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Rare Plant
Protected on Glady's Riley Preserve
By Nancy Stranahan, Director, Highlands
Nature Sanctuary, Inc.
December 2007 Those familiar
with Scioto Brush Creek and the land around it know that a great
diversity of life populate the area. With recent discoveries of
rare plants like Appalachian Spiraea, Southern Monkshood, and
Appalachian Quillwort near McDermott, ODNR's Division of Natural
Areas and Preserves have established the Scioto Brush Creek
Preserve to protect these species. Now, through a collaborative
effort between the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek and the Arc of
Appalachia Preserve System, another endangered plant is being
preserved on a newly established nature preserve near Otway.
Friends of Scioto Brush Creek have
volunteered to help open the Gladys Riley Nature Preserve to the
public. Owned by the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, Gladys
Riley is a 60 acre preserve located on Rocky Fork, a tributary
of the south fork of Scioto Brush Creek, just outside of Otway.
Purchased from Kenneth Riley a few years ago, the preserve was
named at his request in honor of his mother, Gladys, who taught
hundreds of grade school children in Otway. As a devoted
teacher, she instilled an earnest love of nature and the
out-of-doors in many of her students, including Martin
McAllister, the founder of the Friends of Scioto Brush Creek!
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The Gladys Riley
Preserve is the only preserve in Ohio sheltering the
extremely rare Golden Star Lily, Erythronium rostratum.
Similar in appearance to the common trout lily, the
Golden Star Lily is easily recognized because its flower
head, instead of drooping downward, lifts to the sun and
opens its petals wide – like a golden star. The
brightness of the flower is accentuated by the fact that
it sports matching golden anthers, whereas the Common
Trout Lily has dark brown. |
Among Scioto Brush
Creek’s many botanical treasures, the Golden Star Lily ranks
high. Rare throughout its range (typically a more southern
plant), in Ohio it can only be found on the Gladys Riley Nature
Preserve. The time to see it in bloom is early spring, usually
the first week of April.
To see this rare wildflower, take
a trip along Rocky Fork Road. According to Jim McCormac,
an authority on natural history, the simultaneous blooming of
hundreds of Goldenstar Lilies on Rocky Fork Road, "ranks high
among Ohio's greatest botanical spectacles."
Read Jim's blog about the Goldenstar Lily.
The Arc of Appalachia Preserve
System is a small non-profit that relies on volunteer help to
open its preserves to the public. It plans to use interns and
volunteers from around the state to remove litter from the site,
and to establish a hiking trail on the preserve. Friends of
Scioto Brush Creek have generously agreed to maintain the trail,
and pick up any additional litter that falls by the trailhead.
Gladys Riley’s trails will be open without charge by permit to
the general public.
The Arc of
Appalachia Preserve system, will extend renewable year permits
to all volunteers of Friends of Scioto Brush Creek involved in
the project, as well as any other neighbors of the preserve who
are interested in frequently hiking the preserve. Gladys Riley
Preserve promises to be an attractive trail all year long. It
boasts a mature woodland, a rich understory of spring flowers,
and a sparkling clean creek. Updates and
information will be available on the Friends of Scioto Brush
Creek Website at www.friendsofsciotobrushcreek.org as this
volunteer project unfolds. Please consider volunteering to help
this endeavor on its way. For more information on the Arc of
Appalachia Preserve System, visit www.arcofappalachia.org. To
link up to their email news and Nature Notes, send an email to
linkup.adm@highlandssanctuary.org. |
