 Found all across Ohio, this native member of the bittersweet family enjoys stream banks, moist open woods, and thickets in light shade to dappled sun conditions. This specimen was found along a manmade channel growing in the understory of silver maples. It goes by a number of different names: Wahoo, Eastern Wahoo, Burning Bush (not to be confused with the invasive winged burning bush), Spindle Tree, Arrow Wood, and Hearts Bursting With Love. Wahoo is a word from the Dakota Tribe meaning arrow-wood.
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While out hiking in southern Holmes County this weekend, I came across a sight I’ve never seen before. I could tell I was in the presence of Bob, and by Bob, of course I mean the elusive Bobcat. Morning, noon, or night, bobcats can be found roaming around but they prefer the dawn and dusk hours. Very shy and rarely spotted in real time, they often show up on trail cams or, unfortunately, after being hit by a car. Take a look at your house cat, or your friend’s house cat, or your neighbor’s house cat, now double it in size - that’s how big these elusive wildcats are. Making my way down the trail, admiring the lovely leaves that seemed to glow in the late morning light, I noticed this bare spot amongst the fallen leaves.  Leaning in closer to see if I could spot any tracks or digging or anything that might give away what this bare patch was the scent hit me. Having had pet cats my entire life I knew that scent well. Strong ammonia that makes your eyes water. A cat, a large cat by the size of the bare spot, has left their mark. There are three ways bobcats communicate, visual signals, vocalizations, and scent. They use scent by urinating along travel routes, depositing feces in latrine sites and scraping urine and feces along trails (this last one is what we see here). It’s a little more difficult to decipher what this big cat is trying to tell us as sometimes it means:
Though, marking scrapes in the ground is often attributed to mark a cat’s territory. We are fast approaching bobcat breeding season, although it can occur anytime throughout the year, the peak time occurs from December - May. The ideal location for a natal den is rock outcroppings. After 8 weeks, the young will be fully weaned and will disperse to begin life on their own in the fall and late winter. Once common throughout Ohio, bobcats were extirpated from the state by 1850. Repopulation efforts began in the mid-1900s and sightings have become more frequent since the early 2000s. The data below is from a survey conducted from 1970 to 2021.
While bobcats are adaptable to a wide range of ecosystems, they do avoid areas of intense agriculture, highly developed areas, and areas with lots of human activity. Instead they prefer areas with adequate prey and cover. These include conifer and hardwood forests, deserts, swamps, and brushy fields. Dense vegetation and topography such as rock outcroppings are important areas that offer resting and den sites. Another 50 feet down the path I came across another scrape, nearly identical to the first. Were these scrapes from a female at the beginning of mating season or a cat establishing a territory boundary or maybe a young bobcat who just left the den and is trying to find their place in the area. Whatever the answer may be I’m excited to see evidence of these big cats moving back to the area. How time flies when we're out having fun. This summer, this whole year really, has been so rich with curiosity and exploration. I've spent the last six months deep in the Killbuck Swamp areas, photographing the sights, keeping track of the species of interest. Though I'm not ready to share about all that just yet, do know I've been keeping extensive notes, potentially for a big future project.  Much like the leaves on the trees, life sheds what is no longer needed. This can be a door closing, a heart changing, silence where there once was sound. Things are falling, and while we might not be able to see it yet, they are falling into place. I hope to join you all here again soon.  |
AboutSince 2015 we have been exploring and sharing all the amazing things we’ve found in nature. AuthorEmily is an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist who is most often found out in the woods. Archives
March 2025
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