Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau
Wahkeena Nature Preserve
This field trip site is at Wahkeena Nature Preserve in Fairfield County.
Here are some interpretative panels at the nature center.
Wahkeena’s Foundation
Wahkeena’s Foundation
The forested parts of the park are dominated by American beech, eastern hemlock, and various oaks and hickories. Let’s go look at some plants!
Ohio geologist Jane Forsyth, in a 1971 article “Geobotany” explained the relationship between vegetation, soil type and the geologic history of Ohio. Wahkeena is contained within the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, a region that includes southeastern Ohio and is characterized by erodible shale capped by erosion resistant sandstone. The result after erosion is deep valleys of steep-sided sandstone hills. There is a suite of species, including several woody ones, that are found mainly in this environment. They are acid-loving plants.
Scroll to the bottom of this page to read the article.
To view the key points about acid-loving (sandstone-associated) plants
mentioned in “Geobotany,” use the image slider below.
These are the trees we saw there. Below the list, soon there will be some videos we made in the field.
PLANT LIST
(Wahkeena Nature Preserve)
with Links to Species Pages
| Betula lenta L. | SWEET BIRCH | Betulaceae | native tree |
| Carya glabra (Mill.) Sweet | PIGNUT HICKORY | Juglandaceae | native tree |
| Carya tomentosa (Poir.) Nutt. | MOCKERNUT HICKORY | Juglandaceae | native tree |
| Castanea dentata (Marshall) Borkh. | AMERICAN CHESTNUT | Fagaceae | native tree |
| Fraxinus americana L. | WHITE ASH | Oleaceae | native tree |
| Nyssa sylvatica Marshall | BLACK-GUM | Nyssaceae | native tree |
| Oxydendrum arboreum (L.) DC. | SOURWOOD | Ericaceae | native tree |
| Quercus montana Willd. | CHESTNUT OAK | Fagaceae | native tree |
| Smilax sp. | BRISTLY GREENBRIER | Smilacaceae | native vine |
| Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere | EASTERN HEMLOCK | Pinaceae | native tree |
| Vaccinium sp. | DEERBERRY | Ericaceae | native shrub |
| Viburnum acerifolium L. | MAPLE-LEAVED VIBURNUM | Caprifoliaceae | native shrub |
Vids
white ash
(I meant to say “simple” complexity, not “entire.”)
Geobotany Article
GEOBOTANY-ARTICLE (1)