ENTS-
Yesterday was the last chance I had to measure trees before the
canopy closes over, and with temps in the upper 80's the leaves
are emerging fast. I revisited two areas I knew as a youth,
about an hour from where I currently live. The first area, the
Cuyahoga River gorge, is a steep sided valley filled with
sandstone cliffs and ledges. Here is a photo of the typical
topography:
This area has the closest approximation to a mixed mesophytic
forest association in this part of the state, as far as I know,
with several relatively rare species for the area(butternut,
white pine, Canada yew). It also has some very nice size mature
trees, especially tuliptrees and oaks--here are a few photos:
Tuliptree, 14'8''x124
'
White oak, 111'10''x05'
Also in the park is a patch of trailing arbutus, which has been
extirpated from most of Ohio:
By far the most unusual encounter in this woods is a sizable
stand of naturalized Carolina rhododendron, Rhododendron
minus, growing out of a vertical sandstone cliff. This
species is native to Tennessee and North Carolina, and regions
south---how it got established several hundred miles to the
north is really puzzling, since the species was never a common
or popular garden plant. I remember this stand from 40 years
ago, and it is healthy and increasing.
Carolina rhododendron:
Overall it is a very interesting area that I'll report on in
more detail in the future
Here is a link to the
album they are in:
http://community.webshots.com/album/571482544GQWdYE