It was a lucky find. We were planning to drive north into the “Zone of Totality” to observe the 2024 solar eclipse. I settled on Cox Arboretum because of its reputation for having outstanding all-persons trails since one of our planned companions – not the photographer – had just had ankle surgery and had not been cleared for trail hiking. We knew that we would have time to kill as we would arrive early to avoid traffic and to ensure a parking space.

In the end, the restricted post-surgical patient opted for a site closer to home so we were free to experience the entire trail system at Cox. After our arrival, we chose to enjoy the 1.8 mile Yellow Trail that travels across almost the entire 189 acre park, and coursed through woodlands for much of its route – prime spring wildflower habitat.

Heading toward the yellow trail, one is treated to the beauty of the gardens and arboretum.

The campus is filled with stately, photogenic trees. As you would expect in an arboretum there are a great variety of species.

Initially, the Yellow Trail winds through an early progression wood characterized by Redbud and Redcedar trees – providing a natural foil to the formal sycamore alleé seen earlier.

Soon the trail enters a little older wood where maples and oaks are starting to make up the canopy. It is here that we see our first spring ephemerals.

Dutchman’s Breeches and Yellow Trout Lily

In addition to the spring flowers, a surprising finding was a large number of native Dogwoods along the trail, as well as good size Sassafras trees. In my anecdotal experience Dogwoods are now seen less often in woodland edges, the habitat where they have thrived in the past. I think that they are out-competed by invasives like Bush Honeysuckle and Multiflora Rose. But here, we were seeing them one after another, both juvenile and adult specimens. It was exciting to see them thrive. Their buds should open soon to reveal their beautiful white disc like flowers.

Numerous Dogwood buds about to open.

The Sassafras blooms were in full glory. They will soon be followed by their trademark red berries.

This is a photo of later season Sassafras fruiting bodies at Morning View Heritage Area.

I particularly liked this photo of the marriage of a healthy native Dogwood with a thriving Sassafras tree in full bloom.

In this area of the park I-75 is a relatively close neighbor and there is a constant hum of commerce through the wood. I would expect this distraction to lessen once the trees leaf out. Also at this time, one finds themself in a more mature wood with large White and Red Oaks, with an open understory – an ideal wildflower landscape.

In quick succession we saw many specimens.

Slender-leaved and Cut-leaved Toothwort

Spring Beauty and Golden Ragwort

Rue Anemone and Woodland Phlox

Bloodroot and Early Buttercup

Woodland Poppy and Yellow Woodland Violet

These did not occur as isolated specimens but rather in swathes.

Yellow Trout Lily

White Trout Lily

In the mature wood we also were entertained by numerous woodpeckers darting from tree to tree, but they did not cooperate with the photographers.

One memorable site was the Overlook where the Blue and Yellow Trails separate. A beautiful small stream valley with water dropping down the slope in this mature wood.

The Yellow Trail closes its loop near the Tree Tower, a massive structure that is well above above the tree tops and gives a panoramic view of the parkland.

The height gives you interesting perspectives on the campus and the tops of trees.

After a picnic lunch we positioned ourselves on the edge of a pond for the main event – Solar Eclipse 2024 – us and several hundred like minded individuals – probably eight decades represented. It did not disappoint as the photographer and Ellen, with the aid of a solar filter for the camera, were able to capture photos as the eclipse unfolded.

The eclipse begins.

The full eclipse.

The classic, fleeting “Diamond Ring”.

And the eclipse resolves.

Odds and Ends:

We enjoyed watching this Lady Bug systematically working its way along the branch of this shrub looking for aphids.

This Grapevine Epimenis Moth was perhaps our first “butterfly” of the season in the Ohio River Valley.

Lastly, this photo of a Toadshade Trillium with our native Woodland Sedum was an interesting pairing complements of nature.

In summary, Cox Arboretum was the perfect choice of locations to watch the eclipse. It presented a nice blend of aesthetic formal garden, reminiscent of estates in Europe, and woodland hiking trails, providing excellent distractions for the hours we had to kill before the eclipse. That said, I am confident saying that undoubtedly the grounds would be beautiful each of the four seasons, and I am looking forward for a return trip to nourish the soul of this gardener and amateur naturalist. This was our second Footpaths outing at a Dayton-Montgomery County, Ohio Metropark and both encounters were great experiences. They appear to be a truly peak performing park system.

Footpathsblog.com posts are released every Sunday morning and some bonus content is added periodically. Please click on a social media icon above to follow for future posts and to make sure that you catch all our reflections on, and adventures with, the great outdoors.

Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns and Ellen Burns.

Overview:

Location – 6733 N Springboro Pike, Dayton, OH 45449

Parking – Large asphalt lot.

Facilities – Nice restrooms in the Visitor Center.

Trail Conditions – paver stone, asphalt, grass and bare dirt.

Print Trail Map Link – https://www.metroparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/metroparks-Cox-Arboretum-map-11-2015.pdf

Benches – many over the course of the hike, especially in the formal gardens.

Picnic Tables – several near the visitor center.

Kids – great facility for kids of all ages. Great place for strollers, etc.

Dogs – Welcomed on a leash.

Paired Hiking Trails – There are many trails at Cox Arboretum. Next time we will certainly stroll the Blue Trail which goes through a mature wood.

Links:

https://www.metroparks.org/places-to-go/cox-arboretum/