For reasons that are not clear to me, we did a terrible job getting ourselves out to the prairies during their peak earlier this summer. With time running out on August, on a surprisingly temperate day with a nice breeze, we decided to return to Plum Run Prairie Preserve to capture a part of what remained of the prairie season.
The start of the path is unique for a prairie trail. It opens as a tunnel passage through a thicket of Virginia Pine and Redcedar – not a prairie plant to be seen.
But the photographer was happy because, surprisingly, this dry landscape hosted a bounty of unique and colorful mushrooms.
The most fascinating were a large population of Yellow Fly Agaric mushrooms that extended well above my ankle. They are members of the Amanita Family and are considered highly poisonous.
Eventually the prairie began to make its presence known as wildflowers encroached into the Redcedars and pines.
This Yellow Wingstem featured a large grasshopper.
And then the trail opened onto the prairie.
We immediately noted some of the common prairie grasses of the Midwest including Big Bluestem and Indian Grass.
The last time that we were at Plum Run was on a late July date a couple of years ago, and the grasses were chest height. On this visit, toward the end of the third week of August, they were often over my head, and would obstruct the vistas.
The mowed path invitingly pulled us through the prairie.
Like most of the prairies in Southwest Ohio, Plum Run Prairie was often interspersed with trees and shrubs.
But differing from the more common, small “pocket” prairies, Plum Run also had acres of uninterrupted grasses and prairie flowers.
After a slow climb up a mild grade we were greeted by a well placed bench,
which provided a view onto the prairie and of the Appalachian foothills to the east.
Shortly after the bench, the trail turned back toward the parking area, weaving through more prairie on the rolling landscape. Eventually we passed through another tunnel of trees. This time the Virginia Pines and Redcedars were replaced by Winged Sumac, which feature clusters of red berries this time of year.
This photo shows a close image of the Winged Sumac. The yellow arrow points to the “wing” that is present on the rachis of its compound leaf. The red berries were made into a tea by both Native Americans and settlers and were a good source of Vitamin C. If you put them in your mouth you will note the tartness of citrus fruit.
Odds and Ends:
When we start a hike I begin taking notes on my phone of what we are seeing, to help me identify topics for the outing’s essay. On this day my first note was ” Chorus of Annual Cicadas”. As we took in the beauty of the prairie, in the background we had a constant din of cicadas. While we often hear them in late summer, we seldom see them. That was not the case on this date, as they flew across the prairie in a reproductive flurry. It is the males that make the vibratory sound which is used to attract mates. These were aptly named, Dog-Day Cicadas, due to their prominence in the heat of the late summer. The dorsum of their body is dark, while the underside is white. In comparison to the Periodic Cicadas, which appear every 17 years in a given geographical region, the “annual” Cicadas appear every year, but the life cycle for any given insect may involve two to five years. Eggs are deposited in slits that the female cuts into tree twigs. After several weeks the eggs hatch and the nymphs fall to the ground. They burrow into the soil and attached themselves to tree and plant roots where they will live for two to five years, feeding on fluids from the roots. In the “dog days” of summer, mature nymphs from previous years will emerge from the soil and climb a vertical surface where they will shed their skin and emerge as winged adults. They will then enter their four to six week adult form for reproduction, and the females will again lay eggs in twigs to complete the cycle. When in this stage they feed very little. Overlapping generations account for seeing this species annually. When we discussed the cicadas on a recent hike, our daughter Ellen pointed out that the term “dog days” is not a reference to extreme heat, but rather the presence of Sirius, the Dog Star, in the night sky during summer. Sirius is part of the Canis Major constellation, which in Latin means “The Greater Dog”.
Another feature of this outing was the presence of numerous mounds of the Allegheny Ants, for which the trail is named. These were massive in size, often reaching 3 feet in height and three to four feet in breadth. The ants have a fascinating symbiotic relationship with the rare Edwards Hairstreak butterfly that is found at the preserve. The ants protect the larvae of the butterfly, and they, in return, secrete a honeydew which the ants feed on.
In this photo three mounds are easily identified, but there were actually five within a short distance of each other.
I included this photo of me for size comparison. We always recommend to keep moving in the area of the mounds because if the ants feel threatened they will attack. An injured ant, such as one that has been stepped on, will release alarm pheromones which trigger other ants to swarm toward the source. Their bite releases formic acid which causes a significant, burning discomfort .
A prominent plant in the prairie was Virginia Pine. One of its identifying features is its retention of many years worth of cones as noted in the second photo. They are not fire tolerant and therefore their encroachment on the grasslands were controlled by the episodic natural fires of history, or prescribed burns of modern prairie management practices. Plum Run is on the very western edge of the Virginia Pine’s native range.
The photographer and I always consider the Thistle family to be underappreciated for their uniqueness and beauty.
They are also outstanding sources of nectar for pollinators. There were a amazing number of insects feeding on this Thistle flower
We observed this Pipevine Swallowtail for over 5 minutes as it acquired nectar from a Thistle flower. All these photos were of the same insect on the same flower. It was interesting to note how the blue iridescence of its hind wing changed with its positioning to the sun, as noted in the third and fourth photos.
Two of the many butterflies that we saw on this outing were the Tiger Swallowtail and the Hackberry Emperor.
Of course, its the sighting of Monarchs that adds a little joy to our outings. We saw many at Plum Rum but they were generally on the wing, perhaps signalling the start of their fall migration. We did note this one at a distance on some Ironweed. We are hopeful that the increased Monarch sightings that we have noted over the past two summers is a trend that will continue.
The photographer noted this web of the Bowl and Doily Spider. Despite being a considerable web, the spider is only about 0.15 inches in size. The web fibers are not sticky but if a small flying insect hits it, the spider immediately attacks from below to venomize their prey.
Lastly we will celebrate a few of the flowering plants that we saw nestled in amongst the grasses of the prairie:
Goldenrod, Autumn Clematis, Ageratum, Tick-trefoil, Carolina Petunia, and Flowering Spurge.
In summary, our repeat visit to Plum Run was outstanding, and quite different from our July visit there a few years earlier. Such is the cadence of prairie plant communities, four weeks in the summer season drastically changes the height of the grasses and who the botanical performers are – but the one constant is that the show is always excellent. The reality is that prairies will continue to offer fascinating beauty up till November – the summer blooms will be followed by fall asters, unique seedpods, migrating songbirds, butterflies, and vistas. Find a prairie hike, and promise yourself to slow down.
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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns.
Overview:
Location – Mendenhall Rd, Peebles, OH 45660, 70 miles from downtown Cincinnati.
Parking – gravel lot for 10 cars.
Trail Conditions – mowed path through the prairies. Bare dirt through the woodlands. I would recommend long pants. There is a lot of sun exposure so pack water. There is an unseen informational trailhead kiosk for this hike to the right of the parking lot so I would suggest you begin your hike there and travel counterclockwise. This loop was 1.3 miles.
Print Map Link – https://static1.squarespace.com/static/640b875d14fa1852d6031793/t/644d45d276273911099afd51/1682785747175/Plum+Run.pdf
Benches – one.
Picnic Tables – none.
Kids – it can be a long, hot hike. I would lean toward 6 and over. You will need to keep their distance from on any ant hills, as stepping on them will trigger an ant attack.
Dogs – prohibited.
Suggested Paired Hikes – The Plum Run Trail is also present in the preserve. It arises off the Allegheny Mound Trail and features a short grass prairie – a different habitat – as well as a hike through a creekside woodland. It is 1.1 miles in length.
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