Our Secrest Arboretum

Greater Mohican Audubon does a bird walk six times a year at Secrest Arboretum in Wooster, Ohio. Not only is it a beautiful location and a wealth of information about trees, it has many lovely gardens and interesting birds, butterlies and dragonflies.

A visit to Secrest is worth the drive to Wooster, as habitats range from a hemlock gorge- where we heard Hooded Warblers today- to fields of crabapple trees. Cedar waxwings love 'em!

Bianca Davis led the walk today and our ranks numbered more then 20. Some participants are serious birders, some novices.. and others may just be out for an enjoyable walk in nature.

Always the Weedpicker, something in the way of a native plant is bound to catch my eye. And growing in the flower beds along with all the pedigreed greenery is good ol' Jumpseed, Polygonum virginianum- one of my favorite natives! The flowers aren't much to look at, but the foliage is stunning. Look at the bold chevron pattern on the leaf.

And a planting of bold prairie flowers, straight from the Ohio prairie list includes Sundrops, Oenothera fruticosa and Downy woodmint (purple) Blephilia cillata.

Don Beam is the creator of this garden and owner of Stucker Meadow Native plants. He will be on hand at GMAS' Bobolinks and Butterflies at Byers Woods on Sat. June 26. Go here for all the information. We hope to see you then!