Bob's New Life in Columbus: April 18, 2009

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For my last stop of the day,

I left Miami County and traveled

about 40 miles east to Urbana

and the Cedar Bog Nature Preserve.

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When I read bog, I thought swamp,

which was not a fair assessment of

the environment. Cedar Bog--which

should have been named Cedar Fen--

is a fresh water fen that is unlike

any other ecosystem in Ohio.

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Many rare and unusual species of

plantlife and animals can be found here.

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From one of their own brochures
comes this estimate:
"The winding wooded trail that takes
you through the Preserve was
constructed in 1986 at a cost of
$72,500. Lumber alone was $27,500."
Research tells me that lumber
is roughly twice that cost today,
so the boardwalk would cost
$145,000 to build today; further,
it is my estimate that the walk
covers only about 1.5 miles.
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You don't have to tell me twice!
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Ever seen the movie
The Princess Bride?
Look familar?
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Wow! I wonder what this is...
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And this...its leaves look like geraniums.
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The bright yellows and greens in
this dark woods were brilliant!
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AH! Someone just passed by and was
commenting on the skunk cabbage,
but I still don't know what the one
with the yellow flowers is...
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I've never had an allergic reaction to
poison ivy; regardless, I'm not going
to give poison sumac a try.
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How odd...I wonder if the bottoms of
these trees don't get enough sunlight.
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And I thought this was dead grass!
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This is the East Branch of Cedar Run.
I'm thinking the mosquitos must be
horrible in mid-summer!
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