It's a quiet Saturday the second weekend in November. Even though the preserve is still open this weekend the visitation has dropped dramatically. And you could not ask for a nicer day. The Scarlet Oak (Quercus coccinea) above shows off some of the last bright color of autumn.
Back along the Casa Burro Trail the rugged sandstone cliffs have again revealed themselves with the falling of the tree leaves.
These ridges are part of the Blackhand Sandstone formation that can be seen throughout the Hocking Hills Region and typically of the unglaciated Appalachian Plateau area of Ohio.
The evergreen patches of Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis) stand out now against the backdrop of a brown leafy forest floor.
Up at the base of the sandstone cliffs a small trailing vine can be seen growing over the moss covered sandstone. This is Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens). Sometimes it is easy to figure out how some plants got their names. In this case it was no doubt because someone saw partridges/grouse feeding on the berries. This plant is also evergreen, but the berries will quickly disappear.
With a cold front on the way, new changes are coming to the preserve and its environs.
Posted by TS
