This was a revisit to Kamama Prairie. On our initial visit in August of 2024, we had hiked part of the Kamama Trail and then diverted to the Prairie Fire Trail loop. Caroline, the educator and stand-in photographer, and I were interested in completing the rest of the Kamama Trail. We also thought that it would be interesting to see the prairie about four weeks earlier in the season than our visit last August.

The layout of the trails at Kamama is interesting in that they go through a variety of habitats: roadside progression wood, wooded creek valley with limestone bluffs, cedar barren prairie, large farm pond wetland, another open prairie, and a mixed oak and Virginia Pine woodland. The ever changing habitat offers terrific diversity of flora and fauna, and gives hikers episodic shade on these dog days of summer. The habitat transitions are displayed in the following photographs.

Progression Wood – this is an area of former pasture or disturbed soil that is being repopulated by small trees and shrubs. Frequent tree species are Redcedar, Sumac, Ash, and Black Locust. They usually have a crowded understory of flowering plants and grasses.

Wooded Creek Valley with Limestone Bluffs – while the trees were not massive, this was a shadier environment and waning spring ephemeral wildflowers were noted. There were areas where filtered sunlight brightened the forest floor and allowed the presence of summer flowering plants. As the trail climbed up to the base of the limestone bluffs, several species of ferns were noted.

Cedar Barren Prairie – these are also frequently called “short grass prairies” and typically have thin, nutrient poor soils.

Large Farm Pond Wetland – the naturalized shoreline allows for an abundance of wildlife.

Shortgrass Prairie – after the pond area we found ourselves in another expansive, flower filled grassland.

Mixed oak and Virginia Pine Wood – here the trees were more mature and the forest floor more shaded. But this woodland was particularly intriguing as it included several “pocket prairie” openings amongst the trees. These “openings” in the forest might only measure several hundred square feet but they were a hive of wildlife activity and plant diversity.

With that habitat progression in mind, I thought that it would be fun to photographically display our wildlife observations in the order that they unfolded on the hike.

As we traipsed down a gentle grade from the parking area through the progression wood we noted a healthy grouping of Thimble Weed. Named for the shape of its seedhead, it is a member of the Anemone family. It is also called Tall Anemone. It is commonly seen in prairies, glades, and open woodlands.

The somewhat uncommon Pale Spiked Lobelia was actually common on the entry trail, as well as later throughout the prairies.

In the wooded creek valley we saw Goldenseal, easily identified by the cluster of bight red berries. It is considered rare and was almost collected to extinction in the past due to its utility in folk medicine, where it was used for a variety of conditions, but especially for skin ailments.

This Haploa Moth was clinging to a small tree trunk along the creek. There are many species of Haploa Moths and they have variable patterns of pigmentation on there wings. But the common feature is that they all are shaped like a stealth bomber.

Another uncommon wildflower that we found in the woods was Tall Larkspur. It cousin, Dwarf Larkspur, is a common spring ephemeral that has deep purple coloration. While Tall Larkspur can grow up to 6 foot tall, this isolated specimen was about 3 feet in height. The extended nectar tube at the back of the flower is characteristic of Larkspurs.

We were still not out of the open woods when we saw Starry Campion, another rare plant. Its fringed flower petals are quite unique.

When we entered the prairie we immediately noted Grey-headed Coneflower, just beginning to bloom. This photo displays the progression of the flower bud as it opens.

Nearby we saw numerous specimens of Butterfly Weed, a member of the Milkweed Family. Typical of the family, they were being visited by numerous pollinators.

Soon the trail crosses the dam of a large farm pond where we noted a healthy collection of Trumpet Vine. These buds will open into a large, orange, tubular flower that hummingbirds will frequent.

Near the Trumpet Vine we saw this beautiful specimen – a female Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly on a Redcedar.

After passing the pond we entered another area of short grass prairie where we noted this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail feeding on nectar from Teasel.

We were somewhat surprised to see these Milkweed seeds being released so early in the season. They clearly belong to one of the earlier blooming Milkweed species but the plant was too far from the trail for more specific identification.

In our usual format this False Aloe would have been the New Plant of the Day. While one of my field guides lists it as common, I have never seen it before and it is not included in my Audubon Wildflower Field Guide. I was fascinated by the simplicity of the flowers. To my eye they have no colorful petals or sepals to attract pollinators, but the pollinators were there. Makes me wonder what attracted them? Perhaps a scent not notable to a human. A temperate zone member of the Agave family, it had a rosette of thick, agave-like leaves at its base, but the tall flower stem was relatively naked. The white pollen producing anthers were prominent, stark, and interesting.

Immediately after the farm pond we started noting a lot of butterflies. One was this “Dark-form” Tiger Swallowtail. This pattern is thought to be an evolutionary development where some female Tiger Swallowtails take on coloration similar to the toxic Pipevine Swallowtail which predatory birds know to avoid. Pipevine Swallowtail larvae feed on the Pipevine plant and accumulate a substance that makes them poisonous to predators.

Here, the educator also captured this Great Spangled Frittillary on Purple Coneflower. This area was also where we saw the Northern Metalmark butterfly seen in the title photo.

In contrast to our August 2024 visit, there was not a lot of yellow in the grassland. One exception was an isolated specimen of Whorled Rosinweed.

Another yellow that we saw in the second prairie was St. John’s Wort. It is a woody shrub with a long blooming period and is occasionally found in suburban landscapes. It is used as an herbal supplement to treat depression and is thought to work on serotonin metabolism like the prescription drugs Prozac, Paxil, and Lexapro. I would anticipate that many more yellow flowering species, especially of the Sunflower Family, will be blooming soon.

Thin Mountain Mint is common prairie flower that was present and grows low to the ground. Its “thin” leaves reminds one of Rosemary.

Scaly Blazing Star is a consistent performer of the mid-summer Adams County prairies that we have visited. It is a cousin of the taller Dense Blazing Star that is also seen in prairies, but frequently sold in plant nurseries under the name Liatris.

This was the view of the short grass prairie just before we entered the oak and Virginia Pine woodland loop. As the blue sky attests, it was truly a majestic day to be strolling in nature.

As we entered the woodland, we saw this Marbleseed plant that was new to us. The prominent veins in the leaves, hairy stems, and the drooping flowers are the identifying characteristics. After the flowers are pollinated a round white seed develops which gives the plant its name.

Nearby we saw this single blossom of Beardtongue which we featured on a Footpaths post earlier this summer. Beardtongue is generally considered a late May, early June flower.

Shortly after entering the woodland loop, we crossed a creek and found ourselves in the first small “pocket” prairie. There we noted beautiful Wild Potato Vine blossoms. These are relatively large flowers, measuring two to three inches in diameter. Native Americans used the large, potato-like tuber of this plant as a food source. They can weigh as much as twenty pounds.

In the same prairie pocket we noted Rattlesnake Master, a contradictory bland, but striking flower – bland due to the lack of color, striking due to its structure.

There we again saw the dark-form of the Tiger Swallowtail.

The amount of butterfly activity in these small prairie pockets was amazing. We frequently saw the more typical yellow form Tiger Swallowtails.

Eastern Bergamot, our native Bee Balm, was just starting to flower at Kamama, and should continue to be blooming well into the fall.

When the Educator hikes she always has her Merlin Bird App on, assessing the avian vocalizations around us. She doggedly pursued this Kentucky Warbler through the heavily shaded underbrush until she got a respectable image. Note the insect in its beak.

In the woodland edge we noted this native Trumpet Honeysuckle. Although it was not flowering I thought that it would be appropriate to point out that some honeysuckles are native to North America and not invasive. It is evergreen and the terminal leaves that are fused are the identifying characteristic (circled). This specimen has already flowered and one can see several clusters of berries.

Perhaps the most exciting finding in the woodland was a huge colony of Ground Cedar, a rare plant that is a member of the Club Moss family. In the second photo below you can see the “club-like” spore structure. On a single ridge top, the trail passed through a colony that I would estimate at 2 to 3 acres, by far the largest grouping that I have ever seen. The name is a misnomer as it is not a Cedar, but rather was named such because the leaf structure is similar to that of a cedar.

One of the prairie pockets experienced along the woodland loop was comprised mostly of Prairie Dock, perhaps the iconic prairie plant of the Midwest. It has the largest leaves of the prairie and typically flowers from the last week of July through August. The flower stalks, which we noted to be emerging, can reach up to seven feet in height.

In contrast, a subsequent larger prairie pocket was remarkable for the diminutive nature of its plants. Everything, including the Prairie Dock, was just a fraction of the size of their normal specimens, and widely spaced. I suspect that this was do to thin, nutrient poor soil, even worse than that usually found in short grass prairies.

Another butterfly seen in a woodland prairie pocket was this Skipper on a Coneflower. The detail of the eye disc is fascinating.

Note the spiderweb attached to the antenna of this Great Spangled Frittillary.

While we saw a myriad of fungi on our woodland walk, these stood out. I had never seen ants actively eating a mushroom before.

Completion of the woodland loop returned us to the prairie segment of the Kamama Trail, but almost immediately we elected to revisit the Prairie Fire Loop that we had hiked last August, with the hope of reseeing the Lady’s Tress Orchids that we had found at that time.

Unfortunately we did not find the orchids, but we did find several other interesting specimens:

Glade Bluets – yes Bluets, although the ones we saw were generally white.

The several specimens of the rare Indian Paintbrush that we saw on this segment of trail was certainly a highlight of the outing.

Lastly, just before the Prairie Fire Loop returned to the Kamama Trail we noted a Monarch feeding in the shade on Common Milkweed.

In summary, our mid-July revisit to Kamama Prairie was outstanding and largely featured different flowers than we noted in our visit in August of 2024. “Kamama” is a Native American word for butterfly and they are certainly a beautiful part of the experience. Kamama Preserve is home to 75 of the 135 species of the butterflies that are native to Ohio – 55 percent – an amazing statistic for a single preserve. Do yourself a favor this prairie season and find your way to a prairie. The beauty and diversity is unlike any other habitat. Prairie season lasts from mid-July through October, with an ever changing parade of flowering plants. Type “prairie” into the search function on the Footpaths website to see all the prairie preserves that we have written about.

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Photo credits to Caroline Burns Grizzle.

Overview:

Location – 778 Steam Furnace Road, Peebles, Ohio, 73 miles from downtown Cincinnati.

Parking – gravel lot for 12-15 cars.

Trail Conditions – mowed grass path through the prairies and bare dirt through the woodlands. I would recommend long pants. There is a lot of sun exposure so pack water. The trails we hike at Kamama totaled 2.65 miles.

Print Map Link –https://static1.squarespace.com/static/640b875d14fa1852d6031793/t/683605815808cc6787daab63/1748370819755/Kamama+Prairie+Short.docx.pdf

Facilities – none.

Benches – none noted.

Picnic Tables – none.

Kids – I would suggest 6 and over. Some younger kids may be able to handle the mild hills and the unimproved creek crossing, but it could be a challenge for some.

Dogs – prohibited.

Suggested Paired Hikes – There are three trails here. The Kamama Trail is the primary and longest trail, and the Prairie Fire Trail is a loop that arises off of it about midway along its route. A separate trail is the Blazing Star Trail, that also appears to be called Andy’s Trail, which has “prairie influenced woodlands” and is reported to be a nice venue for spring ephemeral wildflowers. Quiverheart Gorge, another Arc of Appalachia preserve, is just a couple northwest of Kamama on the same road.

Links:

https://www.arcofappalachia.org/kamama-prairie