Early Spring Wildflowers in Caesar Creek Gorge.

Purple Cress

Yesterday I went to Caesar Creek Gorge State Nature Preserve. I really like this place. I went last Fall and remember there are many spicebush and paw paws, more paw paws I never see before.

It is a very cloudy and rainy day, so today is perfect for photographing spring wildflowers. I was disappointed with my Indian Mound Reserve pictures because it was really nice and sunny but that weather is terrible for pictures. This is a lot better.

I was alone, and it was really quiet. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) are really not yet blooming. I only saw one tree with flowers. I think in April I will come again, because I feel the whole forest will become yellow spicebush flowers.

There were many early spring wildflowers. Harbinger-of-Spring (Erigenia bulbosa) and Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis) were everywhere. There were also many Purple Cress (Cardamine douglassii), and some are blooming!

Trout Lilly and Toadshade

Spring Beauty

False Rue Anemone

Cutleaf Toothwort

In low areas I found Toadshade (Trillium sesille), Trout Lilly (Erythronium), False Rue Anemone (Enemion bitternatum), Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata). False rue leaves sometimes made leaf carpets, there are many many. Trout lilly are not yet blooming, so happen I don't know if this is white or yellow trout lilly. I only saw 2 toadshades, only few spring beauty and bluebells, and only one cutleaf toothwart, I think it is still really early, and they are not blooming not yet.

Bloodroot

Most special, I saw 4 or 5 Bloodroot (Sanguineria canadensis). I wait for to see bloodroot every spring, and now I do not worry I will not see it.

Two plants I found and I am curious because I do not know them. If you know please tell me! One is very tiny, has opposite leather feel leaves, and little purple trumpet shape flowers. I think it is morning glory family. Other plant is not blooming not yet, but it has divided fan shape leaves.

EDIT: My sister helped me identify these plants. The first is periwinkle (Vinca minor). It is not native and sometimes moves into woods. The second is Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne). It will bloom later this spring with purple flowers.

Indian Mound Reserve

Virginia Bluebells

Today I went to Indian Mound Reserve in Cedarville. My friend said to me maybe I will find snow trillium here. I did not know about this park. It is a Greene County Park, not State, and not nature preserve. But it is very interesting.

There are two old mound areas in the park, and that is why it has the name "Indian Mound". I saw the largest mound, Williamson Mound. It is more than 2000 years old and 30 feet tall with steep sides. From the top it is not very interesting view because there are many trees, but I think people who use this long time ago they cut close trees and can see very far. There is one more area with mounds in this park, but I did not see it now, maybe another day.

 On the trail close to Williamson Mound I found many Harbinger-of-Spring (Erigenia bulbosa)  Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) in the cut grass. One flower had a beetle!

 

Most interesting area of the park for me is the gorge on Massie Creek. It is very wide, not similar narrow gorge in Clifton on Little Miami River. Wildflowers here are similar to Clifton Gorge, but less. The trails are also more difficult than Clifton Gorge. One part, there is this really high overhang, very amazing. I said "wow!" when I saw it. There are several small waterfalls, and one 18 foot high waterfall, Cedar Cliff Falls. I think some people think this waterfall is natural, but it is not. Cedar Cliff Falls was made for Harbison Mill but it is only ruins now. The Falls are still very nice.

I saw some wildflowers, Hepatica, Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Wild Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum), and I think Early Meadow Rue (Thalictrum dioicum), most not yet ready for blooming. I also found some little Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) on rocks, and Walking Fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum) and liverworts (Conocephalum?). I did not see any snow trillium. I think they are all finished. Maybe they bloomed really early this year. We had some rain in February, I remember from first time I went to Clifton Gorge this year. Maybe they were there and I missed them.

Wild Stonecrop

Maidenhair Spleenwort

Early Meadow Rue?

Or, maybe there are no more snow trillium in Massie Creek Gorge. I feel a little bit sad about Indian Mound Reserve, because it is a beautiful place but it has a lot of problems. There is a lot of honeysuckle and garlic mustard in the park and trash in the creek. And there is a lot of trail erosion because people walk anywhere. Many rocks I see moss and plants rubbed away. I think if Greene County is not more careful with Massie Creek Gorge they will lose all their beautiful spring wildflowers from shoes and honeysuckle. I tried to find if they have volunteer days for removing invasive plants, but I do not see that. I will help if I can.  It is a really beautiful area and you should go sometime. Honeysuckle and garlic mustard are only really bad problem on edge areas, and maybe it only seem me in early spring trails are not very good because there is nothing green not yet. I will make a new blog about spring wildflowers here, it is really really amazing area. I think I only miss snow trilliums. They are small and difficult.

Little Toadshades on cold day.

Toadshade (Trillium sessile)

Today I went to Clifton Gorge in the morning. It is a cold day and it snowed recently. There is still a little bit of snow on the ground in areas.

I went to Clifton Gorge to find Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale), but I can't find any. But I found many other plants. Hepatica are blooming very nice now. And happen many new leaves are growing. There are many little dark and light green Toadshades (Trillium sessile), many very divided Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadense), some Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), and Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata). I found one Purple Cress (Cardamine douglassii), and I think some Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica).

Squirrel Corn

Purple Cress

Virginia Bluebells?

Cutleaf Toothwort

I don't know what snow trilliums like. I went to the library to read about them, I read from Buckeye Botanist and Around the Bend. I should see them. Maybe I am too late. Maybe happen I am looking in the wrong area. But happen they should be near the Gorge Trail. I am confused and disappointed but maybe I can see them next year. Every year I know a little bit more about spring wildflowers and every year I see something new.