Plants

Spring-Beauty Wildflowers

By Tammy York

Cincinnati’s Springtime Mascot

Spring-beauties are some of the first spring wildflowers you will see starting in March. The flowers will bloom through to May but once it starts getting warm out, spring beauty flowers will fade quickly.

Cincinnati hiking trails for spring wildflowers — Spring-beauty wildflowers are found in woodlands and along the edges of trails.

You can find spring-beauties in just about any woodland setting. Look for them in shaded areas as well as open grassy areas that have yet to be mowed.

Hikes to See Spring-Beauty Wildflowers

One of my favorite places to hike in the spring is the paved trail around the perimeter of Sharon Lake at Sharon Woods. This trail never fails to put on quite a show of spring wildflowers.

Other spring wildflower hikes in the Cincinnati area include Caldwell Nature Preserve, Cox Arboretum, Germantown Metropark, Sugarcreek Metropark, Withrow Nature Preserve, Woodland Mound, and Clifty Falls State Park and Nature Preserve.

Cincinnati has several hiking trails lined with spring wildflowers like spring-beauties. — Small native bees visit spring-beauties for the nectar since it is one of the first flowers to bloom.

Spring-beauties are smaller than a dime in diameter and appear as a brilliant white with vibrant pinkish purple stripes. These stripes serve as nectar guides.

Spring-Beauty & the Bees

Like dandelions, spring-beauties are an early source of nectar for native bees. The small bees visiting the flower as most likely a species of mining bees known as Andrena erigeniae.

hiking around cincinnati just hike — Small bees seek out spring-beauty wildflowers for their nectar. On colder days, you might catch a glimpse of a bee napping until the sun warms them up.

The great thing about looking for and photographing spring wildflowers is that they don’t run or fly away/ Just be careful to stay on the trail because you wouldn’t want to crush upcoming spring wildflowers!

Get started on identifying spring wildflowers with this guide, this one, or this one.

A Museum Without Walls Beacons You To Hike Cincinnati’s National Historic Landmark

By Tammy York

Spring Grove Cemetery And Arboretum

If you like history and sculptures, then Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is where you want to go for a spring hike in Cincinnati.

Spring Grove hosts over 1,200 species of trees, shrubs, and ornamentals. The collection continues to grow including a patents for new species. In fact, Spring Grove is more like a massive laboratory for universities, nurseries, and growers to test new species.

For more detailed information, Spring Grove is Hike #35 (pages 198-203) in 60 Hikes within 60 Miles Cincinnati.

One of the many statues memorializing a lost loved one at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. The paved drives make hiking with toddlers a lot easier.

Since the very beginning of the cemetery grounds extreme care has been given to creating a beautiful landscape.

One of the unique features of Spring Grove Cemetery is that all roads are gentle curves. This further enhances the aesthetic of the land.

However, my favorite feature of Spring Grove are the stunning sculptures at the memorials.

Beauty abounds throughout Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. Over 1000 species of trees, shrubs, and ornamentals decorate the grounds.

Gothic Architecture

While strolling the ground, look the Dexter mausoleum, which is a private family Gothic Revival mausoleum and chapel that was constructed around 1866. It is near the edge of Geyser Lake so you can also enjoy the views of the small lake.

Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum has a Self-Guided Walking Tour that covers some of these locations.

If you love Gothic architecture, look no further than Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. Take your time looking at the Dexter Mausoleum and you’ll begin to see more of the fine details.

Johnny Appleseed

Sit for a while at the Johnny Appleseed statue and enjoy the serenity on this sunny spot which honors John Chapman.

His missionary work in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Kentucky changed the landscape and the people.

Chapman collected seeds from cider mills, grew the seeds into saplings, transplanted the saplings into nurseries, and maintained the nurseries. And, then distributed his crop throughout the region.

Visit Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum

There is a lot to see at Spring Grove and there are several hills whihc will help you stretch all of your muscles. Here is a map of Spring Grove.

For more detailed information, Spring Grove is Hike #35 (pages 198-203) in 60 Hikes within 60 Miles Cincinnati.

Take your time and enjoy the scenery, your company, and the day because a cemetery certainly puts your life in perspective.

Be thankful, rejoice, sing out loud, and hike whenever you can.

Garlic Mustard

By Tammy York

There are a few plants that I can’t stand. Garlic mustard is one of them. Garlic mustard as do other invasive plants crowd out the native flora and disrupt the balance of the woods. Healthy forests need to be constantly evolving and should be a comprised of a variety of plants not just one or two.

So, next time you visit your local trails talk with the manager and see if they mind if you pull a few garlic mustard plants while you are one the trail. Also, some parks have garlic mustard pulling days where you can volunteer to go through the woods and pull this invasive plant. This is a great way to improve the land you love, connect with your loved ones, get outside, and meet new people.

If you know of a garlic mustard pulling event please let me know and I will share the information with all.