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 ➜ 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 ➜ 
My husband and I began our afternoon here by parking off Hazel Dell Road near the waterfall. It is a relatively small, but charming falls, about 25 feet in height. The surrounding region has many sandstone cliffs and bouldering (climbing) is allowed.
Here are some additional sights near the falls.
Trails Across the Road from the Falls
Across the road from the falls is additional parking and a trail head. There are about 4 miles of trail. The trail quickly branches into 
I always associated the bald-cypress pictured above with the bayous of the deep south. Imagine my surprise to learn that we have some growing in Central Ohio. It turns out that the mature bald-cypress (Taxodium distichum) is actually cold tolerant. You may be wondering why we aren't seeing them all over the place. Well, they can't reproduce naturally in this climate because the immature seedlings are susceptible to ice damage. But if you nurture the little seedlings in a greenhouse, then transplant 
Seymour Woods State Nature Preserve is a 115-acre preserve in Delaware County. It is named after James O. Seymour who donated the property to the state in 1972. His family's cabin, though boarded up, remains within the preserve. The preserve also contains the foundation of a settler's home that was built in 1830; it's known as the Avery Powers Homestead. While hiking the loop trail that winds around the property, I also noticed the remains of a concrete silo off in the distance.
When