It turns out that just north of Columbus there is a fen, which is sort of a bog-like meadow, that is just packed with the wonderful boreal tree, Northern White-cedar (Thuja Occidentalis). You can see pictures of this fen, the Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, over on Jim McCormac's amazing Ohio nature blog, Ohio Birds and Biodiversity.
The "bog" is a great example of what I was talking about trying to find earlier, a place where the boreal comes in contact with the prairies. Although neither biome is in perfect form down in central Ohio, the very fact that elements of both ecosystems can be found so far away from their main bodies is stunning, to say the least. Ohio is quite the meeting ground of different natural worlds as it is, but this took me completely by surprise. Blogs like Jim's are great ways to find things you never thought existed, and I highly recommend keeping an eye on his site, even if you have no interest in Ohio specifically. He is incredibly knowledgeable about natural history, travels a bit, and is the author of a lovely book (I wish he would also do one for neighboring southern Michigan and southwestern Ontario). Again, check out his website and other work, it has been extremely helpful to me in better appreciating what is in my own present neck of the woods.
No comments:
Post a Comment