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.

Garden therapy and Harbinger-of-Spring.

Harbinger-of-Spring (Erigenia bulbosa)

This week I am very depressed, so happen yesterday I decided to clean my garden pots a little bit. It is too much early to start planting now, but I enjoy playing in soil. Most of my perennials died this winter, but my chives are coming back and my lavender maybe still will live.




Last year my girlfriend gave me gloves with plastic claws, and they are really fun for digging. I also planted some coriander seed today, because cilantro is fine with cool weather. Old Farmers Almanac says we still have cold weather in middle March, so happen I will wait for every other plant.

This morning I went to Clifton Gorge again. We have a lot of rain this last week, so happen some areas were flooded. I can see the Little Miami River carried these logs and sticks onto the trail and pushed away many leaves.


Hepatica is blooming now. When the flower stalk grows, it curls down the flower to protect it from soil. The flower bud and stalk are covered with fine hair. They have a fur coat to protect from early spring cold. The Hepatica leaves are now more green, and they will become more and more green into spring. Hepatica flowers are white or pink, or sometimes purple. Each flower  has three green sepals, six petals, many white stamen, and many green pistils. When the Hepatica flower is finished, it looses all the petals. Most Hepatica plants have several flowers.

I also saw many Harbinger-of-Spring (Erigenia bulbosa). These flowers are tiny and white with maroon anthers. If you do not look for them you will miss them! The leaves are also small and very divided.

I hoped I would find Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale), but I think it likes higher areas. I was very close to the water today. Maybe if I return again and walk on the upper trail I will find them.

Hepatica leaves in the rain.

I went to Clifton Gorge this morning. It is 50 degrees today, but the rain is cold. I saw no people. I heard only water and rain and Canada geese. It is never quiet in Clifton Gorge, because you can always hear the river. But it was quiet with no people. I think the rain keeps them away.

I went to Clifton Gorge to find Spring. Recently the weather is warm and wet. I thought maybe I can see some early wildflowers today. It is still too early, but I can see Spring.

I found Hepatica everywhere. They were hiding under snow all winter. Hepatica leaves have three lobes. The lobes are sometimes pointed and sometimes round, but they are all Hepatica nobilis. 

 Hepatica leaves are many different colors. Later they will be more green, but now they are often red and brown.

 The flowers are only buds now. Maybe I will see them next week.

I found some Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneruon). I don't know how it is still alive from last year. There were many stonecrop buds (Sedum tenatum) on rocks but they will not bloom until later.

There were some small walking ferns (Asplenium rhizophyllum) still alive also.

 There were many brown liverworts. I think they are Conocephalum conicum. They will be green in the Spring.

 Spring is soon. I am ready.

An ocher drop suspended.

Happen I was thinking about "It filled the violet blue sky." and I thought, something still missing.

Then happen I remember lunar eclipse in, I think September 2015. My sisters, my mom, and me we drive home from somewhere, can't remember, long drive. Eclipse start when we drive. We watched in the car, moon disappeared a little bit and a little bit. Finally, change color, dark red brown. Ocher, my big sister her color, blood and brown and orange.

More difficult for remember how feel in 2015. Solar eclipse now really difficult remember, only 3 weeks. Three years more and more difficult. But I try, and the painting feels close. Now, solar and lunar eclipse are together on my wall.

It filled the blue violet sky.

Monday, I went to my grandparents their house for the total solar eclipse. Now, I feel I am forgetting. I painted today, trying to remember. I used a chalk drawing I made on Monday. I tried really hard to remember, but I am still forgetting. I remember the colors. The sky close to the sun was blue violet, deep; my friend said "blue violet void". The sky, more far away, was orange and yellow. I can see planets, maybe stars. Trees and houses and people were blue black shadows.

Most, I remember the corona, the white wisp cotton ghost around the bright ring around the moon; my mom said "gossamer". I want to remember this most, but I am forgetting things. I try to see picture in my mind, but now I remember more my remembering. I drew the chalk drawing, remembering, and then I painted it, remembering from remembering. I am too far from the real thing now for know if I am remembering or faking. I talked with my mom, I said, you remember long tail on left side? you remember break with blue violet sky on an other side? You remember, it was really big? She said, she remembers. She said, I remember right.

But it is really hard to remember. I could see the corona only one minute and 40 seconds. I tried to take picture, but cameras can't see it. They see the ring, but they miss the color of the sky, and they can't remember the big corona. No photographs are right. The painting from today, it is closer.

Button Lichen Studies

This painting series is with watercolors, gouche, ink, and coffee. It shows Amandinea punctata, the Button Lichen, in three scales, broad, magnified, and micro. Because this lichen is both really tiny and have more big structure, I wanted to draw more than one size. I can show detail both larger colonies and also apothecia details. I think this is first time someone paints this lichen. Button Lichen apothecia are really only most 1mm wide, so you can know what scale I draw.