Jewel Weed

Often while exploring in wooded urban areas you will find this weed. I remember it from my childhood, and the kids love the exploding seedpods which explode at the slightest touch. The seeds have a good nutty taste:
 

Storm Hits Race Street

Uprooted street tree
 

Roof and masonry wall blown off above 3CDC's new offices. This renovation was just completed and the damage looks pretty severe. The roof structure was old, but parts of the 4th floor were removed to make lofts and the structure altered in the renovation. There was insulation all over Republic Street, and it looked like a lot of water got in and reached the occupied areas on the first floor. I'm sure someone will have better photos.
 

Lots of slate was blown off Nast Trinity Church, it was all over the sidewalk
 

West Half of Mt Airy Forest

I've been meaning to take some hikes with my son on the western side of Mt Airy park, for a while. It is an interesting area, because it seems like it is somewhat forgotten. For example, if you go to the Cincinnati Park's website you will see that west of I-74 they show no trails:

And whereas the eastern side has a nature center, an arboretum, a treehouse, marked trails and lots of picnic shelters, the western side is hardly marked. I've hiked much of the eastern side, and one interesting loop is the one that follows close to the highway described here. here are some good photos of the eastern side

The western side of the park has several access points on Westwood Northern Boulevard including a very nice Maple Ridge Lodge on Lucas Road. The other access points here are the McFarlan Ridge shelter, which has a locked gate, and the popular dog park:

McFarlan Ridge Road, Location in Google Maps

This side of the park is bordered by Montana, Westwood Northern, Diehl, Shepherd Creek and Interstate 74. It is quite a large area, and despite the website showing no trails, there are extensive trails though the area:

There is an old trail map mounted on the Maple Ridge Lodge if you feel you need it, and here is a website that describes trail "E".

Here are some photos from our hike:

Typical trail with fallen trees and mostly dry creek below trail

son finds a hollow Sycamore

old trail marker

orange blazes mark one of the trails:

Lower trail, the creek is flowing. This is one reason it is good to go in the late winter or early spring. In the summer, all this could be dry, and less exciting for a kid, although when dry there is good fossil hunting in the stream bed:

On the northern edge of the park, along Diehl Road, Green township is developing a huge new park with more structured activities. The new park, called Bicentennial Park has been under construction for the past year or so and should open soon. The old house on Diehl in which Marge Unnewehr lived before she became Marge Schott, is actually a very early farmhouse built by pioneer farmer Peter Diehl in 1835. Green Township has rehabbed the house and will offer it for rental use.

In the map below you can see the old farmhouse and how a few years ago, it was surrounded by woods:

In a more recent aerial, you can see how much earth must be moved to create some flat playing fields in this very hilly area. The Diehl house is in the upper center of construction, along the road:

Seymour Nature Preserve

About a week ago my son and I took another hike. I randomly picked a green spot on the map that we haven't visited before and set off. The chosen site was Seymour Creek Nature Preserve. At first we couldn't figure out how to access the site and weren't even sure if there were trails at all. Eventually we parked in a private parking lot at 6250 Este Avenue 45232. From this spot you can easily access a paved trail either downstream to the Millcreek River or upstream to a steep valley. This area is mostly reclaimed industrial or military land. It is apparent that someone has been stabilizing the area, clearing honeysuckle and making trails. The lower trail connects with the in-progress Millcreek trail that the Millcreek Restoration Project is developing in sections along the whole length. It now connects upstream to the nearby Caldwell Park , which is a more established park with a nature center, more mature trees and a playground and pool.

A topo map of area:
 

It doesn't look like you are in the middle of a heavy industrial area does it? This is the Millcreek!!
 

Looking downstream
 

"Rapids" of the Mill Creek, with stabilized and restored banks
 

The gravel along parts of the path are recycled materials, which son searched through
 

Seymour Creek full of snow melt as it enters the Mill Creek
 

typical second growth trees of the upper valley, with Seymour creek to left
 

 

mushrooms and moss
 

There are several bridges over the upper branch of creek:
 

deer skull?
 

Google Map of area:

View Larger Map

Overall it was an enjoyable trek. While in the woods you will hear trains and highway traffic sounds, but also water and birds. I cannot wait until they finish more sections of the bike trail along the Millcreek so that we can bike to places like this.

Strange Tree at Vine and Liberty

According to our tree identification book, this is a Chinese Scholar Tree.

Millcreek Jungle

One thing I like about the Midwest is that the vegetation just seems to take over forgotten places like a jungle. Despite being lined with concrete and fenced-off from pedestrians, the historically polluted Millcreek River is surrounded by a growing jungle of weeds and sometimes wildlife. If you can ever get close enough, you will see that despite being relegated to a flood control device by the Army Corps of Engineers and despite being surrounded by freeways and industry turtles, birds and fish are common here:
 

Carolina Parakeet

 

On the third floor of the Downtown Public Library, there is a room, I think it is called the Cincinnati Room. It is on the bridge over Ninth Street. We rarely make it up to the third floor, but when we do, we are often rewarded with an excellent exhibit of some sort.

On permanent display in that room, there is a very large Audubon book of birds. It is in a glass case, and is opened to this beautiful page of the Carolina Parakeet. This now extinct species was found in very great numbers in the Millcreek valley by early white farmers in Cincinnati. James Audubon describes their slaughter:

..the Parakeets are destroyed in great numbers, for whilst busily engaged in plucking off the fruits or tearing the grain from the stacks, the husbandman approaches them with perfect ease, and commits great slaughter among them. All the survivors rise, shriek, fly round about for a few minutes, and again alight on the very place of most imminent danger. The gun is kept at work; eight or ten, or even twenty, are killed at every discharge. The living birds, as if conscious of the death of their companions, sweep over their bodies, screaming as loud as ever, but still return to the stack to be shot at, until so few remain alive, that the farmer does not consider it worth his while to spend more of his ammunition. I have seen several hundreds destroyed in this manner in the course of a few hours, and have procured a basketful of these birds at a few shots, in order to make choice of good specimens for drawing the figures by which this species is represented in the plate now under your consideration.

Can you imagine the Millcreek river in it's natural state, surrounded fertile floodplains and the ancient forest thick with these colorful birds?

Embshoff Woods - Off Trail

So, son was begging me to take another off-trail hike, and I had my eye on Embshoff Woods, since I had never been there and it is only a five minute drive from downtown, and we only had an hour or so to spare. The park entrance is in Delhi township, but the eastern half of the park appears to be inside the city limits. The park is run by Hamilton Country Park District, and the main part has picnic shelters and a parcourse trail.

So we went to the end of the drive, to the last picnic shelter and began walking. At first we got a bit lost, but after a while we found a path that apparently was an old farm driveway from Sedamsville up to a long-gone farm house. I estimate the change in elevation from the valley to the top to be almost 200'.

You can tell it is an old farm trail because there are traces of farm fence on either side of the drive, and it is wide for a vehicle. It also has many sugar maples, which may have been planted, who knows. The trail has many fallen trees across it, but it is wide and an easy walk as it goes down and bends to right:

Sap running out of a damaged maple tree

There was a nice, steep stream going down between the hills. Maybe much of the year this is dry, but today it was bubbly with water from melting snow. I'm not sure, but I think this is a nameless stream that flows into the now subterranean Bold Face Creek down at "Pete Rose Park" in Sedamsville.

mushrooms

It was very peaceful and quiet here, with just the sound of the stream. Strange for being in the middle of the city.

We had to hike back up, as the trail ends at a little street, named Eatondale.

Sycamore:

tree in sunlight:

Sedamsville is a fascinating neighborhood, with some very early buildings, very steep hills, but we weren't there to look at Sedamsville today, maybe next time. While leaving, this one home did catch my eye:

[where: 232 Fairbanks Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45204]

The civil war era house on Eatondale is also interesting, but I didn't get a picture of it. I need to start carrying my real camera and quit using these cell phone pics.

UPDATE: Map of Embshoff Woods:
 

Our hike in red:
 

Mt Echo Exploring

Still fascinated by East Price Hill. Last Sunday, daughter had a birthday party to attend there, so son and I explored Mt Echo Park.

The views from the overlooks are fantastic. I just had my cell phone camera, but we sat here a while watching the Southern Railway trains heading up into the hills of Kentucky while the tow boats re-arranged the barges.

We took a hike on one of the very under used trails and ended up off trail and finding cool stuff, like fossils, old bottles and identifying plants, etc...

Found this spooky vacant house in the woods with a view of the river:

[where: 2736 Montreal Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45204)

The undercanopy of most of the woods is choked with honeysuckle bushes. At the entry to the park, the undergrowth has been cleared, and they left some great swinging vines. This was a hit:

Strange vacant house across from the park entry:

[where: 360 Elberon Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45204]

Next stop: Embshoff Woods.

Krohn Junior Gardeners

JUNIOR MASTER GARDENERS
New at the Krohn Conservatory

The Junior Master Gardener program ... engages children in novel, "hands-on" group and individual learning experiences that provide a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and cultivate the mind.

Call 513-421-5707 to reserve a free space.
Appropriate for grades 3 through 5.
Held Saturdays 9:30-11:30

March 20th, INTRODUCTION AND PLANT DEVELOPMENT
April 24th, INSECTS
July 24th, SOILS AND WATER
Sept 18th, ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Urban Hawk Attack

A few days ago, I was walking down Race Street with my son, when we saw a commotion that knocked a bunch of snow off the tree just in front of us. Then we heard a squeal as we saw a very large bird fly away and perch at the very top of a 60' tall tree in Washington Park. The bird was clearly a large hawk, but he had missed his meal. We knew this, because there was nothing in his beak, and the frightened squirrel was clinging to the side of the tree in front of us, continuing to make crying noises. Over the years I have seen the following wild animals in OTR: squirrels, rats, opossum, raccoons, locusts, praying mantis, and walking stick among the many interesting insects, a dozen bird species, and on one occasion, a deer. We don't live in the woods but still there is nature to see as long as you spend time outdoors and keep observant.

The Snowy Hillsides

 

 

trail to Art Museum 

city from mt adams 

mt adams