Towpath Trail XII (4/24/2016)

Sunday, April 24, 2016
Today's hike along the old Ohio & Erie Canal was from Deep Lock Quarry to Lock 27, and turned out to be the wildflower hike. What is a wildflower and what is a weed? A weed is any plant that is where it is not wanted, so usually a non-native invasive plant. A wildflower is usually a native plant.

At this point the canal is filled with grass

Ganoderma applanatum/Artist's Conk Fungus, a wildflower

Ranunculus hispidus/Swamp Buttercup, a wildflower

Alliaria petiolata/Garlic Mustard, a weed

Lamium purpureum/Purple Dead-nettle, a weed

Stellaria pubera/Star Chickweed, a wildflower

Viola sororia/Common Blue Violet, a wildflower

Viola striata/Common White Striped Violet, a wildflower

Viola pubescens/Common Yellow Violet, a wildflower

Taraxacum officinale/Dandelion, a weed!

Actually a beautiful flower, and
some of the flower heads were quite large 

A couple of shells; black walnut and bird's egg

Glechoma hederacea/Ground Ivy, a weed

Woodpecker cavities in a tree
weakened by fungi

The flash reveals an intruder

Streambed

Brunnera macrophylla/Great Forget-me-not,
a non-native but apparently not invasive

Anas platyrhynchos/Mallard Duck

Symplocarpus foetidus/Skunk Cabbage, a "wildflower"

Unidentified submerged plant

Trillium grandiflorum/Large-flowered Trillium

This trillium is Ohio's state wildflower

Mertensia virginica/Virginia Bluebells, a wildflower

Tussilago farfara/Coltsfoot
flower and seed puff, a weed

Cardamine concatenata/Cutleaf Toothwort,
a wildflower

Lock 27 or Johnnycake Lock

Chrysemys picta marginata/Midland Painted Turtles
(note red spots along the edge of the carapace/shell)

Johnnycake Lock, so named because in 1828  a flood
caused the canal to silt, grounding boats and
stranding passengers who ate corn meal pancakes,
called johnnycakes, as supplies ran low

Kent and Brynne on the raised towpath

Yes, Tamiko was here, too (KSS)

Erythronium americanum/Yellow Trout Lily, a wildflower

Aesculus glabra/Ohio Buckeye flower 

Ohio Buckeye leaves emerging

A busy day on the Towpath Trail!

(We hiked the "first" section of the Towpath Trail that follows the old Ohio & Erie Canal on July 6, 2014 from Harvard Road to the Marcy Trestle. We started at the Canalway Center near the trestle and walked to the overpass of I-77 on November 9, 2014. On December 26, 2014, we walked between the I-77 overpass and Quaker Steak on Canal Road in Valley View. On September 27, 2015, we hiked between Quaker Steak on Canal Road and Lock 38. On October 4, 2015, we went between Lock 38 and Alexander's Mill. On November 8, 2015, we hiked from Alexander's Mill halfway to Station Road Bridge. On November 29, 2015, we went from Station Road Bridge halfway back to Alexander's Mill. On December 6, 2015, we went from Station Road Bridge to Red Lock. December 13, 2015 was between Red Lock and Boston Store. On February 28, 2016, we hiked from Lock 29 back to Boston Store. The hike on March 27, 2016 was from Lock 29 to Deep Lock Quarry.)