Through The Woods
  • Home
  • Blog
  • A Hiker's Guide
  • Plant Profiles
  • One Year Studies
    • Johnson's Woods >
      • Johnson's Woods
    • Barnes Preserve >
      • Barnes Short Loop
      • Barnes Long Loop
      • BP Pond Overlook
    • Walton Woods Wildflower Sanctuary >
      • Walton Woods Lower Trail
      • Walton Woods Burning Bush
    • Brown's Lake Bog >
      • Bog Boardwalk
      • Bog Loop
    • Wooster Memorial Park >
      • Sycamore Tree
      • Trillium Hill
      • WMP Prairie
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • Photography

Oak Openings

8/9/2017

0 Comments

 
The Oak Openings area has been called "One of the 200 'Last Great Places on Earth'" by the Nature Conservancy, and rightly so, this sandy region that is part of the Toledo Metroparks is a rare and unique ecosystem known as an Oak Savanna.
​Let's start with some Q & A then we'll get into the cool things we found...

What is an Oak Savanna?
An Oak Savanna is commonly defined as a plant community where trees are a part of the landscape but their density is so low as to allow grasses and prairie vegetation to dominate the community. 
Another way to think about that would be by gauging the tree canopy density - I know, that sounds complicated, but stick with me here - we'll pretend it's noon in midsummer, if you were in an oak savanna there would be less than 50% shadow coverage or half the ground would be in sunlight, if there was more than 50% shadow coverage you're in a woodland or forest.

Why is it so rare?
Early travelers in the Midwest would remark on how "park-like" these areas were, with the large trees and easy to traverse grasses. This made these areas easy to inhabit while settlers moved west and why many of these areas have disappeared.

Why don't these areas become woodlands?
The oak savannas of the midwest are closely linked (ecologically and topographically) to the native prairies of the area - these are the types of plants that grow well in these areas. However, as woodlands encroach on the savannas, and as leaf litter builds up, it is common practice to perform routine managed fires (when the midwestern savanna stretched from Texas to Canada, this would occur naturally through lightning strikes). Oak trees are equipped with unique fire-resistant qualities allowing the grasses and other trees and shrubs to be burnt down while the oaks remain fine. It's also been found that fire, while it will burn oak saplings to the ground, actually help the saplings grow deeper roots which will then allow the sapling to grow back stronger.

Alright, now tell me about this particular savanna - Oak Openings.
So, the Oak Openings (Toledo Metropark) takes its name from the surrounding oak openings region, which is 23 times larger than the park itself - that is huge as the park itself is about 5,000 acres!!
The area is incredibly diverse - prickly-pear cactus, wild lupine,  and sand cherry can be found on the hot sand dunes while just yards away there will be delicate orchids blooming in the low, wet swales.
Back thousands of years during the Late Wisconsin Period the glaciers flattened  and leveled the ground in the area all the while depositing clay till. This formed the basis for the "Great Black Swamp" south of the Maumee River. When the glacier melted back, it blocked the outlet for Lake Erie, so all the meltwater deposited sand into the shallow pro-glacial lakes. From Napoleon, OH to west of Detroit, Michigan it is known as the "sand belt". When the water receded, the sand was blown into dunes sitting on top of the impervious (non-draining) clay till - this is how the area can have such diversity so close together - the water flows through the sand leaving the sand dry but with the clay base the water flows to the adjacent poorly drained swales making water available to plants and animals in the Oak Openings. 
​
What did we see?
When we arrived, I don't think either of us had any idea of just how big this park was - turns out there's over 50 miles of trails through a variety of different habitats - so we opted for the one that would work best for the amount of time we had - the Sand Dunes (red) trail. We started the journey through a cool coniferous forest that led us to the breath-taking openings. I still can't find the words to describe what it was like there, it was cool and covered but bright, you could see through the trees for what felt like miles, the ground, while covered, maintained the comforting safe visibility that I'm sure the settlers found to be ideal (no giant monsters hiding in those woods!). The covering - to my surprise - was mostly light and airy ferns (makes sense now that I know about the clay, sand, and water, and how they work together). The oaks in this area were huge!
As we continued on, we came to the sand dunes where we may have lost the trail and may have wandered further than we should have but we came across the most interesting scene.
In the sand we found all sorts of tracks, people, birds, dogs, and then one that looked like a snake - like a snake with legs. So we follow the trail to see what it could be. At the very end of the trail we came to a grassy patch where resting in the shade we found a cicada still in its shell! We followed the trail back the other way, roughly 70 to 80 ft away we found the hole from where it emerged! 
We always knew cicadas emerged from holes in the ground, and that it molted on trees, but we never knew it would crawl that far in the hot midday sun to get from one point to the other!
​In the picture >> you can see the hole from which it emerged and all the way over by the greenery you can see me standing by where it was found! 
Picture
A very awesome discovery to be sure! From there we back-tracked until we found the trail again and wandered back through low wetlands, forested areas, and savanna.
This is an area I'd like to spend more time, see it through the different seasons, watch as it comes back after a burn.
As we left, we stopped by a different trail where during the Great Depression WPA workers planted stands of isolated pine and spruce.
I highly recommend checking out this area to everyone whether interested in birding, flowers, geology, or just taking a nice stroll - this is the place!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

      Email list
      ​Sign up

    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

    About

    Since 2015 we have been exploring and sharing all the amazing things we’ve found in nature.
    From great and unique places to explore, to learning about new and interesting plant species, to understanding the earth’s cycles.
    Follow along and discover new and interesting things about the world around you. 

    Author

    Emily is an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist who is most often found out in the woods. 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015

    Categories

    All
    2018 Winter Prediction
    2 Year Anniversary
    3 Year Anniversary
    All About Ferns
    American Kestrel
    April Inspiration
    April Recap
    Ash Cave
    Ashland County
    Audubon Wetlands Preserve
    Autumn
    Backyard Naturalist
    Bald Eagle
    Barne's Preserve
    Beauty
    Bedstraw
    Bee Balm
    Bee-Balm
    Bergamot
    Big Dipper
    Birding
    Birding Ohio
    Birds
    Birdseed
    Bird's-Foot Trefoil
    Birds In The Winter
    Bishops Cap
    Bloodroot
    Bluebird
    Blue Jay
    Blue Phlox
    Bluet
    Blue Vervain
    Bog
    Bog Swamp Fen Marsh
    Branched Coral Fungi
    Brecksville /OH
    Broadleaf Enchanter's Nightshade
    Brown's Lake Bog
    Bugs
    Burning Bush
    Buttercup
    Butterfly
    Canada Anemone
    Carex
    Carnivore
    Caution
    Cedar Bog
    Cedar Falls
    Chickweed
    Chicory
    Chippewa Trail
    Cinquefoil
    Clear Wing
    Cleavers
    Climate-change
    Clover
    Cohosh
    Coltsfoot
    Common Mallow
    Conkle's Hollow
    Conservation
    Cooper's Hawk
    Corn Speedwell
    Crow
    Crown Vetch
    Cutleaf Toothwort
    CVNP
    Dandelion
    Dead Nettle
    Decomposition
    Deep Lock Quarry
    Deer
    Dew Drop
    Dragonflies
    Driving
    Dundee Falls
    Dutchman's Breeches
    Dwarf Ginseng
    Eastern Comma
    Endangered
    Etiquette
    Evening Primrose
    Explore
    Explore Ohio
    Facts
    Fall
    Fall Hiking
    Fall Hiking Spree
    Fall Wildflowers
    False Mermaid
    February
    February Recap
    Fleabane
    Flower Spotlight
    Foraging
    Fungi
    Garden
    Garlic Mustard
    Geranium
    Giant Blue Cohosh
    Giant Leopard Moth
    Golden Alexander
    Golden-crowned Kinglet
    Goldenrod
    Gray Headed Coneflower
    Great Blue Lobelia
    Greater Celandine
    Grosjean Park
    Ground Ivy
    Groundsel
    Hampton Hills
    Hawkweed
    Hepatica
    Herb
    Herbal
    Highlights
    Hike
    Hike Ohio
    Hiker's Guide To Wayne County
    Hiking
    Hiking Alone
    Hiking Ohio
    Hocking Hills State Park
    How To Observe
    Hummingbird
    Hummingbird Moth
    Indian Cucumber
    Indian Cucumber Root
    Insects
    Inspiration
    Invasive
    Invasive Species
    Jack In The Pulpit
    Japanese Beetles
    John Muir
    Johnson Woods Nature Preserve
    July
    Kestrel
    Kidney Leaf Buttercup
    Killer Plants
    Lamb's Quarters
    Ledges
    Lesser Celandine
    Liberty Park
    Lichen
    Little Apple Creek
    Magee Marsh
    March 2018 Review
    Marsh
    Mayapple
    Meadow
    Meditation
    Metroparks
    Mines
    Mockingbird
    Monarch
    Moonville
    Moth
    Mullein
    Mushrooms
    Naturalist Studies
    Natural Remedy
    Nature
    Nature.org
    Nature Quote
    Needle Ice
    New Year Hike
    Night
    Nine Months
    Northeast Ohio
    Nuthatch
    Oak Openings
    Observations
    ODNR
    Ohio
    Ohio Caverns
    Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist
    Ohio Hiking
    Ohio Parks
    Ohio Spiderwort
    #ohiowildflowers
    Ohio Wildflowers
    Old Man's Cave
    O'Neil Woods
    One Year Series
    One Year Study
    Orchid
    Oriental Bittersweet
    Outdoor Safety
    Park
    Partridgeberry
    Phenology
    Phlox
    Pitcher Plant
    Plantain Leaved Sedge
    Plant Care
    Poem
    Purple Cress
    Queen Anne's Lace
    Quote
    Ragweed
    Rattlesnake Master
    Recipe
    Rock House
    Rose Pogonia Orchid
    Rue Anemone
    Rural Fall Hiking
    Rut
    Safety
    Safety Tips
    Sandhill Crane
    Sandstone
    Scarlet Cup Fungus
    Scheuchzeria
    Self Heal
    September Recap
    Serpent Mound
    Shepherd's Purse
    Shreve
    Silver Creek Metro Park
    Skunk Cabbage
    Smilax
    Sneezeweed
    Snow
    Solo Hiking
    Spangler
    Spangler Park
    Spree For All
    Spring
    Spring Wildflowers
    Squirrel Corn
    Stars
    State Nature Preserve
    Storm
    Summer Flowers
    Summer Fun
    Summit County
    Summit County Metro Parks
    Summit Metro Parks
    Sundrops
    Sunrise
    Swamp
    Swamp Buttercup
    Sweet Clover
    Tea
    Teasel
    The Wilderness Center
    Thimbleweed
    Timelapse
    Tobacco Hornworm
    Toothwort
    Trees
    Trillium
    Trillium Trail
    Trout Lily
    Tufted Titmouse
    Turkey Tail Fungus
    Two Leaf Toothwort
    Velvetleaf
    Viceroy
    Virginia Knotweed
    Walk
    Walton Woods
    Waterfall
    Waterleaf
    Wayne County
    Wayne County Ohio
    Werewolves
    West Branch State Park
    White Avens
    White Baneberry
    Wild Blue Phlox
    Wildflower
    Wildflower-count-2017
    Wildflowers
    Wild-geranium
    Wild-ginger
    Willow-gall
    Winter
    Winter Birds
    Wood Anemone
    Wood Hollow
    Woodland Sedge
    Wooster
    Wooster Memorial Park
    Wooster Ohio
    Yarrow
    Yellow
    Yellow Springs
    Zaleski
    Zizia

  • Home
  • Blog
  • A Hiker's Guide
  • Plant Profiles
  • One Year Studies
    • Johnson's Woods >
      • Johnson's Woods
    • Barnes Preserve >
      • Barnes Short Loop
      • Barnes Long Loop
      • BP Pond Overlook
    • Walton Woods Wildflower Sanctuary >
      • Walton Woods Lower Trail
      • Walton Woods Burning Bush
    • Brown's Lake Bog >
      • Bog Boardwalk
      • Bog Loop
    • Wooster Memorial Park >
      • Sycamore Tree
      • Trillium Hill
      • WMP Prairie
  • Shop
    • Shop
    • Photography