Botanical Survey – Mcknight Outdoor Education Center
Welcome to Indian Village, or Mcknight Outdoor Education Center. This is a facility and park owned and operated by the City of Columbus Recreation and Parks. I actually work here at this park so getting to explore its botany on a deeper level has been rewarding! This area is very fascinating ecologically, and offers a wide variety of herbaceous plants, mammals, and bird species.
Located less than a mile from the Scioto river, and nestled in between suburban neighborhoods, the location gives this park a range of forest ecosystems. Along with cultivated pollinator habitats, the wild nature consists of a low wetlands, high pH and limestone areas, caves, and woodlands.
Before we begin exploring I should mention forest safety. A big issue many people face when exploring in the woods is Toxicodendron radicans (poison-ivy). While there isn’t much vining poison ivy at this park, it lines virtually all of the trails! So, bring your field guide, Inaturalist and some tall socks.
How to Identify Poison-Ivy
“Hairy vine, no friend of mine”
Vining poison ivy is usually very distinct. It can grow very small, but also take over whole trees. The vines themselves are dark brown and connect to the tree with hairy tendrils. The vines ca grow stalks and leaves that almost blend in with the trees. They also grow white drupes, that are not edible.
“Leaves of three, let it be”
You have probably heard this saying before, while it is true, it can be misleading since there is a species of maple that also has leaves of three and red stems (Acer negundo). The leaves of ground ivy look like little mittens and usually have red stems. However, they can be variable looking. To be safe, if you have an inkling it is poison ivy do not touch it.
Have You Met These 6 Cool Species?
Trees:
Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera)
Family Moraceae
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Osage orange is an introduced, non-invasive species to Ohio. It has alternate arrangement and simple complexity. The leaves are somewhat hairy on the underside and turn bright yellow in the fall. There are a few notable features about this tree. Its bark is very impressive, it often has an orange striped color and can grow very twisted. These make great climbing trees! Its fruit, which is known as an aggregate, goes by the common name “monkey brains” due to its strange appearance. The fruits and fragrant flowers attract birds and mammals, it provides nesting sites and food for wildlife.
Catalpa Species (Catalpa sp.)
Family Bignoniaceae
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Catalpa is an impressive species. It can be a relatively short tree, but can grow up to 65 feet tall. It has whorled arrangement and simple leaves. The leaves of catalpa are very large and heart shaped, and it has large showy flowers – indicative of the Bignoniaceae family. Its seed pods, which resemble long green beans have many seeds inside them and can grow up to 18in long.
Shrubs:
American Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia)
Family Staphyleaceae
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Favorite shrub alert! American bladdernut is a moist soil, stream loving plant. It has dark green trifoliate leaves . By far the coolest thing about this woody plant are its fruits. The seeds are protected by a 3-chambered papery covering. The seeds themselves are small light brown seeds. The coating allows the seeds to be flood resistant and can disperse through waterways, hence why you’ll find bladdernuts not too far from streams. The seeds of bladdernut have musical abilities, and have been used in gourd rattles.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Family Lauraceae
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This is a perennial shrub that can grow up to 20 feet tall. The leaves are simple in complexity, they are green on top and white on the bottom. They have bright green buds which turn into oblong red drupes. Spicebush stands out in a few ways, it has light grey bark with white lenticels. The leaves and twigs of spicebush have a pleasant aromatic smell. Fun fact, the fleshy part of the drupe is edible and they’ve been described as peppery or as an “all-natural” red hot candy.
Fruiting Plants:
Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)
Family Rosaceae
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Black raspberry is considered a multi-stemmed shrub. The canes of this plant have prickles on them like your typical Rosaceae species. The canes grow in long arches and are a bright purple. An identifiable feature about this plant is the white dust on the stems. The fruits of this plant are aggregates just like any blackberry you might find in the store! They are smaller and more sour than the ones you can buy buy are still very tasty!
Wild Grape (Vitis spp.)
Family Vitaceae
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Wild grape is a vining plant that fruits in the summer months. While it is a native plant it does have invasive tendencies and can choke out trees and create shade that blocks sun for saplings. It can be as small as a thin grape vine the large, thick vines might see might see in the woods. These grapes are edible and are smaller and more sour than the ones you can purchase in a store. They are a great wildlife species due to their black drupes.
Have You Met These 4 Not-so-Cool Species?
Invasives:
American Pokeweed
This plant is native to North America however its native range does not include Ohio. This is an aggressive plant that grows in dense monocultures and have very thick stems and taproots. Pokeweed is common in disturbed areas such as agricultural plots, edges of roads, and neighborhoods. This plant is tough to remove due to its deep rooting and bright red berries (they stain). The most common removal is hand-pulling (small plants) and igging up the taproot (large plants). Other practices include cutting at the base but this is not a temporary option. Herbicide is needed to decrease chances of re-seeding.
Amur Honeysuckle
This plant is native to East Asian and was introduced to North America in the 1800’s. It was thought that honeysuckle would help solve issues with erosion, be a good hedgerow, and provide food and habitat for wildlife. However, it quickly spread and is now a dominant invasive in many states. Honeysuckle is a great invasive because it is the first to leaf out in the early spring and the last to drop its leaves in the late winter – out of all the plants in the forest it gets the most sun. This is such an advantageous trait and allows it to choke out other plants. You can find honeysuckle virtually anywhere. Common removal practices include herbicide applications such as cut-stump and basal bark treatment.
Garlic Mustard
This plant is native to Europe and East Asia, it was also introduced to North America in the late 1800’s as a possible medication or for culinary purposes. While this is an invasive it is edible, so at least it has some decent purpose! You can find garlic mustard in many forest understories and moist habitats. Like many invasives common removal practices include cutting, mowing, pulling and herbicide application.
Purple Loosestrife
This plant is native to a couple continents! It hails from Europe, Asia, and Africa! This plant likely came over accidentally on ships but also intentionally as an ornamental plant. For wetlands purple loosestrife is a big issue. It easily takes over some of our most precious ecosystems such as riparian zones, marshes, and wetlands. You can use any of the above mentioned removal practices but an interesting one people are trying to implement is “biological control”. By using beetles managers are hoping they can lessen the density of these plants.
Woody Fruit Identification:
Boxelder Samaras
The fruit of boxelder is called a samara. This is a winged, one-seeded fruit. They grow as clusters and standout as the leaves start to fall off the trees. They grow in a V-shape, almost resembling a small boomerang.
Black Walnut
The fruits of black walnut are called drupes. This is a fruit with a hard endocarp and a soft exocarp. The fruits go through two stages and are easily recognizable for both. The first stage is during their green husk faze, this is what they look like as they grow on the tree and fall. In late fall the husk breaks apart and reveals the inner hard, dark brown seed. They are identifiable by their scent as well, they are very pungent and can smell citrusy.
Eastern Redbud
The fruits of eastern redbud are called legumes. They look like small brown green beans. They grow in clusters all over the tree and hang on late into winter so they are easily recognizable even from a distance.
Common Alder
Alder is a very cool species because trees can have both male and female fruits on one tree. The male and female fruits are called catkins. Male catkins resemble small green/brown cones (pinecones) while the female catkins are long dangly fruits.
Have You Met These Lichens/Mosses?
Rosette Lichen
Common Greenshield Lichen
Powdered Ruffle Lichen
Yellow Yarn Moss
Thanks for exploring some of the botanical features of Indian Village. Come experience its beauty for yourself sometime! Happy identifying!