Seeking Trees

It is no big secret that many of my friends and I feel passionate about trees.  Far outstripping the lifespan of the average human, these giant sentinels of times past leave me feeling very small indeed.

Their struggles through drought, fire, and the activity of man are too often scrawled upon the very bark which makes each species recognizable and unique.  Our world is richer for having trees and the by-product of clean air to breath is mighty sweet, too.

If one wants to mark the down-fall of man, you need look no farther than the wholesale destruction of trees. They anchor our very earth, preventing erosion.  They provide shade, habitat, food and form the framework for ecosystems.  Look to the most dramatic poverty-stricken nations and you'll find countries denuded of trees.

Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa at Daughmer Prairie State Nature Preserve, photo by Ian Adams.

One of  Ian Adams' best tree portraits ever features an old friend from Daughmer Prairie Savannah State Nature Preserve.  This giant Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa grows next to the parking lot on Marion-Melmore Rd.

If you have ever tried to photograph an old growth tree, one soon realizes it is difficult to get the full size, shape and perspective of its habitat included.  It makes Ian's fine work all the more admirable.

Now you can see many of Ohio's most spectacular trees as well as rock formations and scenic highways through the the filter of Ian's lens.

Ohio University's Swallow press has produced a gem filled with the best scenes Ohio has to offer.  A Photographer's Guide to Ohio has me spell-bound.  Thanks to Ian, I now have a few more trees to see right here in Ohio!

A little excerpt from Ian's work:

     When I view this tree, and other giants like it, I'm reminded of a statement attributed to playwright, George Bernard Shaw, "Except for the nine months before he draws his first breath, no man manages his affairs so well as a tree does."

My feelings, too.  A tree can be measured worthy in so many ways besides board-feet.  A note to Ohio State Parks and Forests,  none of the beautiful or historic sites Ian depicts include a clear-cut.

We need trees. 

More Meadowbrook

 More Meadowbrook.  Let's face it, the world would be a better place if there were "more Meadowbrooks."

Great Egrets lined up at Meadowbrook Marsh

Meadowbrook Marsh is a park in Danbury Township on the Marblehead peninsula of Ohio.  It was set aside for nature and recreation through some great community efforts, and some statewide birding projects are helping to conserve even more of the wetland.

It was the first ever Carbon Offset Bird Project- rolled out at the Midwest Birding Symposium 2011.

A towering Bur Oak.

In addition to the wonderful wetlands, you'll find woods, fields and the most incredible oak tree that dwarfs mere humans.

Julie Davis, Kim and Kenn Kaufman, Jen Sauter, and Cheryl Harner hope you will bird at Meadowbrook.

Two of Ohio's largest bird organizations, BSBO and OOS are working together to protect and preserve this area which provides excellent bird habitat.

I hope you will join us on Sept 28-30 in Lakeside for the OOS Conference... and join a field trip to Meadowbrook Marsh to see what all the fuss is about!

Daughmer Revisited

In Ohio, we lost our prairies.  They once swept across the vast landscape, grasses bent to wind under the blue skies of summer.  99.9% gone.  What the plow did not claim, settlement did.

I long for the prairie as one misses a lost loved one. There is something incredibly peaceful and satisfying about standing in the midst of  this native landscape.

 A man barely registers beneath these Bur Oak trees. This prairie savanna is filled with giants, to put our meager existence in perspective.

Yet, the details are endless, down to the smallest Dogbane flower where a Banded Hairstreak butterfly finds sustenance.  The mind blowing scale of great and small play out against the haunting sense of  stopped time.

While it is not yet open to the public, Daughmer Prairie is the newest of Ohio State Nature Preserves.  It is the culmination of many years of effort to protect this last piece of land that reflects the Ohio as the true native Americans saw it- and the way they maintained it with fire.

There will be a dedication program later this year, and I hope to keep you posted on this blessed patch of land.

Parting Shot

Do you remember the old standby in Life magazine? My favorite feature was called "Parting Shots." Some of Life's best photography was featured as a stand alone article, the basic premise that a picture can speak a thousand words.

Daughmer Savanna .............photo by Ian Adams (click on photo to enlarge)

A parting shot from Daughmer was sent to me by Ian Adams and I just had to share it with you. This is what a "real photographer" can do with a topic.

Ian's photo breathes life into the stately Bur Oak, Quercus macrocarpa spreading above the open grassland at the prairie savanna in Crawford County. Light gently plays across the grasses, which have been here since they were maintained with fire by Ohio's First Nation, the native Americans.

Thankfully, this will not be the last shot of this historic property which "freezes" the landscape in a past time. A time before the plow, when bison and bear still knew the lands of Ohio.

Thank you, Ian for this beautiful photo- a work of art. Special thanks also, to all the local people and the folks with Ohio Department of Natural Resources who labored to preserve this prairie for future Ohioans. Job well done.

Daughmer Burns- fire as a tool

Fire can either be friend or foe. Usually considered destructive or bad, fire can be a tool for rejuvenation. Fire has played a significant role in the management of prairies since the days of Native Americans. Lack of fire even led to the decline of lupines, and Karner Blue butterflies in the Oak Openings.


Fire is added to the landscape at Daughmer Savannah, our state newest- and 135th State Nature Preserve. Managed by Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, now under the Ohio State Parks.

These are well planned operations, with plenty of fore-thought for safety, wind speeds and directions are monitored and copious amounts of water is on standby.

Daughmer- a diamond in the rough. This Bur Oak Savannah is a significant piece of Ohio history and one of the rare remnants of Ohio land that escaped both plow and timber crews.

These majestic 200 year old oaks speak of perseverance, even fire can not penetrate their thickened bark. They remain as sentinels of a time past. The prairie at their feet was degraded by sheep grazing, and the creep of invasive plants. Fire will help to turn back the time, and allow fire dependant plants to thrive again.

The back-fire is set, crawling slowly across the ground, it provides a safety line.

Wind pushes the head fire across the prairie to meet up with backfire. This burn was the ultimate in safety and control, with high moisture content in the grass, it created a slow smoldering burn.

Sunlight plays on smoke as the fire creeps through the oaks. There is nearly mystical feeling to see the blending of fire and forbs. This power, which can be so destructive can also be a source of new life and growth.

Daughmer Prairie survives to see another century, and we are fortunate to witness a small part of its story.

Preserving Daughmer Prairie

Have you ever admired a singular oak tree?

When left to grow uninhibited by man's buildings, power lines, or cramped in woodlots, their breadth and spread is simply a work of art. This legacy tree speaks to us of what was - before white man changed the land known as O-hi-yo (meaning- "it is beautiful".)

Unencumbered in a Crawford county field, this oak stands tribute to passing time and our country's history. One oak, a last remainder for bio-diversity, in the plowed ground "canvas" for agricultural monocultures.

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Now imagine a hundred of these trees.
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Behemoths in the landscape, Bur oaks (Quercus macrocarpa) spread as wide as they are tall, reaching across unplowed soils boasting of over 150 some species of native grasses and forbs. Wet sedge meadow meets prairie grass on this 30 acre museum of natural history. This savannah was maintain by fire in Crawford county's pre-history, where Native Americans appreciated the end result of flame to the landscape: large open grassland where only the heat resistant oak could survive. Plentiful game- with grass to graze and acorns to forage. This was their O-hi-yo.





These Sandusky Plains are celebrated by a state marker, and this patch of land has created many a sleepless night for a handful of concerned naturalist in Crawford, and many other counties throughout our state. The stakes are too high to lose this last living remnant of what once was. Daughmer Prairie is well noted as the best example left of a prairie / oak savannah in the mid-west, and it looks like Ohio Division of Natural Areas Check-off funds will be used to achieve its long-awaited preservation.




Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) blows freely in the breeze.
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This land of incredible beauty is also a land of incredible bio-diversity. Red-head Woodpeckers thrive on this open lot, while dragonflies and butterflies of every manner cruise the grassland and wet meadows all spring and summer.
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Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to achieve the permanent conservation of this land. You are giving the gift of our past- to the future.