Huffman Prairie is an 113 acre preserve that exists by the happenstance of history. At the turn of the 20th century this prairie was part of a farm owned by Dayton, Ohio banker Torrence Huffman. Beginning in 1904, he allowed Wilbur and Orville Wright to use part of his pasture for the development of their flying machine, the Wright Flyer. In 1917, the U.S. Army established the Wilbur Wright Airfield here, which became Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1948. These designations allowed for the preservation of some of the original 3 square mile prairie (1,920 acres), in the form of a buffer around the runways. Otherwise, it is likely that this tallgrass prairie would have succumbed to the farmer’s plow, as the majority of Ohio prairies did. Today the prairie is jointly managed by Wright-Patterson and Five Rivers MetroParks.
We were excited to be venturing to the prairie as the photographer had missed the meadow flowers of summer due to mobility restrictions following her Achilles tendon surgery. Unfortunately the weather was not as promised. We were expecting mostly sunny skies, but instead were greeted by gray clouds, steady winds, and episodes of light rain.
The trailhead is full of information on the history of the property as well as the ecology of prairies. Huffman Prairie is composed of two soil types, wet prairie and mesic, which is dry. It is an almost imperceptible change in altitude that determines the soil moisture content, which then dictates the plant community.
The trailhead and the first part of the trail are on the smaller, wet prairie portion, where there is a concentration of flowering plants, packed in close proximity to each other, as noted in the title photo and below.
Tall Tickseed, Swamp Smartweed, and Yellow Crownbeard.
The flowers were generally shoulder height as we walked on the mowed path.
Soon the botany changed somewhat with more grasses being noted. Still there was a diversity of flowering plants.
Cup Plant range from 2 to 10 foot tall.
Wild Lettuce always looks to be past its prime, but its simple beauty can not be denied.
Late Boneset was just beginning to flower.
Through one break in the grasses we had this view of a broad swathe of Obedient Plant – named that because if you reposition its stem it will remain in the new position for some time before resuming its earlier shape.
Senna – the leaves and seeds of the plant were used as a laxative by Native Americans and early settlers, and is still an active ingredient in many over the counter laxatives today.
Field Thistle was at its peak.
Eventually the grasses of the tallgrass, mesic prairie became the dominant feature.
The exposed soil in this area was a rich, loamy brown. It was the quality of the prairie soils that made them ideal agricultural lands.
I am not a grass identification expert by any means, and generally they all look somewhat alike to me. But since we were visiting them at their peak flowering season some differences could be noted.
Big Bluestem, perhaps the most famous prairie grass, has a flower, and then seedhead, that is shaped like a turkey foot.
They towered over us.
The Indiangrass was not as tall,
On some of the Indiangrass flowerheads we could see prominent yellow stamens.
It was a windy day which made for some dynamic movements of the grasses in the breeze – an “amber waves of grain” kind of day. The thunder like noise is actually just the wind hitting the microphone.
Isolated specimens of outstanding prairie flowers were noted throughout the grass dominated landscape.
The aptly named Tall Tickseed towered to 9 feet.
While the diminutive Spurge nestled in at the base of the grasses.
Scalely Liatris was just beginning its blooming which starts at the top of the flower spike.
The pink of the Coneflowers contrasted with the silvery blue of Little Bluestem.
At Huffman Prairie we had our third sighting this summer of the rare Royal Catchfly.
Huffman Prairie is a birding hotspot and we had some success. It was challenging to get good photos of some of the sighted species due to the height of the plants between us and them, and the wind driven movement of the grasses.
One of the undisputed kings of Midwestern grasslands is the Goldfinch.
We also saw several Kingbirds, as they fed on flying insects. These will migrate soon to winter in Central and South America.
As one would expect, we also saw a number of pollinators collecting pollen and nectar.
This hike took place during the height of the Hover Fly season in the Ohio River Valley. They are harmless and frequently confused with sweat bees. Like the sweat bee they will land on you to acquire some salt from your sweat. They are an amazingly beautiful creature.
We hear the buzz of the Perennial Cicada all summer but it is not often seen. We found one on the stem of a cup plant. Compared to the cyclic Cicadas, which are black, these have an overall green coloration.
A caterpillar of a Spotted Apateloader Moth was devouring Blackberry leaves.
The bonus of a hike at Huffman Prairie is that it shares a parking lot with the original Wright Field where Orville and Wilbur Wright experimented with their flying machine. As we completed the prairie loop we found ourselves at the site of a hanger reproduction that represents the hanger where the Wrights stored their plane.
Amongst the historical photos on the inside, were several Barn Swallow nests.
Nearby was a replica of the catapult that the Wrights used to get their plane airborne.
Numerous signs helped explain the Wrights’ activity at the field.
The last image of the day that we wanted to share was this one of Cup Plant. We found the timeline of the progression of the flower interesting.
In summary, our visit to Huffman Prairie Preserve was outstanding. It was interesting to observe the changing plant community as the moisture content of the soil changed, and exciting to see so much plant and animal diversity. Its proximity to the Huffman Prairie Flying Field, where the Wright Brothers tested and improved their invention, added unexpected context to our experience, and both walks could be easily done in a half day outing.
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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns. Video by Patrick Burns.
Overview:
Location – Pylon Rd, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433. Follow the signage to the Huffman Prairie Flying Field and you will find the shared parking lot and the trailhead on the other side of the road.
Trail Conditions – mowed grass path through the prairie. Some parts of the trail around the Flying Field are asphalt. The prairie trail is 0.7 miles. The curated trail around the Flying Field is similar in length.
Print Map Link – https://www.metroparks.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HuffmanPrairieBrochure_0320_digital2.pdf
Facilities – None at the prairie but some noted on the drive in.
Benches – none noted on prairie trail but some noted around the Flying Field.
Picnic Tables – in other sections of the park.
Kids – kids 4 and over should do well.
Dogs – allowed while on a leash.
Suggested Paired Hikes – Huffman Metropark is a couple of miles away and has additional trails.
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