And the Mississippi’s mighty
But it starts in Minnesota
At a place that you could walk across
With five steps down
Those lyrics, by the Indigo Girls, is what came to my mind when I finally reached the humble headwaters of Big Darby Creek. All natural waterways start small.
I had this hike on my list for a couple of years – confident that it would have a lot to offer because it was a Nature Conservancy property. But to be honest, I expected more water.
Big Darby Headwaters Nature Preserve has been a 26 year project of the Nature Conservancy and now totals 1000 acres. Their goal is to restore and protect the myriad of small streams that come together to form the ecologically rich Big Darby Creek, which flows for 80 miles west and south of Columbus, before emptying into the Scioto River. Big Darby Creek is home to 100 fish species and 44 species of fresh water mussels – a testament to the overall health of the waterway. But the Big Darby was not always cherished. Like so many streams, in its past, it and the surrounding wetlands were thought of as obstacles to economic development. Its wetlands were drained and filled, its channel straightened, and it was thought of as a convenient depot for industrial and agricultural waste. Luckily, through the foresight of the Nature Conservancy and others, intervention has rescued this ecological jewel that is a state and national scenic river.
Over the years I had seen many photos of Big Darby Creek, like the two below, and was excited to finally get there, with the expectation that this is the setting that I would find myself in.
But if I had studied the trail map more closeIy would have been aware that I was not going to spend a lot of time on the bank of Big Darby Creek.
From the parking area, one enters the preserve on an elevated trail above some wetlands,
and passes through a wetland wood with typical species of Buckeye, Red Maple, Silver Maple, and Walnut.
After the wood, the trail opens to a meadow edge, with woods to our right and grassland plants and Redcedars to our left.
With a little study we quickly realized the “unremarkable” field was in fact remarkable, offering one wildlife observation after another:
Our first plant of note was a healthy Common Milkweed, whose flowering could best be described as modest.
Goldfinches came at us from every direction.
The morning dew added interest to several botanical specimens.
Red Osier Dogwood
Wild Lettuce – its lower leaves are lettuce-like and edible.
After passing through the meadow we took the diversion from the trail to the first overlook, as noted on the previous map. The structure overlooked a small tributary to the Big Darby but dense wetland plants prevented an appreciation of the stream on this late summer visit. We did however, have a couple of fun observations along the route.
This Cricket Hunter Wasp was basking in the sun on the railing. The angle of this photo allows one to appreciate the very narrow abdomen that is characteristic of wasps and hornets.
Gray Dogwood – the berries will turn porcelain white in the fall.
As noted on the map, the trail wove through old farm pastures and creekside woods on the way to its terminus. That is an ideal hike in the heat of the summer as you go from sun exposed meadows to the cool shade of the woods.
The differing habitats also offered different observations.
The pastures showcased some of the usual summer botany.
Butterfly Weed – hosting a Silvery Checkerspot butterfly.
Pasture Rose – this is a native shrub and not to be confused with the invasive Multiflora Rose.
The fauna noted in the grassland included:
An Eastern Tailed-blue and a Sulphur
Milkweed Beetle, on Common Milkweed, and Short-winged Green Grasshopper
And lastly, the male and female Widow Skimmer Dragonflies.
The woodland edges offered different flora and fauna.
Tall Bellflower
and with a visiting Green Metallic Sweat Bee. Sweat bees rarely sting and only land on people to acquire some of the salts in our sweat.
American Germander was a new flower to us.
The Fringed Loosestrife, which was also new to us, was another plant found creekside on a woodland edge. It should not be confused with Purple Loosestrife that is a invasive non-native. The first photo demonstrates how it holds its pendulous flower upside down, and the second shows the flower turned up.
In the shade of a woodland border we noted this guy, a Southern Pearly-eye butterfly. In contrast to the butterflies that we are more familiar with, these woodland dwellers feed on tree sap, decaying fruit, animal dung, and carrion.
Lastly, the wetland at the headwaters.
In the wetlands around the diminutive Big Darby we noted Buttonbush at different stages of flowering.
As we walked through the meadows our conversation centered on some of the non-native plants that we were seeing, and how they differ from some of the invasive non-natives. Caroline labeled them as “naturalized”, as compared to “invasive”. They find footholds in the landscape but generally don’t overrun our native plants. Those that we were noting: Queen Anne’s Lace, Chicory, Red Clover, and Birdsfoot Trefoil, are significant nectar plants for pollinators.
Queen Anne’s Lace – also known as Wild Carrot, was brought to the U.S. for medicinal purposes and as a potential food source.
Chicory – was brought to the U.S. for medicinal uses and later was used as a coffee substitute.
Red Clover – was used as forage for farm animals. This photo demonstrates that a clover “flower” is actually a cluster of perhaps a hundred individual flowers. In botanical terms it is a flowerhead.
Birdsfoot Trefoil – was also used for livestock forage.
It has been a while since Footpaths did a quiz. Can you identify this plant with confidence?
It is a somewhat unusual specimen of Poison Ivy, with a lot of woody branching. Yes, poison ivy can be a woody plant, both in vine and upright shrub form. In the photo below the yellow arrows note the elongated petiole (stem) of the terminal leaflet that is the best way to identify Poison Ivy. The circle surrounds the berries that will turn a distinct white over the next 3 months.
Lastly, a shout out to the Nature Conservancy, an organization that I have admired for almost 50 years. The White Oak leaf noted on this trail marker has been the organization’s symbol, in one format or another, for over five decades. While they originated in the United States, they are now a worldwide leader in the protection of unique and at-risk habitats.
Their new logo reflects this worldwide activity, but still features the White Oak leaf motif.
As we were exiting the trail, a group of about 50 Nature Conservancy staff and supporters, based on their common logo wear, was entering the preserve full of energy and excitement – dressed for observation and discussion, not fieldwork. I so wanted to tag along to hear of their future plans for this excellent preserve.
In summary, yes, I expected more water on this “headwaters” hike, but its relative scarcity did not diminish the experience. It just caused myself and the stand-in photographer to ecologically pivot – to embrace the diversity of habitats the we meandered through and ponder things that were not on our expected agenda. When I reflect on the size of the preserve, the work that the Nature Conservancy has done to this point, and the excitement I noted amongst the field group, I am confident that the Big Darby Headwaters Preserve will only get better and will be a cherished public greenspace in central Ohio for generations to come. I am equally sure that this is not Footpaths last visit to this preserve.
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Photo credits to Caroline Burns Grizzle, with the exception of the two broader Big Darby Creek photos which were taken from the preserve’s website.
Overview:
Location – 5899-12280 C-152, East Liberty, Ohio, 112 miles form downtown Cincinnati.
Parking – gravel lot for 15 to 20 cars
Trail Conditions – mowed grass path through meadows, bare dirt in woodlands. This in and out hike totaled 2.5 miles.
Print Map Link – https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/OH-Big-Darby_Trail-Map.pdf
Facilities – Portolet at the parking area.
Benches – several.
Picnic Tables – none.
Kids – kids 6 and over should do well with the rolling terrain
Dogs – allowed while on a leash.
Suggested Paired Hikes – we drove 15 minutes to the outstanding Bigelow Cemetery State Nature Preserve that is a beautiful remnant prairie.
Links: