myOhionatives.com
Ohio state nature preserves
Ohio has 89 state nature preserves and not every county has one. As a matter of fact some counties have 3, 4, even five. Many of the preserves are given to the state from a Family, corporation or a single person, who wishes the rest of the state and all people can enjoy the beauty that certain eco-system offers. I have spent many days this 2011 summer visiting many of them, I've been to about a third of them. Each one is so different, with such diversity, I am amazed each visit. From the Remnant Black swamp prairies, to the sand dunes, to the old growth forest, bogs, fens, sedge meadows, cliffs, ridges, gorges. All these areas are remnants of what use to be, and luckily they are set aside so humans can experience their wonder. To see trees that are 400 hundred years old and a butterfly the size of a dime, located no where else in Ohio. Rare species of certain eco-systems depend on these preserves for their existence in the world. Many would be gone for ever without them. The Elfin Skimmer at Cedar bog, the Karner Blue at Oak openings, the list goes on.
This web page will be around till (and after) I have visited all the preserves in Ohio, that could take awhile and sounds like fun. There is a photo gallery for you to see some of the beauty, it too, will be updated as I get more photos.
Here is a list of the preserves I have visited; Cedar Bog, Kitty Todd nature preserve,(Nature conservancy) Irwin Prairie, Goode Prairie, Fowler woods, Collier woods, Gross woods, Oak openings, Kiser Lake wetlands, Springfield Marsh, Davey woods, Greenville Falls, Erie Sand Barrens, Sheldon Marsh, Adams Lake state prairie, Whipple, Johnson Ridge, Chaparral Prairie, Davis Memorial, Clifton Gorge, Conkles Hollow, Rockbridge and Lake Katherine, Desonier, Boord, Rockbridge and Stage's Pond