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Geobotany at Batelle Darby and Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve

Geobotany and Field Trips

Batelle Darby Metro Park and Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve

Part A: Geobotany of Ohio

What sort of word is geobotany anyway? A hybrid of two! It refers to the study of plants in relation to how their distribution corresponds with their geological habitat and substrate. Therefore, by getting some background in Ohio geology, we will be better equipped to understand Ohio plants.

The geology of Ohio (unless you stare at a map for too long) can be neatly divided into two parts. The western part contains a substrate of mainly limestone (including dolomite) which isn’t very resistant to Ohio’s humid climate. As a a result erosion has take its toll in the west to form a relatively flat landscape (eroding over the last 200 million years). By comparison, Eastern Ohio has a substrate of mainly sandstone which holds together better by forming a natural cement and is relatively resistant to erosion. Over time though, water can seep through and dissolve this cement which is why deep ravines can form in southeastern Ohio. The older limestone in the west is quite erodible while the newer sandstone in the east is more resistant to erosion overall. As a result, the west is mainly flat while the east has hills with steep sides and valleys formed by rivers.

Originally, Ohio had a sequence of sedimentary rock strata with sandstone placed on the top layer (closest to the surface) which was on top of shale which covered the limestone. When these three layers were tilted in an arch (product of built up pressure that also formed the Appalachian Mountains), the highest part of the arch (in the west) is where erosion cut the deepest which inadvertently exposed the older layers of limestone. The arch was lowest in the east which is why we still have much of our sandstone remaining.

So how did all this erosion occur? That is all thanks to the Teays (pronounced Taze) River. The Teays was present for about 200 million years and eroded the land the whole time it was present. Its activity was curtailed by the advance of the glaciers which inevitably changed the flow of Ohio’s rivers.

The Teays River disappeared when the Pleistocene Epoch glaciers entered Ohio a few hundred thousand years ago. Glaciers continued to change the landscape after that point until about 20,000 years ago during our last glacial advance by the Wisconsin glacier. The glaciers themselves were slowed down by the steep-sided sandstone hills of eastern Ohio while they easily plowed through western Ohio where there was nothing to stall the advance of the ice. It is due to the sharp difference in limestone vs. sandstone substrate that resulted in a very different landscape which led to the creation of a sharp glacier boundary (see my drawing).

As a result of the glaciers, deposition of material was left behind. This material is called till, which is defined as “an unsorted mixture of sand, silt, clay, and boulders” which are accumulated directly because of the melting of the ice. These materials are then deposited by the glacial meltwater. In western Ohio, the glacial till is high in lime and clay while the till of eastern is low in limestone and clay. All areas of Ohio received glacial sand and gravel deposits from glacial outwash.

As a result of Ohio’s geological history, the flat plains of western Ohio have much limestone and a clay till substrate resulting in an impermeable soil where the pH is limy and not as acidic as in the east. For example, Cedar Bog is a calcareous fen that has a pH that is known for being close to neutral and even slightly alkaline. The soil in western Ohio is also quite poorly drained and inadequately aerated. On the other hand, Eastern Ohio soils are very permeable sandstone bedrock and the exposed bedrock produces a very acidic substrate.

5 Species of Tree with a Distribution Limited to Limey Substrates

A Chinquapin Oak leaf! You can see the distinctive sharp toothing in the leaf margin that give this oak its recognizable leaf shape.

Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii): The Chinquapin Oak’s ideal habitat are dry woods on limestone soils (similar to Cedar Bog although it isn’t a dry environment in the fen). It is a medium-sized tree with sharply toothed leaves. It also produces acorns that are 1-inch in diameter and mature in a single year.

Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis): The Northern White Cedar is also a medium-sized tree with leaves that are scale-like and the central leaves have tiny glands. The cones of the tree are also bell-shaped. The cedar is sometimes also known as arbor vitae as it an evergreen coniferous tree.

Blue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata): The Blue Ash often is found in upland woods and is one of our plants that enjoys the fen and limey ecosystem of Cedar Bog SNP and also the Cedar Ridge Area of Batelle Darby Metro Park. In my opinion, the most distinctive feature of this ash is that it has square twigs with the appearance of 4 lines on their sides.

Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica): According to the field guide, Fragrant Sumac appreciates sandy and rocky soils which is probably why we found it at the edge of a deep ravine at the Cedar Ridge area of Batelle Darby. It has trifoliate arranged leaves making it superficially appear like poison-ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) but it has lobed margins on the leaflets and is an often erectly posed shrub.

American Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis): Last, but not least in the photo documentary, we have the American Hackberry. It has sandpapery feeling leaves and to me they have a light green-yellow tone that is unmistakable once you get used to seeing the tree. They also appreciate a limey substrate as well as woods and open places. They also have bizarre, warty bark.

See the following photos to get a visual image of the plants that I described above. All of these specialist species were seen during the Batelle Darby Metro Park (BDMP) and Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve field trip. The source for the descriptions above of the limestone loving plants is from the Peterson Guide to Trees and Shrubs by George A. Petrides.

Chinquapin Oak

(Quercus muehlenbergii)
Chinquapin Oak leaves and branches from a farther distance.

Northern White Cedar

(Thuja occidentalis)
The sprays of the northern white cedar are flattened and aligned vertically.

Blue Ash

(Fraxinus quadrangulata)
Using the handy Peterson Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs (Petrides) to distinguished a Blue Ash from the other Ashes. You can clearly see the 4-lined twigs.

Fragrant Sumac

(Rhus aromatica)
This plant has a peculiar bluish color to the leaves. The leafs are also trifoliately arranged (pinnately compound) and have lobed leaf margins.

American Hackberry

(Celtis occidentalis)
American Hackberry branch with almost sandpaper feeling leaves. Some sort of leave disease is also present on this branch.
5 species of trees/shrubs with a limited distribution to high-lime, clay-rich substrates (glacial till of W. Ohio):
  1. Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
  2. Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)
  3. Red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
  4. Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)
  5. Hawthorn (Crateagus mollis)
5 species of trees/shrubs that have a distribution generally limited to sandstone hill of eastern OH:
  1. Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana)
  2. Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
  3. Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
  4. Mountain Maple (Acer spicatum)
  5. Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)

 

Distribution of Substrate Picky Trees: The Sweet Buckeye, the Hemlock, and Rhododendron

The Sweet Buckeye (Aesculus flava) and the Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) both have ranges that are highly restricted to the unglaciated regions of Ohio that are in the southeastern part of the state. The Hemlock probably prefers this unglaciated region because it has more deep valleys and ravines that provide a climate that is cooler and more moist. The erosion of the sandstone into these deep ravines is what has allowed these trees to flourish in the area. The Sweet Buckeye is probably limited since it can’t reproduce properly in areas that are high in limestone (where glacial till occurred). Finally, the Rhododendron species is also only found south of the glacial boundary since it is used to the Appalachian highlands and when the environment was changed by the glaciers north of the boundary it didn’t persist. It most likely used the Teays River to migrate into southeastern Appalachian Ohio.

All of the information and other factoids about geobotany come from “Linking Geology and Botany… a new approach” by Jane L. Forsyth at Bowling Green State University. If you are interested in reading more of the source material go to this link here to read the full pdf: GEOBOTANY-ARTICLE

 

Part B: Batelle Darby Metro Park (wetland, prairie, and lime-loving plants)

Turkey Foot Prairie Trail at Batelle Darby Metro Park. A windy mowed path through many native grasses, sedges, trees, and wildflowers.

In addition to exploring many plant species of Cedar Bog (which we’ll see later in the article) and the specialists of limestone and sandstone areas of Ohio, I also got to see some native prairie species at Batelle Darby Metro Park, in Galloway, Ohio. In particular, I was assigned to find two wet prairie adapted tree species to write about in my photo article as a part of my additional ‘scavenger hunt’ project.

The trees I had the chance to photograph were all actually at the Wet Prairie and Teal Trail at the first stop our group made (which satisfies the wetland component of the assignment). The first tree I have is the Crack Willow (Salix fragilis) which was located just off to the side of the main trail. This tree is one of the most common Ohio willows and was believed to be introduced to the area before coming naturalized in wet areas with full sun (according to uwgb.edu). One fun fact about the crack willow is that it has flexible stems which make it great for weaving baskets! In order to recognize the Crack Willow, one should keep a look out for an often large sized tree with leaflets that are lanceolate shaped and are alternately arranged. The stems in younger plants are also often reddish. These willows also sometimes have specialized flowers called catkins which can be an identification characteristic.

A Crack Willow (Salix fragilis) up close and personal at the Wet Prairie and Teal Trail at Batelle Darby.
Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

Continuing with the lime-loving plants of Batelle Darby, we have our next specialist tree: the Eastern Cottonwood(Populus deltoides). This plant is also in the willow family, known as Salicaceae, and is often large tree that can grow to more than 100 feet tall! Another characteristic shared with the Crack Willow is that the Eastern Cottonwood also has catkins that are wind-pollinated. It can be distinguished from the Crack Willow with its ‘triangle-like’ leaves that also have flat stems that allow the leaves to flutter anxiously in the slightest breeze. In the younger plants, one can also see the red stems and branches again. One natural history fact about the Eastern Cottonwood is that its range extends much farther north into Canada where it provides habitat for northern nesting bird species such as the Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler and White-throated Sparrow.

In addition to two wetland specialist trees, I also saw a number of plants at the three spots we visited at the Batelle Darby Metro Park Area. After visiting the Wetland and Teal Trail, we also visited the Cedar Ridge area which was more of a forested habitat overlooking a ravine and finally the Turkey Foot Trail which was an example of another prairie.

This is some sort of bluestem grass (though it looks quite purple to me) that is known colloquially as ‘turkeyfoot grass.’ If you were to take the ends of the grass seed head and spread them out in your hand you can imagine that it would look similar to a fowl’s splayed foot.
A photo of us at the Wet Prairie and Teal Trail before heading off to the next location. Photo credits to Dr. Bob Klips! You can see an American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) in the background too. See that one person with the reddish hair and bandanna? hehe that’s me!

A photo of the Wetland Prairie and Teal Trail at Batelle Darby Metro Park. You can see the bluestem grasses again as well as some species in the Solidago genus (goldenrods) poking their inflorescences out on the right. This trail has a central wetland that fills up in late winter and becomes a mudflat by late July. It is a great stopover site for many wading bird species in last summer/early fall during their migration. Many species such as Pectoral Sandpiper, American Golden Plover, American Woodcock, and Wilson’s Snipe have been seen here regularly. In late winter during peak waterfowl migration when the water levels are higher, the wetland provides safe harbor for many duck and geese species as well.

A Leopard frog (genus Lithobates) stands out (or blends in???) in the grass along the path of the Wetland Prairie and Teal Trail.
Identifying the Northern Arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum)

Cedar Ridge Area of Batelle Darby Metro Park

When it comes to identification, I used the Newcomb’s Guide to Wildflower and the Peterson Guide to Trees and Shrubs (as already stated). These guides were really helpful when it came to discovering new species. The species descriptions and ranges are quite helpful as well as the drawn images of the leaves, twigs, bugs, and leaf scars.

The plant on the right I managed to identify to Northern Arrowwood which I distinguished from the Southern Arrowwood. When I felt the twigs they were hairless and not at all velvety which led to my identification. This was about the only identification characteristic that was helpful for distinguishing between the two.

This was one of the species I managed to find at the Cedar Ridge parking area at Batelle Darby Metro Park. Other species at the site included Blue Ash, Hop Hornbeam, American Hackberry, Fragmant Sumac, Chinquapin Oak, Blue Ash, and American Basswood.

 

Some sort of snail I picked up along the way. He left a slime trail all over my hand and some of the other students (I was happy to share).
A Goldenrod Soldier Beetle on some sort of plant in the Asteraceae family.

Turkeyfoot Trail at Batelle Darby Metro Park

The third and final stop at Batelle Darby Metro Park was at the Turkeyfoot trail to see some prairie and forest edge dwelling species pressing on to Cedar Bog.

Some plants our class found here include New England Aster, Climbing False Buckweed, Giant Ragweed, Prairie Doc, Bur Oak, Stiff-leaved Goldenrod, Bergamot, and Riverbank Grape just to name a few.

Despite how much I enjoyed seeing the plants, I can never seem to focus on just one kingdom… I made some other friends along the way. I also saw some sort of species of Leopard frog, many insects including beetles, Lepidoptera, and snails, and a few birds as well. I have some photos of these species interspersed amongst my botanical photos.

One particular species I saw was intermixed with black beetles (see left). He has two black, oblong spots on his orange outer wings, a spot on his thorax, and long antennae. Based on my research, I believe this insect is a Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus). They are closely related to lightning bugs and feed on pollen, nectar, and other small insects.

To learn more about prairie specialist insects visit this link here by St. Olaf College. This was also my source material for some of my other insect identifications.

This New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) is quite magnificent and can grow up to 6 feet high! You can see from the bee on the plant that it is quite attractive to pollinators as well as humans.
Some other students and I also found this nestling bird in a open-faced cup nest on the edge of the Turkeyfoot prairie trail. I am not entirely sure of the species but one of the only birds that next this late is the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis). The reason they nest so late is to align their growing nestlings with the native thistle seed crops. American Goldfinches are one of the only species of the birds that are solely insectivores and even feed seeds to their young in lieu of live insects for much of their diet.

Part C: Cedar Bog (that isn’t a bog)

The Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve is a bit of misnomer because it is in fact not a bog at all but a FEN! One way to remember the difference is through rhyme: fens flow and bogs clog! Water enters the fen by rain, surface runoff from uplands, underground springs from glacial moraines, and deep groundwater leftover from the Teays River.  The water eventually leaves the fen through small streams which flushes the system. The groundwater that flows through the fen dissolves the limestone resulting in a system that is predominantly neutral pH or even slightly alkaline. In comparison, a bog also has water enter via rain and surface runoff, but water can really only escape the bog through evaporation (no way to flow out from the bog). Since there is no active flow, dead plants pile up on themselves which form a layer of peat that becomes acidic as the plant matter decomposes. Besides the differing pH and geology of Cedar Bog, it also has its own unique microclimate that is akin to the average weather patterns of the north part of the lower peninsula of Michigan. As a result of these unique environmental features, many of the species in the fen are disjunct populations that are normally in range farther north. Because the fen is always flowing due to groundwater from glacial deposits, it is also not as affected by drought. This allows Cedar Bog to have species that are less drought tolerant and more appreciative of a moist environment.

My short summary on the unique climate and geology of Cedar Bog SNP is adapted from the interpretive materials seen at the Cedar Bog nature center. To see some of these posters and infographics you can visit Cedar Bog Interpretive Posters on the class Ohio plants website. Another great source of information about Cedar Bog is in an Ohio Journal of Science article by Clara May Frederick that is great reading: A Natural History Study of the Vascular Flora of Cedar Bog.

Now, for a little more botany fun… I have a series of photos including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants (some common and some rare) that I saw from the boardwalk at Cedar Bog. Enjoy!

For reference this is another type of thistle that isn’t quite as rare as the Swamp Thistle. I believe it is the Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor) based on the deeply cut and smaller leaves.
This is some species of Jewelweed, also known as a Touch-Me-Not that is in the Impatiens genus.
Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana) is a woody perennial vine that prefers moist and shady wooded habitat.
A Poison Sumac Branch with fruiting inflorescence that I drew based off of some reference photos I took at Cedar Bog (that isn’t a bog!) this late summer.

 

Our next couple species in the photo documentary are some trees that we saw from the Cedar Bog boardwalk (for a little break in our shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants). The photo below is of Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra) that can be distinguished from other ashes based on its sessile leaflets (that are oppositely arranged and pinnately compound). Instead of there be a short amount of stalk separating the stems and the leaflet like in the Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), the plant instead has leaflets that begin immediately at the stalk.  

Other trees seen at the bog include Northern White Cedar, Hop Hornbeam, Green Ash, Tulip tree, Spicebush, Chinquapin Oak, American Sycamore, Ninebark, Black Walnut, Eastern Redbud, American Hackberry, and Common Winterberry.

Black Ash leaves (Fraxinus nigra)
White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima, formerly in the genus Eupatorium) was present nearly all along the boardwalk at Cedar Bog. It is a poisonous plant that when ingested by cattle can end up in the cow’s milk which can prove to be fatal to humans. This plant claimed the lives of many European settlers during the 19th century.
To add a reptile to the bunch we have the Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus)!
Nature Encounters

Overcoming My “Tree Blindness”

My Tree Walk at Tuttle Park

Hey everyone! Welcome to my tree page! This Sunday, I had the chance to take a walk with a couple nice cameras (an Olympus and a Canon Rebel T6) and my field guide to identify and photography some trees. The location was at the north edge of Tuttle Park where the path meets with the Olentangy Trail. It was a nice, albeit humid, morning and my lenses were fogging up, but despite that I managed to get a few nice shots!

***Also, special note that all mentions of “the field guide” are from Peterson’s Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs by George A. Petrides. Information from the book that is stated will also include in-text citations if you want to go read yourself! All other sources used are also listed in the text. Enjoy!***

Facing my own ‘tree blindness’

As a self-professed birding fanatic, I can say I am used to knowing lots about the identification and life history nuances of our feathered species. I’ve even been leading walks to find and photograph birds because of my job at a local wild bird feeding store. But when a curious customer points at a tree? Uh oh… oh no please, PLEASE don’t ask me!

For the last few years, I have felt quite despaired because of my ‘tree blindness.’ But maybe there is hope for me… according to a piece published by Gabriel Popkin in the New York Times (2017), ‘tree blindness’ is something that can be overcome and cured..! It is my hope that with the botany classes in my major, I can overcome this gap of knowledge in my forestry and wildlife training.

In reading Popkin’s article, I appreciated that he also came from a place of only knowing a few tree species (like myself), and that he decided to tackle his blindness head on! Let’s see if during my tree walk I can do the same…

American Hackberry

(Celtis occidentalis)

The first tree on my walk is the American Hackberry. According to the field guide, American Hackberries prefer woods and open places. This makes sense because I found our tree right on the edge of a wooded area (on the very edge of a floodplain) and a neighborhood. One really cool fact about the American Hackberry that I read from the field guide is that the fruits are called “sugarberries,” and they are extremely attractive to a wide variety of gallinaceous birds. Some of these species include Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, and Sharp-tailed Grouse.

In the photo below, I identified this to be an American Hackberry since it had  long, tapered, and coarsely toothed leaves. It is in the Ulmaceae Family meaning it is a member of the elm family. The foliage was also smooth on the underside but somewhat rough on top. In the photo, you can also see several gumdrop-like galls forming on the undersides of the leaves. These galls were created by tiny, jumping insects called psyllids (that is fun to say!), in the genus Pachypsylla. Apparently the overwintering psyllids lay eggs on emerging leaves and the feeding young distort the leaf tissue creating ‘nipple-like’ galls (Pliesch, from the UW Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab). How cool is that?

American Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) with galls on the bottom of the leaves created by psyllid insects.

The hackberry’s bark is also quite distinctive in color and texture. It has such a strange and irregular texture that it is difficult to explain. The picture below should certainly be worth more to you than a thousand of my words. Other identifying characteristics that led me to the identification of a hackberry were its serrated leaf margins, simple complexity, and alternate arrangement.

Hackberry Tree with its distinctive rough textured and dark bark

 

Ashleaf Maple (Box Elder)

(Acer negundo)

Now for tree #2! How interesting for a tree to have ash-like leaves, but actually be a maple, but I’ve heard most often called a Box Elder. It turns out that this tree is a bit of a special snowflake it that it has some leaves that appear to be trifoliate. It reminds me a little bit of Poison Ivy (toxicodendron radicans). “Leaves of three…”— well, I didn’t let these be, actually. This tree has oppositely arranged leaves (like most maples) that are pinnately compound with 3-5 leaflets. The leaf margin is also pretty distinct too and doesn’t really fit in a specific category. The twigs on this tree were also clearly a bright green which is also an identifier of Box Elder.

Ashleaf Maple with distinctive green twigs and trifoliate leaf complexity.

According to the field guide, Ashleaf Maples prefer riverbanks, floodplains, and fertile uplands. This tree was found in a floodplain of the Olentangy River in an area of partial shade as it was in the shadow of a few larger trees. One fun fact about this tree is that the male trees are more prized for neighborhoods and urban landscapes because they are less messy since the females have brittle and week wood (North Carolina Plant Extension, https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acer-negundo/)

Ashleaf Maple with oppositely arranged pinnately compound leaves where some have 5 leaflets instead of the 3 trifoliate leaflets in the former photo.

 

Common Elderberry

(Sambucus  canadensis)

For the next (third) tree, I found and identified a Common Elderberry! It says in the Petrides field guide that these plants prefer thickets. As you can see from the photo below, it was in the mix of a tangle with a few other trees. Now that’s what I call a thicket. This tree was also located within the Olentangy River floodplain on the edge of a clearing.

In addition to this tree being in a thicket, I identified this tree using leaf structure. This Common Elderberry had an opposite leaf arrangement and was also pinnately compound. The leaf margins were also serrate and the leaf-shape itself was somewhat elliptical which all gave clues to the tree’s identification.

This Elderberry tree had quite the lean on it, but it still had many clear identification features.

I narrowed down this tree to a Common Elderberry, instead of a Red Elderberry, by taking a look at the flower and fruit structure.  It appears that whatever fruit or flower were there have gone, but we can still see the overall flowering structure. In comparison with the Red Elderberry, the Common Elderberry’s structure is much more wide/horizontal and forms a triangle shape in comparison to the Red Elderberry which has a much more vertical, oval-shaped flowering structure (see the Peterson field guide, p. 58).

One cool fact about the Elderberry’s ecology is that many butterflies and insects are attracted the plant’s blooms. The fruit are also eaten by many mammals and songbirds. It also provides enough cover to be a great nesting site for ground-nesting birds like pheasants and quail (North Carolina Plant Extension, https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sambucus-canadensis/).

Elderberry flowering structure

Ohio Buckeye

(Aesculus glabra)

OH-IO! Even as tree blind as I am (used to be now!), I have known this tree and its scientific name for many years. Just as I have attended Ohio State for a few years now, seeing this tree was like seeing an old friend.

Buckeyes are a fan of moist wood habitat according to the field guide. This tree was found close to the trees before it, in a wooded area within the floodplain of the Olentangy River. In terms of identification characteristics, the leaves on this tree were opposite arrangement, palmately compound (with five leaflets), and had oblong leaflets with serrated margins. The tree itself was also fairly smaller in size in comparison to the walnut, sycamores, maples, and cottonwoods towering over it.

Ohio Buckeye with anthracnose disease

One interesting characteristic I noted about this tree was that it had strange blotching and discoloration on the edges of some of the leaflets. According to North Carolina Plant Extension (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aesculus-glabra/), this could potentially be some sort of anthracnose disease. Anthracnose is a type of fungal disease that causes lesions on the leaflets. I’ve heard of American sycamores getting this disease, but never Ohio Buckeyes! You can see how extensive the diseased leaves are in the photo below.

Ohio Buckeye from farther away showing a larger portion of the tree and its branches with leaves and leaflets.

 

American sycamore

(Platanus occidentalis)

Next on our tree walk, we discover the American sycamore. This tree has always stood out to me with its smooth, bicolored bark with tones of gray and white. It is an especially elegant tree to see contrasted against a stormy slate-blue sky. This is yet another tree that I have known throughout my lifetime and have fond memories of throughout my childhood.

This tree often finds its home in stream banks and bottomlands (according to the field guide). It explains why I saw many of these trees perched right on the edge of the bank of the Olentangy River. In fact, these trees were the most dominating figures in the reflections of the water on the river. The range of the this tree is mainly the Eastern United States, which I found interesting because of the ‘occidentalis’ part of the tree’s name means ‘west’ in Latin.

American sycamore trees close up

One ecological fact about sycamores is that as the trees age their they develop hollow trunks large enough for a number of species including the Black Bear, where their ranges overlap. Mature sycamores also provide great nesting locations for cavity nesting birds such as Great-crested Flycatchers, Wood Ducks, and Eastern Screech-owls (USDA Fire Effects Information System (FEIS), https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/plaocc/all.html)

Additional identification characteristics of this tree include that the leaf arrangement is alternate, the leaf complexity is simple, and the almost maple-looking leaves have several concave dips in them that are smooth. The stems of the leaflets are also green. Again, the bark is a dead giveaway with its gray, brown, and white pattern standing out from far away (like in the photo below).

An American Sycamore tree proudly overlooking the Olentangy River

Black Walnut

(Juglans nigra)

Next on our tree walk, I encountered a Black Walnut tree! Hey! It’s one of the species we studied in class… long time no see! This tree can be identified pretty easily by its leaves. It has an alternate leaf arrangement, the leaf complexity is pinnately compound, and finally, it has many leaflets on the branch (8+). This is all indicative of it being a walnut tree. In order to narrow this down between Black Walnut and Butternut (Juglans cinerea) I took a look at the fruit. In the picture below, you can see the nut is clearly round like that of the Black Walnut while in the Butternut it is more off an oblong and tapered shape.

Black Walnut with spherical, green colored nuts

According to the field guide, the Black Walnut really likes wood habitats. Which is good for this walnut since it is located in one. More specifically, it is close by to Tuttle Park in the floodplain of the Olentangy River, once again. It was actually one of the tallest trees in the area and was acting as a part of the upper canopy.

One cool fact about this tree’s relation to humans is that when it is harvested as wood it is principally used as dining room and bedroom furniture. According to the FEIS (https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/jugnig/all.html), it is used as veneer for the highest grade cabinets and plywood panels (who knew!?).

Black Walnut from farther away, in its perch at the top of the canopy

Common Spicebush

(Lindera benzoin)

Despite it being called a bush, this Common Spicebush is, in fact, a tree! Apparently it is a member of the deciduous laurel family, and prefers bottomland forests according to the field guide. This tree was found only about 50 feet from the Olentangy River, so it is close to an area that often has lots of water and flooding in the springtime. It was also part of the understory as a small tree and appeared to be receiving partial shade.

The first thing I noticed about this tree was not the leaves, for once, but the buds on it! According to the field guide, the Spicebush has buds on the stalks with two or three scales. In the photo below you can clearly see the bright green buds that are apparently present throughout winter as well. This makes the buds a great identification characteristic for all year round. The leafs are also alternate arrangement, simple complexity, and are entire with a tapered shape at the end. Finally, when crushing the leaves in my hand and sniffing it, it was quite a spicy scent!

Close up look at the leaflets of the Common Spicebush. The buds

One interesting ecological fact about this tree is that it is dioecious according to Virginia Tech Dendrology (https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=123).  This means that the female and male reproductive organs of the trees are in separate individuals, so the trees are not hermaphroditic. Therefore, one individual would be able to only produce female gametes, while another individual would be able to produce male gametes.

A gorgeous Common Spicebush specimen. I love this tree.

 

Common (Eastern) Cottonwood

(Populus deltoides)

Last, but certainly not least, is the Common Cottonwood. This species, according to the field guide, loves rich soils. I found it within the floodplain of the Olentangy River as one of tallest trees in the woodland (in the upper canopy). Cottonwoods also love to grow in areas of high moisture which means they like to grow on the sides of streams, swamps, and ponds according to Gardenerdy (https://gardenerdy.com/factors-to-remember-for-cottonwood-tree-identification/). The trees also I saw were often right along the riverbank.

I was able to identify this tree from far away, because even in the light wind, the leaves were incessantly waving in the breeze making the tree appear almost anxious. Cottonwood tree leaflets have flat stalks which make them more vulnerable to blowing in the wind compared to other deciduous trees with round stalks. The leaves themselves were also an odd triangular shape. The species name “deltoides” in Latin refers to a ‘delta’ which means triangle and the ‘-oid’ part refers to it being ‘like a triangle’ which refers to the leaf shape. The leaf margin is somewhat serrate, the leaf complexity is simple, and the leaf arrangement is alternate.

Common Cottonwood sticky buds found on a fallen branch.

The buds above can also be used to identify the cottonwood. To the touch, they were quite sticky and a bright green! I got a chance to touch the buds because this branch from a cottonwood had fallen onto the trail. As you can see, the leaves had already started to turn a brown color.

One interesting ecological fact about the cottonwood is that it is a truly global group of trees! Various species of cottonwood can be found across North America, Europe, and even some regions of Asia (Gardenerdy).

Cottonwood canopy from below.

With the last tree species, our tree walk has drawn to a close. Like Gabriel Popkin, I was able to take the first step in curing my tree blindness. In just a short walk I have already learned so much.

Here is the link to read Gabriel Popkin’s Article on Tree Blindness, a source of comparison and inspiration for my article: https://ohioplants.org/tree-blindness/

My Travel Logs

Field Sketching Summer 2021

My Summer Travels though Art

Field Sketching Summer 2021

The concept of field sketching has always been a daunting idea to me. The ability of someone to take what they see and reproduce it accurately and swiftly on the page has always seemed like magic! Not only that, what better way to travel and take a piece back with you than through gorgeous artwork?! 

So what really is field sketching? And how does it differ from drawing? The two main tenants of field sketching are that is it (1) quickly drawn and (2) anatomically accurate. Field sketching is typically done in the field or pretty soon after the experience has taken place. I will admit, I occasionally cheat a little by taking references photos and finishing the pieces later, but I am still learning and improving my skills which is my ultimate goal. Secondly, field sketching is supposed to anatomically accurate so one can look at your notes later and learn about the specimen and potentially identify it for themselves! 

Many people have written MANY ways to field sketch. Some artists like to start with an outline and some like to start with the most focal point of the animal or plant (usually the eye and face in animals). Some use pencil, some use watercolor, and others use entirely pen! 

Personally, I have decided that I will use no graphite in my pieces whatsoever. Field sketching is an exercise of trust in yourself. When you take a pen you are in full knowledge that you cannot erase and that whatever you place on the paper stays there forever. It is a powerful feeling to know that your strokes are not guidelines, but constants. I typically start with the curve of the face or neck (or closest equivalence) of the creature I am sketching. I use a felt tipped pen with just enough bite to mark the paper and not enough to indent it. After completing the pen outline, I usually go back and add color using both Prismacolor and Faber Castell colored pencils. 

The two pieces above are examples of fish sketches! The outlines were done in the field and then colored later. The upper plant on the right is a Yellow Flags Iris, an invasive species to Central Ohio.

Swamp Darner

Various Shearwater species 

Crabs and more!

Painting the Allegheny Front

More sketching of some of my travels!