Ohio River Bluffs

Fantastic Wildflower Displays. The Ohio River Bluffs is an outstanding example of a classic Ohio River corridor forest with its high density of spring wildflowers – a distinctive mix of species that was once the hallmark of the Ohio River’s steep bluffs lining the river corridor where Silurian limestone bedrock is exposed. This is the same bedrock that supports the noteworthy wildflower displays at nearby Whipple State Nature Preserve and the Arc of Appalachia’s Highlands Nature Sanctuary. The Bluffs is arguably the most splendid and showy wildflower display of them all. Ohio River Bluffs preserves the last remnant of what was once an unbroken floral display several miles in length.

Ohio River Bluffs has a wildflower display so spectacular that it is not unusual for automobiles passing by to pull off US-52 to pause to take in the magnificent view: a long stretch of steep bluffs covered with a nearly solid carpet of wildflowers from the base to the ridgetop. The species diversity is not particularly high, but the density of flowers is stunning – almost overwhelming to the eye. The most common flowers for the site include Virginia bluebells, blue-eyed Mary, toad trillium, dwarf larkspur and wild hyacinth. The trailside panoramas from the top of steep limestone bluffs southward are equally attractive. As one stands in drifts of twinflower, one can see the sinuous sweeping curves of the Ohio River below, and further beyond, the hills of Kentucky.

Woodlands. The entire tract is forested with a rich mixture of diverse tree species, including white oak, sugar maple, red oak, elm, hackberry, Kentucky coffee tree, and white ash. The understory woody layer is dominated by young buckeye trees. The forest was timbered just prior to the Arc’s acquisition, which would have caused an influx of bush honeysuckle that would have annihilated the flowers had Arc staff and volunteers not intervened to remove them.