Geobotany, BDMP, and Cedar Bog

Battelle Darby Metro Park

Wet Prairie Community:

The wet prairie at BDMP is a low, damp area dominated by grasses and forbes (wildflowers) that has been recovered from farmed land. Though dominated by herbaceous species, there are a fair number of trees popping up throughout the prairie. These include eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). Eastern cottonwood is recognizable by alternate, toothed, triangle-shaped leaves with a flattened petiole. American sycamore has alternate, maple-shaped leaves (though generally larger than any maple leaves) with leaf stalks that wrap around and enclose the bud on the twig and peeling jigsaw-puzzle bark.

Prominent herbaceous understory species throughout the prairie included big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), pilewort (Erechites hieracifolia), grass-leaved goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia), false white indigo (Baptisia alba), and common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).

 

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) is a native grass species belonging to the bluestem tribe of the Poaceae. It is recognizable by hairy nodes and spikelets with awns (Oklahoma State University Extension), as well as the distinct yellow stamens of the flowers.

 

Pilewort or fireweed (Erechtites hieracifolia) is a wildflower with alternate leaves and green-white flower heads, or capitulums. The stem is grooved, and leaves are serrate. Notably, the capitulums stay relatively closed as pictured below until they are ready to release their fruits.

 

Woods Community:

The woods at BDMP had a variety of limestone-loving and non-limestone-loving woody and herbaceous plants. The understory consisted of species like fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica), white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), sanicle (Sanicula europaea), blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia), and Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense). The midstory was dominated by shrubs and understory trees including prickly-ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), spicebush (Lindera benzoin), and blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium). The overstory contained hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), red elm (Ulmus rubra), blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), pawpaw (Asimina triloba), and common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). Vines in the woods included poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).

 

Blue ash, Fraxinus quadrangulata, is recognizable by oppositely arranged, pinnately compound leaves distinctive of ash. To distinguish it from other ashes, look for 4-sided, winged twigs. Blue ash is also less generalist than other species and will primarily be found on limestone-based substrates.

 

 

Eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana, is a limestone-loving conifer found on the bluff in the BDMP woods.  Easter red cedar also has 4-sided twigs with a row of leaves along each side. Leaves are usually a combination of scalelike and sharp needle-like leaves. It generally grows to about 40 to 50 feet tall except in high-wind areas where it may maintain a shrubby growth form.

 

American hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) is a deciduous tree with alternate, coarsely toothed leaves that generally have uneven bases. Hackberry is described as having sandpaper-like leaves (at least the upper leaf), and the leaves tend to grow parallel to the ground in flat splays. Hackberry is perhaps most recognizable by its warty, very groovy bark.

 

 

Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica) is a woody shrub that may be confused for poison ivy on first glance. It has alternate, trifoliate leaves (3 leaflets) that  is very coarsely and roundly toothed. The leaves have a nice smell when crushed, hence the specific epithet. On twigs, the buds are hidden beneath leaf scars, and they have false end buds.

 

One notable invasive we found in the BDMP was honeysuckle, most likely Tartarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica). This species is one of several non-native, shrubby honeysuckles with a hollow pith. The leaves are oppositely arranged and entire in margin, and the fruits and flowers grow in the axels of the leaves.

 

Natural History Note:

While in the woods, we focused on the animal-plant interactions of multiple species. Prickly-ash, for example, is host to the caterpillars of giant swallowtail butterflies. This makes it a critical woody species for invertebrate populations! Additionally, white snakeroot has a history of relevant human-plant interactions. The plant contains a toxin that, when ingested by grazing cows and passed into their milk, makes humans who drink the milk sick and may be fatal. Abraham Lincoln’s mother died of this long-mysterious “milk sickness.”

 

 

Cedar Bog (that isn’t a bog)

Sedge Meadow Community:

The sedge meadow of cedar bog is an open, primarily herbaceous plant community that transitions into a swamp forest in many places throughout the fen. The sedge meadow contained herbaceous species including grass of Parnassus (Parnassia glauca), Kalm’s lobelia (Lobelia kalmii), swamp lousewort (Pedicularis lanceolata), prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), Canadian burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis), Ohio goldenrod (Solidago ohioensis), and cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum). An especially notable plant we found off the boardwalk was sundew (Drosera sp.), a carnivorous plant! A few woody species scattered throughout the meadow included shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), black ash (Fraxinus nigra), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), and Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Though South of its normal range, Northern white cedar is successful at Cedar Bog due to the year-round, cool groundwater that feeds the fen.

 

Swamp Forest Community: The swamp forest at Cedar Bog is a fairly densely-canopied forest with a lot of ground moisture. The forest maintains distinct understory, midstory, and canopy layers of vegetation. The understory contained species including great lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), false nettle (Boehmeria spp.), and swamp thistle (Cirsium muticum). The shrub layer included prickly-ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), privet (Ligustrum vulgare), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), the last two of which are invasive. Common hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata) joined other tree species found in the sedge meadow in the overstory of the forest.

 

Highly Conservative Species:

Highly conservative species within Ohio (roughly analogous to rare species) are plentiful at Cedar Bog. The unique fen ecosystem and the hard restoration and preservation effort of its stewards promote the growth of these uncommon species.

 

Kalm’s lobelia (Lobelia kalmii) has a coefficient of conservatism (CoC) of 9. This species prefers limestone substrates. It has alternate leaf arrangement with (generally) entire margins and long-stalked flowers.

 

Shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa) has the highest CoC possible and the highest that we saw a Cedar Bog at 10. The leaves are pinnately compound with 5 (occasionally 7) leaflets that are entire in margins. This species is most often found in bogs or rocky places, though it’s relatively rare.

 

Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia glauca), a 5-petaled white flower with green veination. There is typically only one leave on the flower stalk and all other leaves are in a rosette at the ground. This is a particularly lime-loving herbaceous species. Grass of Parnassus has a CoC of 10 (2014).

 

Canadian burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis) is a tall flower with white flowers in dense spikes. The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound with serrate leaflets. Upon closer inspection, the flowers have 4 white sepals but no true petals. This species has a CoC of 8 (2014).

 

Natural History Note:

Cedar bog contains many species of goldenrods! These include the rough-leaved goldenrod (Solidago patula), swamp goldenrod (Solidago uliginosa), and Ohio goldenrod (Solidago ohioensis). Ohio goldenrod stands out for its flat-topped flower clusters, as opposed to the wand-like clusters of other species we saw.

 

Geobotany

In response to questions on Jane Forsyth’s article titled “Geobotany” from 1971:

1. In general, western Ohio is dominated by limestone while the eastern portion is predominantly sandstone with some areas of heavy shale influence. In eastern Ohio, sandstone is resistant to erosion while shale is very susceptible, so valleys eroded into the shale have left sandstone-capped hills in the Cleveland area for example. Limestone, however, is pretty susceptible to erosion and has led to an overall flattening of the western half of the state as water has slowly eroded away at the bedrock.
2. The sedimentary rock strata many millions of years ago was limestone, shale, and sandstone in order from oldest (deepest) to newest (shallowest). Tectonic pressures that formed the Appalachian Mountains caused a tilt of these substrates where the western side of the state was higher in elevation at the highest point of the arch and the newer substrates (shale and sandstone) essentially slid into the eastern side of the state, exposing the limestone in the west. The Teays River and others within its watershed flowed for about 200 million years contributing to the erosion of limestone and shale until glaciation events of the Ice Age.
3. Movement of the glaciers from north to south was more or less halted when the glaciers encountered erosion-resistant sandstone, whereas the flattened erosion-prone limestone of the west allowed them to keep moving south. This led to a (roughly) southwest to northeast line across the state where glaciation was stopped. This is poorly drawn below.                                                                                                                       
4. Till is a mixture of sand, silt, clay (the three types of soil particles) and sand and gravel materials a glacier leaves behind on the surface as it moves. In western Ohio, this is very limey because it comes from the limestone the glaciers eroded and picked material up from. Till in eastern Ohio from melting ice is much less limey because it does not come from those same large limestone deposits, except along the line of glaciation where lime is more common in the till of unglaciated Ohio than the rest of that region.
5. Soils in western Ohio are generally high in till and tend to have higher impermeability. They’re often poorly drained and have low oxygen availability under the surface, but nutrient availability tends to be high. Where the till is thin, the soil is often “too well” drained due to limestone’s susceptibility to erosion and leads to dry conditions on hills. Sandstone areas in eastern Ohio, however, are acidic and nutrient-poor and can be especially dry. Shale is similarly acidic and low-nutrient, but it does not absorb water (rather it runs off) and can be drought-prone.
6. Woody species generally restricted to limey substrates include redbud (Cercis canadensis), red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana), hackbery (Celtis occidentalis), blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulatus), and chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii). Blue ash, red-cedar, and hackberry are pictured and described above. Others we observed at Battelle Darby are below.

   

   

    

7.  Woody species that are prevalent in the high-lime, clay-rich glacial tills of western Ohio include blue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), and white ash (Fraxinus Americana).
8. Woody species primarily restricted to unglaciated easter Ohio include chestnut oak (Quercus montana),  sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum), scrub pine (Pinus virginiana), pitch pine (Pinus rigida), and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis).
9. Sweet buckeye (Aesculus octandra) occurs exclusively in the unglaciated region of Ohio. The reasons here are not clearly understood, but it has to do with issues repopulating in the clayey, high-lime glacial tills of western Ohio. Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), also occurs in the unglaciated areas of easter Ohio, but the range extends north past the line of glaciation into the Cleveland area. This appears to be due to preference for specific microhabitats that are cool and moist, often in deep valleys of sandstone. Rhodedendron maximum is present south of the line of glaciation, but it is theorized that this species is able to live in other, less acidic soils. Research suggests that it followed the Teays River and tributaries and was historically restricted to valleys of that system, and more modern records are from those same valleys.