It was the last day of July and we were officially in Prairie Season – a time for celebration in our Burns Family. But to be clear, prairies in the Ohio River Valley are different than those presented on Little House on the Prairie. There are no rolling hills of grasses or broad vistas – our prairies are relatively pint size, occurring in pockets, often dotted with trees and surrounded by woodlands.
The Adams Lake Prairie State Nature Preserve, while a separate entity, is paired with Adams Lake State Park, sharing an entry road and parking. I anticipated a prairie hike consisting of two loops as noted on the preserve’s website map. But it turns out that the larger loop, to the right in the map below, was a trail through a forest.
As we ascended the trail from the parking area, we could see that there was no definitive boundary between the woods and the prairie,
with prairie plants in the understory of the woodland edge,
including Wild Onion, which was just starting to bloom in the region.
When it became clear that the eastern loop was indeed a forested loop, I made the decision to defer my prairie experience and we entered onto the Post Oak Trail into the wood . But it was an outstanding wood with no invasives, an open understory, and featuring nice specimens of Shagbark Hickory, Red Oak, Sugar Maple, and White Oak. Filtered sunlight presented mosaics on the forest floor.
It appeared to be a well traveled path and we were surprised that this area of moss could stand up to the traffic, especially in the heat of the summer.
The path had some interpretive signs along the route and one pointed out that the eastern deciduous forest appears to be changing, with an increasing dominance of Sugar Maple in the tree population. I have read about this before – that the oaks and Tulip-poplars are not regenerating as often as expected and that less young trees of those species are seen. Some theorize that the lack of fire in the woodland is the cause and there is concern how this will impact our Old-growth forests in particular.
To be honest, I was enjoying the forest walk – there was a lot for a tree guy to embrace – even if he left home anticipating a prairie hike. But then it happen. Everywhere we looked there were mushrooms. I was not mentally prepared for a fungi outing. But the photographer was. As I have said before, identifying mushrooms is a challenge, even with on-line resources and AI, and therefore I would never feel safe foraging for them.
This appears to be a traumatized and contorted Rosy Brittlegill Mushroom.
This one is a cousin of the Rosy Brittlegill – the Green Brittlegill.
This cartoonish specimen is a Fly Agaric, an Amanita mushroom. The literature suggests that it has psychedelic qualities and can be poisonous. It is widespread across the northern hemisphere and was featured in Disney’s Fantasia. I wonder if that was a nod to its psychodelic qualities, given the dreamlike theme to Fantasia.
This one, covered in forest litter, appears to be a Golden Chanterelle mushroom.
While similar in appearance, this one is a Milkcap Mushroom.
The photographer audibly gasped when she saw this Long-stemmed Bolete, which stood six inches tall. If you notice, the underside of this species does not have gills, as all the previous mushrooms did. In this species the spores are released through pores on the underside of the cap.
These two are Panther Caps, another member of the toxic Amanita Family. The fissured cap develops when the relative humidity is low and the cap is growing rapidly. The mushroom surface becomes brittle and tears as the internal tissues expand.
In contrast, this Common Funnel mushrooms had perfect form.
Broadening the color spectrum of the mushroom show was Indigo Milkcap, a species that exudes a blue latex when traumatized.
At the crest of the forest ridge we came upon a collection of the Rosy Brittlegills. The caps on these were about three inches wide.
With the collar on its stem and the warts on its cap, this appears to be a Yellow American Blusher. Because it is a member of the Amanita family it must be considered toxic.
Then, finally I saw them – prairie plants, including the large leaved Prairie Dock, populating the edge of the forest, where more sunlight reached the forest floor.
Soon we found ourselves where the larger loop noted on the earlier map merged with the smaller loop. The smaller loop trail circled the pocket prairie seen in the distance.
Within a minute or two we had identified numerous prairie plants:
Dwarf Blazing Star and Compass Plant
Flowering Spurge – this understated plant is one of my favorite prairie flowers. It reminds me of Baby’s Breath and is always found in the most strenuous of conditions.
Thin Mountain Mint and Partridge Pea
Being a tree guy, it is the presence of some rarer tree species in these prairie pockets that intrigues me. Shortly after entering the prairie we passed beneath an arch of Blackjack Oak.
Blackjack Oaks are rare and I believe that I have only seen them in less than 10 locations. They are considered threatened in Ohio. They are members of the Red Oak Family and have bristles on the leaf tips that is characteristic of Red Oaks.
The other oak noted in these prairie pockets is the Post Oak. Like the Blackjack Oak, they have a very limited distribution and I have only seen them on a handful of outings.
They are members of the White Oak Family and do not have bristles on their leaf tips. I have seen references that describe the leaf as having a Maltese Cross shape.
What drives the botany of these prairie pockets is the thin, nutrient poor soil, something most people don’t consider when they think of grasslands and prairies. So the bare patches in the photo below are not due to bad farming practices or erosion, it is just the result of shallow, poor soil that will not support plant life. These patchy grasslands, with exposed soil and rock are sometimes referred to as barrens.
These demanding conditions results in plants, like the aforementioned oaks, that are small for their age. The same is true for the Prairie Dock, that while large leaved, was still smaller than specimens that we might see in other locations with better soils.
Given the harsh conditions, another tree that survives here is Redcedar.
As we walked the path we noted several other prairie flowers:
Meadow Pink and Rattlesnake Master
Carolina Petunia
Odds and Ends:
Over the course of the prairie path we noted three ant hills of the Allegheny Mound Ant. They are considered aggressive ants and will attack when threatened, injecting formic acid into their bite wounds, which causes burning. These mounds can be up to 4 foot tall and are frequently covered with plant life as noted in the photo below, so one needs to pay attention and steer clear of them. Their presence is not a reason to avoid the hike.
On the edge of the wood we noted this Woodland Sunflower in bloom. But we did not note the tiniest of insect on this flower.
It is an Ambush Bug nymph, waiting to feed on an unsuspecting insect visiting the flower.
This Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly was also hunting in the prairie for prey.
Lastly, we captured this Spicebush Swallowtail on Blazing Star, one of the four Liatris flower species that call this small prairie home.
In summary, our visit to Adams Lake Prairie State Nature Preserve was a great success. Not only did we find another outstanding pocket prairie a short distance from home, but we also found an excellent deciduous wood with a variety of mushrooms that offered up almost as much color as the prairie flowers. The White Oaks in the forest would make for a great winter hike when one could appreciate their architecture and the textures of their mature bark. But the prairie itself, while small, is unique, and with its interpretive signs, is a great place to study “Prairie 101”. My suggestion is that perhaps you do the small loop through the prairie three times, because I am confident that you will see something on the subsequent passages that you missed on the first. Also, take binoculars because this is an excellent birding venue.
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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns
Overview:
Location – 1 Park Road, West Union, Ohio 57 miles from downtown Cincinnati.
Parking – paved lot for 8 cars at trailhead.
Trail Conditions – bare dirt through the forest. The prairie path is exposed rock and gravel. There is mild terrain change.
Print Map Link – https://static1.squarespace.com/static/640b875d14fa1852d6031793/t/644d45d276273911099afd51/1682785747175/Plum+Run.pdf
Benches – one at the trailhead.
Picnic Tables – many in the adjoining state park.
Kids –kids 4 and over should do well on both loops, but please mind the ant mounds.
Dogs – prohibited.
Suggested Paired Hikes – There is a paved, 0.75 trail along the south bank of Adams Lake. It appeared to offer great views onto the the lovely lake but we did not walk it. For an additional prairie experience, Chapparal Prairie State Nature Preserve is just a few miles away and is an outstanding experience offering several trails.
Links:
https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/adams-lake-prairie-state-nature-preserve