Firefly & Biodiversity 2024
Day Field Trips
Participants will take part in three day-long field trips to some of South-Central Ohio’s premier natural destinations. During the registration process, you will be asked for your top preferences. Note that on Friday you will be asked to choose between attending a field trip or enjoying an afternoon indoor orientation to firefly natural history and firefly identification. If this is your first time attending this event, we highly recommend you attend the orientation.
Firefly-lit tree at Tremper Mound by Neal Linebaugh
Friday, June 14, 2023
#1 Friday 1:30pm - 5:00pm Chalet Nivale Nature Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 28 miles (39 minutes)
Length of Trail: 3.25-mile loop trails
Difficulty: This trail is moderate to difficult due to its trail length, several creek crossings and rocky, uneven terrain.
The woodlands at Chalet Nivale are a sheltered forest-type called “mixed mesophytic,” which is typical of Appalachian coves. The plant community is known for having a high tree species count without any one genus or species being particularly dominant. Several woody species at Chalet Nivale are especially adapted to alkaline soils, such as chinquapin oak, leatherwood, and white cedar. The ancient white cedars clinging to the rim of the cliffs are isolated hundreds of miles south of their primary range in Canada. Deep in the gorge, plant life is exceptionally lush with plants that are dependent upon karst habitats. Chalet Nivale supports unusually large colonies of the rare snow trillium (Trillium nivale), found on exposed bedrock and in the gravelly bottomlands. This field trip will focus on plant and stream diversity with plenty of hiking in between. This trip also includes creeking and several small stream crossings so come prepared with waterproof hiking shoes or an additional pair of wading boots.
#2 Friday 1:30pm - 5:00pm The Buzzards Roost Rock Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 17 miles (29 minutes)
Length of Trail: 3.00 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: This trail is difficult due to its trail length, steady elevation change and rocky, uneven terrain.
The most popular of all trails in the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System is the one that leads to Buzzards Roost Rock, which stands like a giant limestone monument far above the waters of Ohio Brush Creek. The panoramic scene from this hilltop has been called Ohio’s most spectacular view. This site is co-owned by The Nature Conservatory, Ohio Chapter and the Cincinnati Museum Center
The 465-acre protected area is named for the turkey and black vultures (buzzards) frequently seen soaring above or roosting on the rock. This dolomitic outcrop towers 300 feet above the valley and provides habitat for a number of rare prairie plant species, including the plains muhlenbergia grass, which is classified as an endangered species in Ohio. This is one of the longer and more strenuous hikes offered for our Early Afternoon Field Trips on Friday at a steady 2.2 mile one way incline and a 4.4 mile loop trip. This is a summer season hike and It will be a continuous incline to top so remember to bring lots of water.
#3 Friday 1:30 - 5:00 pm
E. Lucy Braun Lynx Prairie Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 16 miles (25 minutes)
Length of Trail: 2 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: This trail is easy to moderate, with little to no elevation change.
Lynx Prairie is one of the quintessential Xeric Limestone-Barren communities of Adams County. This globally rare ecosystem was first recognized for its uniquely adapted plant communities by legendary Ohio botanist and conservational pioneer, Emma Lucy Braun. The Lynx Prairie still remains today as one of her most influential and impactful botanical haunts. The 1.5 mile loop trail found within the preserve winds through scattered complexes of xeric short-grass prairie openings bound by scenic Post Oak Savannas and resilient Cedar Glades, Nearing the Summer Solstice, the strangely beautiful Green Comet Milkweed and Whorled Milkweed begin making their appearance across the prairie openings alongside a mosaic of other classic late-spring, early-summer prairie forbes such as purple coneflower, black-eyed Susans and Indian paintbrush. The amazing diversity of Lepidoptera is on full display in this habitat. Photo by John Howard
#4 Friday 1:30pm - 5:00pm The Elf Ear Barrens Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 30 miles
Length of Trail: no trail
Difficulty: Easy to moderate, with slight elevation change
Led by Bob Klips, Professor Emeritus at OSU, and author of the recently published book, Common Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens of Ohio. This extremely in-depth, colorfully illustrated book is destined to do for bryophytes what earlier field guides did for popularizing birds, wildflowers, butterflies and dragonflies. The 87-acre Elf Ear Barrens is one of the Arc’s newest preserves, donated in its entirety by AEP, American Electric Power and located in northern Adams County. Here the ground is literally carpeted with mosses and lichens.
Visiting botanists recorded 361 plant species before the summer season arrived, a list that is far from complete. The diminutive extremely rare lichen found on the site, Normandina pulchella, the Elf-Ear Lichen, appropriately became the property’s namesake. Nine species of oaks are found on the property, including post, blackjack, and Schumard. If you love botany, you will love this trip. For those of you wanting to dip your toe into the green world of mosses and lichens, here’s your chance to wet your feet with an expert teacher and field biologist.
Saturday June 15th
#5 Saturday 10:30am - 4:00pm Ohio Hanging Rock Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 32 miles (48 minutes)
Length of Trail: 4 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: This trail is difficult due to its trail length, frequent elevation changes and rocky, uneven terrain.
750-acre preserve shelters steep Appalachian hills in NE Scioto County, a region rich in moist coves, and deep ravines. The preserve’s high elevation rock features were once the wave-swept shoreline of an immense glacial lake called Lake Tight. The forests harbor predominantly Southern Appalachian flora, like Azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) and the state listed Southern Red Oak (Quercus falcata). The preserve’s geology has also fostered an extensive cultural history which is equally rich. The region was once the center of bustling and extractive charcoal, iron and brick industries during the 19th and early 20th century. Despite these centuries long disturbances, the forests today are remarkably pristine. The scenery is absolutely stunning. The preserve’s ferns, 16 species in all, are particularly diverse and lush. This field trip and your guide will offer fascinating insights into the flora, geology and cultural history of Ohio Hanging Rock while also enjoying the spectacular scenery.
#6 Saturday 10:30am - 4:00pm
Sandy Springs Dunes at Rock Run Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 22 miles (27 minutes)
Length of Trail: No trail
Difficulty: Easy, with no elevation change.
Sandy Springs is literally a one-of-a-kind ecosystem. Sandy Springs contains an oxbow of the Ohio River which marks our state’s southernmost reach. Here, at this very point, there is an abrupt bedrock shift between the shales and sandstones of SE Ohio, and the older dolomites and limestones of SW Ohio. At this bedrock boundary, where the Ohio River channel narrows, an immense quantity of sand has been deposited over the millennia. During the Pleistocene, glacial winds shaped these sands into sand dunes, the only surviving remnant of which is found in the preserve. These heavy sand deposits act as a disjunct haven for specialized flora like the Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus. We have a very good chance of seeing some of the site’s Eastern Prickly Pear cacti in bloom. If you are looking to just hike, this field trip may not be for you as it’s not particularly fulfilling in that regard. Please consider one of our other field trips offered on this day. If you are interested in learning more about one of Ohio's rarest habitats, this is a special opportunity.
#7 Saturday 10:30am - 4:00pm
Gladys Riley Golden Star Lily Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 14 miles (22 minutes)
Length of Trail: 2.5 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: This trail is moderate to difficult due to its trail length, occasional elevation changes and rocky, uneven terrain.
Situated just outside of a small town called Otway in northwestern Scioto County, this 186-acre preserve is a botanical gem, with pristine tributaries leading into Scioto Brush Creek. The preserve’s steep lower slopes shelter a mature Mixed Mesophytic Forest. Impressive specimens of White Walnut, Black Birch, Sweet Gum, Tulip Poplar, American Beech, Ash and Yellow Buckeye abound. Several massive Green Ash trees that have succumbed to EAB, still stand in the bottomlands like giant ghosts. A profusion of ephemeral and herbaceous diversity line the forest floors, including the state-endangered Golden Star Lily (Erythronium rostratum) which, although rare throughout its limited range, grows at this preserve in abundance. This preserve is, in fact, the only place in the world this plant grows in exuberant abundance. This field trip will give special focus to tree diversity and its ecology, as well as general nature discovery.
#8 Saturday 10:30am - 4:00pm Odell Creek at Shawnee State Forest
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 5 miles (7 minutes)
Length of Trail: No trail
Difficulty: Easy to moderate, with semi-challenging creek crossings
Odell Creek is a seldom visited part of the state forest that has an incredibly pristine creek and a variety of wooded and more open habitats. This is a slice of what makes the Shawnee State Forest so special. The region is a unique haven in Ohio for northern outliers of Southern Appalachian flora and fauna. The place is loaded with diversity, and the creek has some phenomenal fish species. The rosyside dace, for instance, is a species found only in a handful of streams in four of Ohio’s southernmost counties. This is your opportunity to find your inner child by looking for fish, salamanders, crawdads, wildflowers, trees, birds and butterflies - actually, anything moves or breathes! Literally, the sky's the limit since we will be visiting Odell during the peak of bird breeding season in Ohio. We will be engaged in both creeking and hiking, so please come clad in duo-purpose hiking/wading shoes or sandals. This destination is only a 5 minute drive from the Lodge, leaving plenty of time after to continue the fun or taking an opportunity to settle back in before the evening program.
#9 Saturday 10:30am - 4:00pm Rock Run Wilderness Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: Approximately 22 miles (27 minutes)
Length of Trail: 3.5 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: This trail is difficult due to its trail length, elevation changes and rocky, uneven terrain.
Rock Run is a preserve that stands in a class of its own in south central Ohio’s most rugged Appalachian hill country. This expansive 802-acre preserve is surrounded by the 60,000-acre Shawnee State Forest. It is composed of steep, highly dissected hills along the flank of the Ohio River Valley. Massive beds of erosion-resistant sandstones and siltstones belonging to the Buena Vista formation line the upper slopes, from which offer stunning panoramas of the valley when the leaves have fallen. The quarrying of the bedrock for Ohio’s earliest urban architecture has left an intriguing signature on the land, including amphibian-rich upland wetlands. South-facing slopes overlooking the Ohio River are covered in a mature oak-hickory forest. If you are an experienced hiker and looking to do more hiking than naturalizing, this is for you. But your guide will point out things as you walk and answer any questions you may have along the way. This is a summer field trip and It will be a gradual but extended ascent to the top of the ridge so remember to bring lots of water.
#10 Saturday 10:30am - 4:00pm
Raven Rock State Nature Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 11 miles (16 minutes)
Length of Trail: 2.5 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: This trail is difficult due to its trail length, elevation change and rocky, uneven terrain.
Raven Rock is a promontory of Mississippian age sandstone overlooking the Ohio River Valley. While various legends exist as to how the hill received its name, from the air, it takes on the shape of a bird with outstretched wings. Today, the preserve continues to offer a panoramic view of the Ohio River valley. The preserve is home to the potentially threatened blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica), and is one of the few sites in Ohio with intact sandstone arches. Its cultural significance within this part of the Ohio River Valley goes back millennia. Prehistoric Native Americans ceremonially erected stone cairns along the spine of the ridge that lead to the Raven Rock Overlook. Later Native Americans continued to utilize the overlook as a lookout point for incoming travelers along the Ohio River which was a major transportation route. Early white settlers began visiting the site in the early 19th century, where numerous carvings were etched into the sandstone and can still be seen today.
Sunday June 16th
#11 Sunday 10:30 - 4:00pm Quiverheart Gorge Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 23 miles (35 minutes)
Length of Trail: 3.5 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: This trail is difficult due to its trail length, elevation change and rocky, uneven terrain.
Tucked away within the rolling hills of northeastern Adams County, Quiverheart Gorge Preserve is home to the largest dolomite gorge and waterfalls in the entire county - a sister steep-sided canyon to the Sanctuary and Clifton Gorge filled with stunning rock formations. Until the Arc acquired this preserve a year ago (an amazing story that will be shared), very few people knew this feature even existed. Spectacular cliff overlooks, deep rock recesses, karst landscapes and boulder-strewn talus slopes dominate the scenery in all directions. Lots of niche habitats abound, including scattered pockets of old cedar glades, karst cliffs and rims, and lush moss-covered glens. The cold water stream and its proliferation of life will be a special focus during this discovery field trip. Wading shoes are optional. Quiverheart is an ecological safe haven, endowed with both geological drama and soul-satisfying serenity.
#12 Sunday 10:30am - 4:00pm Kamama Prairie Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 21 miles (32 minutes)
Length of Trail: 2.5 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate, with little elevation change and small creek crossings.
“Ka-ma-ma, ” the Cherokee word for butterfly, is a gracefully succinct name for the rare alkaline shortgrass prairie community that is protected inside this preserve. Kamama has one of the richest Lepidoptera diversity in the state, including many rare butterfly and moth species. We now know that Kamama shelters 75 of Ohio’s 135 species of butterflies, and several of them are exceedingly rare. Moths are equally diverse. Kamama has produced not only new county and state moth species records, but even a moth species new to science. It is also exceedingly rich in reptiles and birds. Stretching across the preserve’s heavily weathered karst slopes of Peebles Dolomite, Kamama shelters an outstanding botanical community with a disproportionate percentage of rare and endangered plants - 27 species in all. We will have the chance to see unusual flowers such as anglepod, downy woodmint, heartleaf golden alexander, pencil flower, spider milkweed, purple meadowrue, smooth phlox, and wafer ash.
#13 Sunday 10:30am - 4:00pm Plum Run Prairie Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 27 miles (41 minutes)
Length of Trail: 2.5 miles (out and back)
Difficulty: Easy to moderate, with little elevation change and small creek crossing.
Plum Run - with its woodland wildflowers in May, its peak prairie flower showcases in August, and its seas of rippling tall grasses in late fall - offers compelling landscapes throughout the entire year. Spanning 140 acres, the preserve may be the only place in Ohio with intact communities of two prairie communities: a tallgrass prairie typical of the midwestern plains, and an eastern shortgrass prairie known as a cedar glade. For over 20 million years, these temperate forests and two prairies have co-existed, expanded, contracted, co-evolved, and competed for land. We will see many of the plants, insects, and birdlife during our trip, and will have plenty of chances to admire large swaths of tall prairie grasses. We will keep a special eye out for Edward Hairstreaks, a very rare butterfly that is completely dependent upon the mound-building ant populations that are particularly prominent in this preserve. Photo of Martin McAlister & Moundbuilder Ants
#14 Sunday 10:30am - 4:00pm
Tour of Tremper Mound & Remnants of the Great Portsmouth Works
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 18 miles (24 minutes)
Length of Trail: Around 1.5 miles of walking total
Difficulty: Easy, with very little elevation change.
One of the most expansive and dramatic ceremonial complexes ever constructed by Hopewell peoples, was built on the ground below Portsmouth, where the Scioto meets the Ohio River, over 2,000 years ago by the Hopewell Culture. The Great Portsmouth Earthworks was a 25 square mile sacred landscape, from Tremper Mound to the north to the towering concentric circles situated on the north shore of Kentucky, The region sheltered some of the greatest prehistoric art and engineering known to humankind. We will walk within the intact walls of Tremper Mound, where you will learn of the fascinating effigy smoking pipes that were buried here. We will then head south to the center of the complex in downtown Portsmouth, where thousands of fascinating artifacts from Portsmouth Earthworks are respectfully housed. The tour will be led by Elijah Crabtree, Arc Regional Manager, and Emily Uldrich, Director of Main Street Portsmouth In Bloom.
#15 Sunday 1:30pm - 5:00pm Elf Ear Barrens Preserve
Distance from Shawnee Lodge: approximately 30 miles
Length of Trail: no trail
Difficulty: Easy to moderate, with slight elevation change
Led by Bob Klips, Professor Emeritus at OSU, and author of the recently published book, Common Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens of Ohio. This extremely in-depth, colorfully illustrated book is destined to do for bryophytes what earlier field guides did for popularizing birds, wildflowers, butterflies and dragonflies. The 87-acre Elf Ear Barrens is one of the Arc’s newest preserves, donated in its entirety by AEP, American Electric Power and located in northern Adams County. Here the ground is literally carpeted with mosses and lichens.
Visiting botanists recorded 361 plant species before the summer season arrived, a list that is far from complete. The diminutive extremely rare lichen found on the site, Normandina pulchella, the Elf-Ear Lichen, appropriately became the property’s namesake. Nine species of oaks are found on the property, including post, blackjack, and Schumard. For those of you wanting to dip your toe into the green world of mosses and lichens, here’s your chance to wet your feet with an expert teacher and field biologist.