Posted in Geology, Plants and trees

Wondering about Reindeer Moss

Although reindeer don't live in Ohio now, it was a different story during the last ice age. Photo courtesy of Dean Biggins of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, license: Public Domain Reindeer once lived in Ohio. About 24,000 years ago the Wisconsinan ice sheet expanded into Ohio. Central Ohio was buried under 1000 feet of ice (305 m). Near Lake Erie, the ice was five times thicker. As the ice sheet expanded southwards, all forests in its path were ground to a pulp. Animals from Read more ➜
Posted in Native American, Park review

Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park: the Voss Site

Above you see a little green hill rising above the surrounding plain. This is a man-made structure. The first time I came across anything like this was while reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. There is a dramatic passage in the Fellowship of the Ring when the hobbit heroes are passing through the "Barrow-downs". Tolkien's barrows were mounds like the one above; they had been the final resting place of the ancient men of the first age. In the novel the barrow-downs had been a peaceful place Read more ➜