Ohio River: the way we roll-

While attending to several engagements in southern Ohio, I also spent an enjoyable afternoon along the river.


What could be better than a second story porch view of the Ohio River? Doo doo doo, looking out my backdoor at River Haven. This charming Bed and Breakfast is but a mile away from Manchester Island, part of the National Wildlife Refuge.


Birding and botanizing the river bluff couldn't be easier. While scaning from my roost, I found one of my favorite plants- False Indigo, Amorpha fruticosa. It is the host plant for both the Southern Dogface butterfly- a butterfly with a 'dog face' pattern on the wings- and the amazing Amorpha Borer! That alone would be a good start for a backyard bio-blitz.

Just below the porch are the groundskeepers. Goat's make outstanding botany browsers and invasive plant control. They are increasingly popular for invasive vegetation mitigation. But please- don't let them eat the Amorpha!

A bit further to the west on Rt. 52, lies another historic Ohio River town, Ripley. Their waterfront area has a beautiful walkway, reminiscent of ones found in Charleston, South Carolina.

On down the street is the Parker House, complete with a placard telling of the black man who bought his way to freedom, and of Ripley's own John Rankin, an active member of of the underground railroad movement to free slaves in the mid 1800's. The Rankin name rang a bell for me, as Lexington Ohio also boasts of a Rankin underground railroad house of it own. Must have been a family business.

The next couple of days will be packed with birds (and a little botany) from Adams and Scioto County. It has certainly been warm here in southern Ohio, but we pay it no heed, just like Old Man River- we keeps on rolling along.

Amorpha Made the Beetle

A recent expedition to Adams and Scioto counties was carefully planned to find the colorful, yet elusive Amorpha Borer beetle. Some (like Jim McCormac) say this is the most attractive insect on earth. While this blog mildly contests that statement, I strongly submit- Amorpha made the beetle!

Photo by Wikipedia
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False Indigo (or Desert False Indigo) Amorpha fruticosa is a plant with a limited range in Ohio. It is found on the water edges along the Lake Erie and the Ohio River. There is also an isolated population at Killdeer Plains and in other counties where it was most likely spread by man. It is considered native in Ohio, due to the southern-most population. But before I would get on this extremely attractive native's bandwagon- I must warn- it is banned as a noxious weed in several states and seems to aggressively reproduce.




The equally attractive beetle is named for the habit of laying eggs within the stems of Amorpha. When the tiny eggs hatch, the beetle larva feed on the inner pulp of the plant, hence the name Amorpha Borer. These beetles are as rare as pelicans in Ohio, but they may be more plentiful in the states where Amorpha reigns. We are still learning about this mysterious bug!

Watch for the False Indigo, Amorpha fruticosa if you are in the vicinity of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge or Killdeer Plains. It is an attractive shrub with compound leaves, much like a black locust.

Any rational person would have to admit THIS insect, the Southern Dogface butterfly, is far better looking than a beetle. Southern Dogface butterflies are also Amorpha dependant, and the only population I have ever witnessed were at Ottawa NWR.

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This golden-yellow beauty could easily be mistaken for a common Yellow Sulphur butterfly, and what a sorry disappointment that would be. Watch closely for those straight cut edges on the upper wing and the silhouette of a poodle.

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Once again we see how plants and animals have important relationships that should not be taken for granted. Take away the Amorpha and there will be no beetle, or butterfly! Ohio is on the edge of the range for both the plant and these wonderful creatures it hosts, yet we may not want to introduce this plant into sensitive areas in case it proves itself an unwelcome guest.

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(click here to see the poodle!)