I recently attended an amazing talk given by Andrew Lane Gibson from The Buckeye Botanist Blog and Instagram. The talk was held at the Llyod Library, which unbelievably, was the first time I had ever been there! Definitely already planning a trip back to take a look around the library.
To a full audience, Gibson showed the most incredible photos of some of the rarest plants and habitats in Ohio, giving details and interesting back story on quite a few of them. I had no idea that Ohio had so many rarities: 617 native species of plants, mosses and lichens are currently listed as rare, including 47 species of native orchids and 1 native species of cactus. It was sad to hear that Ohio has lost 90% of its wetlands, I think he mentioned only one other state has lost more.
The images Gibson showed were really beautiful, and I would highly recommend checking out his blog and Instagram for some plant eye-candy. I want to share some of the habitats he covered, because I had never heard about most of them before and I think this list makes a great Visit Checklist for some of Ohio’s wild places.
He shared this physiographic region graphic and went into details on certain habitat types that occur in Ohio. Some of the habitat types are rare themselves, and some are home to rare species.
Boreal Fen
Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve
Prairie Fen
Owens/Liberty Fen State Nature Preserve
Gallagher Fen State Nature Preserve
Kettle Bog
Nutrient poor, very rare species, carnivorous plants. Just a handful of high-quality locations left in Ohio.
Brown’s Lake Bog State Nature Preserve
Triangle Lake Bog State Nature Preserve
Tall Grass Prairie
Interesting winter topography.
Bigelow Cemetery Prairie State Nature Preserve (Darby Plains)
Smith Cemetery Prairie State Nature Preserve (Darby Plains)
Trella Romine Prairie and Nature Preserve (Sandusky Plains)
Oak Savanna
Daughmer Savanna State Nature Preserve
Barrens (Cedar & Sand)
Cedar – edge of Appalachia, Sand – Northwest Ohio
Oak Openings Region
Old Growth Woodlands
Visits in winter may be the best!
Fort Hill State Memorial
Shawnee State Forest
Davey Woods State Nature Preserve
Goll Woods State Nature Preserve
Clear Fork Gorge State Nature Preserve
Swamps & Wet Woods
Lawrence Woods State Nature Preserve
Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve
Alvars
Globally rare ecosystem, 5 acres left in state that’s privately owned by limestone quarry company. Some can be found in Northern Lake Michigan area. Pure limestone, looks like a parking lot, result of glacial activity.
Gorge / Bluff / Rockhouse
Hocking Hills Region
Clear Creek State Nature Preserve
Support Ohio’s Nature Preserves!
Tax Donations
Natural Preserves License Plate
Resources used while researching this post:
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
ODNR Rare Plants List
The Nature Conservancy – Ohio
Ohio Prairie Association – Region Map
