Oak Openings Preserve

When we're not working or blogging we enjoy hiking at preserves like this one at Oak Openings Preserve Metropark. There are over fifty miles of trails here. In this photo above, the dogs and  I are taking the loop around Mallard Lake which is an easy .7 miles. In the photo below in the pines with our dog Monroe, I am on a section of The Evergreen Trail.

Anyone who hikes the same preserve over a period of time will notice a change. It's simply impossible not to. 

Here, we're told, once stood sand dunes and prairies with grasses and flowers, and between the dunes were wetlands with mucky, rich soil. 

These areas harbored a diverse landscape of rare plants and animals and are a mere shadow of what they once were.

Land development, groundwater fluctuation, tree crowding, invasive plants all causes changes to a landscape. In addition to this, unfortunately, the emerald ash borer, an exotic beetle from Asia, attacked many Ash trees causing a large percentage to fall or be removed. 

In cases where the trees are diseased or weak, removal will aid in providing more sunlight for rare plants to thrive. However, this must be watched closely to make sure any invasive plants are contained. 

The “American Reinvestment and Recovery Act” of 2009  helped begin the restoration of habitats with other native trees.  

The natural world is a community to which we all belong.


You can view the video here.