Even in this information age of the internet, often when we head to a hiking venue we don’t know exactly what to expect: What is the habitat? Are there any unique features? It is the unknown that adds to the anticipation.

The loop trail at Glenn Thomspson Reserve traverses a floodplain of the Little Miami River – as flat a trail as you could find.

But the unique feature were Osage-oranges – unique in the shear number of the fruits on the ground. The photographer and I estimate that they numbered in the thousands over the 49 acre property.

The trees themselves are rather plain, having characteristic broad arching branches and a multi-trunk structure.

Generally the Osage-orange trees were medium in size, but we did see a couple that were notably large. This one had a circumference of 12 feet – 4 inches at breast height – perhaps the largest Osage-orange tree that I have seen.

The native range for the Osage-orange is a small region made up of southern Arkansas, the southeast corner of Oklahoma, and north central Texas. When French explorers first traveled the Mississippi River Valley they found that the regional Osage Indians used the wood from this tree to make their excellent bows, and called the trees “bois d’arc”, which translates to “bow wood”. Some locals corrupted the french term to “Bodark”, the name my Texan friend calls them to this day. Interestingly, Native Americans from the nearly treeless great plains bartered for Osage-orange wood for construction of their bows as well.

The strength and flexibility of the wood that made for excellent bows also made it good for other uses. Beginning in the early 1800s the trees were planted throughout the south and Midwest for use on the frontier. Eventually it was used for tool handles, wagon wheels, fence posts, and railroad ties.

But perhaps their most useful function for settler farmers was as a hedge. Thousands of miles of hedge row were planted to fence in livestock before barbed wire was invented in the 1870s . The Osage-orange tree had ideal qualities for a hedge plant: sturdy, armed with spines, dense branching while young, and holding onto its lower branches all the way to the ground. Its use resulted in the perfect hedge – “horse high, bull strong, and pig tight”.

Although we have most often seen Osage-oranges on hillsides and ridges of old farms in Kentucky, the natural habitat for these trees are the moist soil or sandy loam of floodplains – exactly where we found them at the Glenn Thompson Reserve. Perhaps that is why they were thriving here.

The fruit is up to five inches in diameter and is eaten by squirrels, quail, and deer.

In addition to the Osage-oranges this floodplain wood hosted Sycamore, American Elm, Hackberry, Silver Maple, Cottonwood, and Walnut. Some of the Walnuts were towering.

Soon we got our first glimpse of the Little Miami River.

There is a short connector trail that arises off the loop trail and takes you to the multi-use Creekside Trail, which runs on an abandoned railway bed and crossed the river on a bridge at the edge of the reserve.

The river views from the bridge were serene on this overcast day.

We backtracked to the loop trail which ran alongside the river. The river in this stretch was 20-25 feet wide and less than a foot deep.

On the bank were a couple of massive Sycamores.

As the trail wove along it would episodically reopen upon the river providing nice views.

At the start of our hike we had noted this sign that read, “Hazardous Conditions Ahead, Experienced Boaters Recommended”. We were aware that the trailhead was also considered a canoe launch but the warning intrigued us.

As we completed the loop we felt we found the reasons for the watercraft warning, as these snags would be a challenge at any water level.

One thing that perplexed us on the hike was when we came upon this in the middle of the wood. Google Lens thought that it may be an abandoned oil or gas well.

As I did research for this article I found the name Osage Orange with and without a hyphen and I questioned how I should write it in the essay. Then I found a botany website that in so many words said, “Use the hyphen dummy, it is not really an orange”. So I did.

In summary, our outing at Glenn Thompson Reserve was a fun little jaunt. The number of Osage-oranges, which is usually a sporadically seen tree, surprised us and encouraged us to review its natural and anthropological history. This reserve is also a place for a big tree enthusiast as we saw large specimens of at least three species (Osage-orange, Black Walnut, and Sycamore). And lastly, any walk along the National Wild and Scenic Little Miami River provides beauty and solace and is worth the drive. This was our fourth hike along different segments of the Little Miami this year and each of them has been unique and worthwhile.

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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns.

Overview:

Location – 509 Trebein Rd, Xenia, OH 45385, 57 miles northeast of downtown Cincinnati. There is a construction project at the interchange of Ohio 35 and Trebein Road. The driveway to the reserve is just east of the interchange and the formal sign was missing.

Parking – asphalt lot for 12 cars.

Facilities – Portolet at the parking area.

Trail Conditions – bare dirt. The trail and the connector section is a little over a mile.

Print Trail Map Link – none. View map on the Outer Spatial app that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources uses. https://www.outerspatial.com/

Benches – none noted on main loop but there was one was near the bridge on the Creekside Trail.

Picnic Tables – none noted. The large bench on the deck near the bridge on the Creekside Trail is large enough for a picnic.

Kids – Kids 4 and over will do well on the trail. There is a slight climb up to the Creekside Trail.

Dogs – welcomed on a leash.

Paired Hiking Trails – The hike here can be extended by walking the multi-use Creekside Trail. Caesar Creek Gorge Nature Preserve is about 20 miles away and is another excellent hike.

Links:

https://www.gcparkstrails.com/parks/glenn-thompson-reserve/