The Arc of Appalachia website had me at this phrase – “this trail boasts immense ancient oaks”. I am a tree fanatic, especially when it comes to big trees. Our daughter Caroline, an educator, was joining us for the first of what hopefully will be many hikes while she is on her summer break, and I wanted it to be special. Being in the shade of a mature forest on this near ninety degree day would be a plus.
The Arc of Appalachia Preserve System has become one of our “go to” organizations when we are looking to truly immerse ourselves in nature. This land conservancy has protected almost 16,000 acres of unique and critical habitat in Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and Northeastern Kentucky. Each of the seven preserves that we have visited has been extremely well managed and memorable. I was confident that the Kamelands Trail would be as well.
The Kamelands Trail, circled in yellow on the map below, is located within the fragmented Highlands Nature Sanctuary and sits atop the Rocky Fork Gorge.
The start of the hike featured a first for Footpaths. To get to the loop trail we had to travel through a cattle tunnel that ran beneath U.S. 50.
On the other side of the tunnel, the loop trail originated in an area that was transitioning from meadow to cedar thicket, presenting a mosaic of sun and shade.
Some might consider this a bland habitat but it was teeming with some interesting species. This Cow Parsley, a member of the Carrot Family, hosted a couple of Margined Leatherwing Beetles, a lesser known, beneficial insect that acts as a pollinator, as well as feeds on damaging insects.
An early surprise in this somewhat parched landscape was the presence of the fern Ebony Spleenwort in the shadows of the cedars. One of the features that helps identify it is the black rachis (stem), which gives it the “ebony” name. We tend to picture ferns thriving in moist, mature woods and gorges, but they are actually found in a variety of habitats.
Within the mixed plant community of Redcedars and forbs, we noted several late spring-early summer wildflowers.
Deptford Pink and Meadow Hawkweed – we have featured both of these in recent Footpaths essays.
Dame’s Rocket and Venus’ Looking Glass. I believe that this was the first Footpaths’ identification of Venus’ Looking Glass which is a native annual wildflower, meaning that the plant runs through its life cycle, from germination to death, over the course of a season.
Yarrow and Common Cinquefoil.
These transitioning habitats are also great place to find a wide variety of insects.
The Golden-backed Snipe Fly is really not well studied. It is believed to be a beneficial insect that feeds on nectar as well as other insects. They are harmless to humans.
This is an Awl-fly, named such because of the shape of the egg laying structure, the ovipositor, in females, which resembles the heirloom tool, an awl, that was used for piercing holes in tough materials like leather and canvas. Its scientific name Dialysis rufithorax, refers to the coloration of its chest area, with “rufi” meaning red or rust colored, and “thorax” referring to the chest. They are also considered beneficial by feeding on pest insects.
After the cedar thicket we entered a young deciduous wood where we found ourselves in a substantial Pawpaw patch. We inventoried the leaves that showed insect damage but unfortunately did not find any Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars, which feed exclusively on Pawpaw leaves.
Soon we entered a more mature wood of Sugar Maple, Oaks, and Tulip-poplar, and had a small stream to our left that ran slightly downhill. There we noted evidence of beaver activity with a series of dams that resulted in a chain of four ponds.
I was surprised to note that our first truly big oak had been debarked by a beaver for most of its circumference. Its canopy looked healthy but I am not sure for how long, as the tissue below the bark involves the vascular system of the tree.
In this woodland we saw a surprising number of wildflowers:
Blue-eyed Grass – my assorted guidebooks reference several species including Stout, Pointed, Pale (which has white flowers), and Eastern. I’m going to go with Pointed on this one given the points on the flower pedals.
Yellow Wood Sorrel – at 18 inches, this plant was much taller than the invasive European Sorrel and its flower was larger, at 3/4 of an inch. All the Sorrels have shamrock like leaves.
The star of the woodland show was the Fire Pink. The name is a bit confusing since it is not pink. “Fire” refers to the red color, and “Pink” refers to it being a member of the Pink or Campion family. While it is considered uncommon, here it had an ubiquitous presence. First we noted a specimen just along the trail. Red is such an unusual color on the summer forest floor, it could not help but get our attention.
We noted it throughout the remainder of our passage through the woodland.
The balloon like base of the flower is a characteristic of the Campion, or Pink, Family. A more familiar member of the family for most people is the common carnation, which also has the bulbous base.
Another fun sighting was of Roundleaf Bluets. These dainty flowers are always beautiful. In this case, the Bluets were the less common white variety, rather than the more typical light blue. These flowers are sometimes referred to as Quaker Ladies, referencing their modest colors to the dressing styles of Quaker women.
Perhaps a more interesting sighting was that of its cousin, the Long-leaved Bluet, which is much less common. As noted in the photo, the flower petals, stems, and leaves all have substantial hairiness. The single prominent leaf vein is an identifying characteristic.
As we made our way over the trail we noted an unusual plant. It was a rosette of 12-18 inch long leaves – quite unusual on the deciduous forest floor. Eventually we recalled its name – American Columbo. I believe that we have seen it once or twice before. Its interesting lifecycle is that it will grow in this rosette form for five to thirty years, before it will send up a flower stalk – one time, after which it dies. So in botanical terms it is a perennial, but only flowers once.
Its a rare plant but was common here, as we noted specimen after specimen.
But then we saw it – a Columbo with a six foot flower stalk, just at the end of its flowering season. We noted three flowering specimens over the course of the hike. That was a first for us. We were in the first week of June and will need to return in mid to late May in another year to catch it at peak flowering.
As we continued on our hike we took two trail spurs down into the gorge to get a glimpse of Rocky Fork Creek, which is at its base. The first spur was straight forward, perhaps a 50 yard jaunt down a mild slope. We were rewarded with a nice view. Here we were beneath the canopy of Eastern Hemlocks.
A later trail spur was for the more adventurous. The path down was longer, steeper, and rocky. We had to pass through a narrow gap between a bluff and a slump rock that was about as broad as my shoulders.
Eventually we got another view onto Rocky Fork, but turned around before reaching the end of the spur – our trailside science had us way schedule.
With my concentration on the flora and fauna of the outing I have perhaps shortchanged the overall quality of the venue, with its stately trees, bluffs, and gorges.
After exiting the woods, the loop entered a large meadow with isolated Redcedar trees,
and we could appreciate that we were indeed in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Odds and Ends –
Perfoliate Bellwort – when we first saw this plant we thought it was Solomon’s Seal or False Solomon’s Seal, but then noted that its fruiting structure was in the wrong place. In Solomon’s Seal it would be beneath the leaf along the stem, and in False Solomon’s Seal at the very end of the leaf stem – not arising from the base of a leaf.
As I researched the plant I found this photo of it in bloom, appearing rather elegant.
Parasitic plants are rare and usually understated. We were excited to note two of them on this hike. Bear Corn was amazingly abundant and easily noted alongside the trail. These stalks are 3 to 4 inches tall. There are no leaves or green plant tissues as chlorophyll and photosynthesis are not their thing – they steal their nutrition from the roots of the oak and beech trees of the forest. It really does not harm the trees. Their presence signifies this is a mature, healthy forest.
The other parasitic plant that we noted was Indian Pipe – again no green in its structure as it does not carryout photosynthesis. It gets its nutrition from the mycorrhizal fungi that are associated with the roots of trees in a forest. In our 5 years of Footpaths this is only the second time that we have seen this. These specimens are 2 to 3 inches tall. The bell shaped structures are its flowers, which are pollinated by the smaller Bumblebee species.
It’s been awhile since we feature any fungi in our posts. These Crowned-tipped Coral Fungi certainly were noteworthy.
This magnified image gives credence to the term “Crowned-tipped”.
The Trillium family is one of our favorite spring wildflowers. We were excited to note this Nodding Trillium with its seed head. They are becoming increasingly rare due to habitat loss. The name comes from the long stalk that allows the flower, and seed head, to nod over.
This Robber Fly got our attention when we found it resting on a plant. It is harmless but is a “bee mimic”. Its Bumblebee-like appearance warns off predators. It feeds on other insects by capturing them in flight.
Texture of the Day – Pincushion Moss. You can almost feel the softness. These moss clumps were quite large in size, with this photo covering a 2 foot by 3 foot area.
New Plant of the Day – shortly after entering the wooded section of trail we noted a plant that had fern-like leaves and an orchid like seed head. With a little research we found it had an interesting name – Canadian Lousewort. The name Lousewort, and its genus name Pedicularis, arise from the false belief that cattle who fed on this plant ended up with lice. A lice infestation is call pediculosis. It is also hemi-parasitic, attaching by roots to nearby plants, to steal water and nutrients.
On-line photos of the plant blooming (see below) are stunning and I will have to come back some spring when they are in bloom.
Lastly, a photo of a pair of Dark-eyed Juncos that Caroline pursued.
In summary, our visit to this part of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System was a terrific success. The irony is that it was the description of immense oaks that got us there, but their presence was almost lost amongst the myriad of other outstanding sightings that we had in the progression wood and the understory. This is undoubtedly a four season hiking venue and I am certain that with its limestone geologic formations and relatively flat terrain, as those around Rocky Fork Gorge go, it would be an excellent snow hike. But it is the promise of seeing the rare Nodding Trillium, Canadian Lousewort, American Columbo, and Perfoliate Bellwort in full bloom that will bring us back for an earlier spring visit. I would expect the Fire Pink to to still be in flower for another week or so if you interested in seeing it this year.
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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns and Caroline Burns Grizzle, with the exception of the Perfifoliate Bellflower blooming which is from the Pennsylvania Enflowered website, and the Canadian Lousewort in bloom, which was from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website.
Overview:
Location – 14605 US-50, Bainbridge, OH 45612
Parking – gravel lot for 8 cars.
Trail Conditions – the trail through the woodlands was bare dirt with some exposed stone and in the meadow there was mowed grass. Grades are mild overall with the exception of the descent down into the gorge. I would considerate it moderately difficult overall.
Accommodations – Highland Nature Sanctuary offers a variety of overnight accommodations which can be seen on their website.
Print Map Link – https://static1.squarespace.com/static/640b875d14fa1852d6031793/t/68e5662a1bbcd01d294298f9/1759864362719/2025+HNS+Trail+Map.pdf
Facilities – at the nearby Appalachian Forest Museum and Visitor Center.
Benches – none noted on this trail.
Picnic Tables – on the deck at the nearby Appalachian Forest Museum.
Kids – I would suggest 12 and over for this trail, perhaps younger if they are seasoned hikers.
Dogs – prohibited.
Suggested Paired Hikes – there are 13 other trails at the Highland Nature Sanctuary.
Craft Beer – we stopped at the Patriot Public House in Hillsboro, Ohio, about 16 miles west of the Sanctuary, for a nice lunch and beer.
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