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.

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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

sweet birch
(I meant to say “simple” complexity, not “entire.”)
sourwood
greenbrier
pignut hickory
mockernut hickory
maple-leaf viburnum
eastern hemlock
blueberry/deerberry
American chestnut
chestnut oak
black-gum
 

Geobotany Article

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