Hiking the Parks & Preserves of Ohio
Cedar Falls is a scenic waterfall situated on the trail halfway between Old Man’s Cave and Ash Cave. The falls was named by early settlers after the nearby cedar trees, of which there are none. The settlers misidentified the native hemlock trees as cedars.
Clear Creek Metro Park is part of the Columbus / Franklin Metro Park system, but is located an hours drive from Columbus in the Hocking Hills region.
This post features assorted, spring flowers that I photographed this past April in Ohio that did not have spiders on them. 
Click on a flower if you’d like to see a larger version of it. Hovering over each photo with your mouse will display the species name if I’ve managed to identify it (Update: I’ve since gone back and added an identifying caption after each pair of flowers). If you can identify any of the mystery flowers, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
By visiting Blackhand Gorge Nature Preserve, you can trace Ohio’s long history of transportation.
Native Americans navigated the Licking River for centuries before the arrival of European settlers. There is a cliff made of Blackhand sandstone rising on the north side of the Licking River. In prehistoric times, Native Americans inscribed a petroglyph on this cliff; it looked like a very large, black hand. Not only is the gorge named after this petroglyph, but the class of erosion-resistant sandstone on which the petroglyph appeared has become known as “Blackhand sandstone” throughout Ohio.
Early settlers also used the waterway, eventually modifying it for barge traffic in the early 1800’s. This portion of the Licking River was incorporated into the Ohio & Erie Canal. Canal engineers removed the outer surface of the cliff to make room for a tow path. During the canal era, mules or oxen walking on such a path would pull barges along. Sadly the petroglyph was destroyed to make room for this tow path.
Since my last post on an Ambush Predator in a Flower, I’ve started keeping an eye out for crab spiders when doing macro shots of wildflowers. Yesterday I not only photographed two more crab spiders, but I’ve captured the moment immediately after the spider has seized its prey.
Mohican State Park is one of my favorite places for hiking. The park contains a scenic gorge with the Clear Fork branch of the Mohican River flowing through it. The park is 1,120 acres with the 4,795 acre Mohican Memorial State Forest adjacent to it.
Brandywine Falls is in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The falls is named after the village of Brandywine that no longer exists.
Continue reading “Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Brandywine Falls”
I had no idea how to tell whether a green frog was male or female, but now I do. And if you check out one of the off-site posts below, you’ll know too. 🙂
See either: