded fruit. (Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs by William M. Harlow). I found this fruit at the third location.
Black Walnut Fruit
Black Walnut Fruit
American Sycamore
The American Sycamore fruit is an aggregate of achenes. The aggregate forms the appearance of a hard, bumpy, green nut as the individual achenes are packed closely together. (Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs by William M. Harlow). I found this fruit at the third location.
American Sycamore Fruit
American Sycamore Fruit
Boxelder maple
The Boxelder Maple fruit is a samara. The fruit is long and paired, with the two individual samaras forming a v-shape. It can be distinguished from other maples by the length of the samaras, the v-shape paired formation, and the time of year the fruits are produced. (Fruit Key and Twig Key to Trees and Shrubs by William M. Harlow). I found this fruit at the third location.
Boxelder Maple Fruit
American Senna
The American Senna, also called Wild Senna, is an herbaceous plant whose fruit is a legume. The pods are flat, narrow, slightly curved, hairy, and are divided into square segments. (https://www.paenflowered.org). I found this plant at the second location.
American Senna
American Senna Fruit
Moss and Lichen identification!
Smooth Axil-Bristle Lichen
I found Smooth Axil-Bristle Lichen at the second location. A medium sized foliose lichen that has numerous apothecia and has a grey colored upper surface and a black lower surface (ODNR Common Lichens of Ohio Field Guide)
Smooth Axil-Bristle Lichen
Barbula unguiculata
I found Barbula unguiculata moss at both the second and third location. Also called Prickly Beard Moss is a small acrocarp moss that spreads leaves out when moist and curls leaves in when dry. Under a microscope, the upper parts of the leaves are papillose and each leaf has a single costa that extends into the leaf tip. (https://ohiomosslichen.org).
Barbula unguiculata
Anomodon atinnatous
I found Anomodon atinnatous moss at the third location. Also called Tree-Skirt Moss is a branched moss that commonly forms a mat along the base of trees. Under a microscope, the leaf tip is slightly toothed and the costa does not reach the tip of the leaf. (https://ohioplants.org).
Anomodon atinnatous
Lemon Lichen
I found Lemon Lichen at the third location. A small foliose lichen with a greenish yellow to lemon yellow coloration. (ODNR Common Lichens of Ohio Field Guide).
Lemon Lichen
Also, enjoy this pic of a bee on some goldenrod!
