Don't miss out on spring wildflowers

Just when it seems impossible to endure one more cold dreary day, April is upon us, ushering in southern Ohio's annual wildflower pageant. There is nothing like seeing the first flowers of the season to soothe Ohioans' winter-weary nerves. And yet, because the display is as brief as it is breathtaking, it is easy to miss the show. Floral displays begin each year around April 7th, peak between April 15 and the 25th, and then rapidly fade out by the end of the month.

The Highlands Nature Sanctuary stewards one of the most beautiful wildflower displays in all of Ohio in the protected corridor of the Rocky Fork Gorge.

Mandy Henderson, Education Specialist at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary, says, "We want all of our neighbors in south central Ohio to enjoy the beauty of their own backyards. All of the flowers are right on schedule this year. The hepaticas are already in bloom and the trilliums are in bud at this time. We expect record shows by the weekend of April 10th."

The 2000-acre Highlands Nature Sanctuary will be open for wildflower viewing on Saturdays and Sundays throughout April. Hikers may enjoy the traditional short trails outside the Appalachian Forest Museum. The spectacular beauty of these trails became renowned during their 80-year service as part of the historic tourist park, 7 Caves. In 2005, 7 Caves was transformed into a non-profit education center now known as the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. Because the Sanctuary is much larger than the original 60 acres of 7 Caves, visitors may now hike breathtakingly beautiful sections of the Rocky Fork

Gorge that have never been open to the public before, and because it is now run as a charitable mission, the price of entry has been halved from early days. An optional booklet called "Wildflowers of the Highlands Nature Sanctuary" is available for sale in the book store for a small charge for those wishing to maximize their enjoyment of the Sanctuary's 14 miles of trails during the floral season. Wildflower guides for identification reference will be at the main desk.

"There will be different flowers in bloom every week, so we really encourage visitors to make multiple visits. We have enough hiking trails here that you can easily spend an entire day here and not begin to hike them all," says Nancy Stranahan, co-director of the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. "We call our spring wildflowers 'ephemerals' because they are here and gone so quickly. Each of the over 50 species of spring flowers only blooms for 7-10 days before disappearing until the following year. Our spring wildflowers grow in one of the shortest growing seasons on the planet."

Spring ephemerals take advantage of the brief weeks of open sunlight in April that illuminate the forest floor before the trees leaf out. Because of richness of the soils and protection from wind and quick temperature changes, the Rocky Fork Gorge is a natural greenhouse. Here visitors may be surprised and delighted to walk through continuous carpets of wildflowers.

Early April brings hepatica and rue-anemones. Mid-April is the time for large-flowered trilliums, bishops-caps, and celandine poppies. Late April boasts shooting stars, jack-in-the pulpits and wild geraniums. 

The Sanctuary is encouraging visits by neighbors to visit after April as well, and is offering a special invitation to entice local participation. If you are a resident of Highland, Adams, Pike, Ross or Scioto Counties, admittance to the Sanctuary will be free of charge the entire month of July, and every weekend in October. Simply visit during normal open hours, confirm your residence on your driver's license, and your fee will be waived. The Highlands Nature Sanctuary's visitor gateway is the Appalachian Forest Museum at 7660 Cave Road in Bainbridge, Ohio, in the former location of 7 Caves. Open hours are Saturday and Sundays throughout April and May, from 9:30 am to 5 pm. From June to August, the Sanctuary will be open every day to accommodate children on summer break from school and is open weekends only in September and October.

To register for Wildflower Pilgrimage activities, or for more information about the Highlands Nature Sanctuary, go to www.highlandssanctuary.org. The Highlands Nature Sanctuary is the largest of 14 preserves administered by the non-profit education organization, The Arc of Appalachian Preserve System, which works to preserve the special beauty of our native Appalachian forests.