Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is a very common evergreen fern found throughout Ohio. It prefers cooler, moister soils, but is not as picky about its location as other ferns. True to its common name, this fern is still green at Christmas time providing some much needed color against the rich browns of the leaf covered forest floor. In addition, each leaflet has a pointed tip near the stem. With a little imagination, one can picture the shape of Santa’s sleigh!
Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia) is a lovely late
fall blooming wildflower. Found in EOA’s prairies and cedar barrens it can
bloom well into the late fall and sometime winter! The 5-petaled, purple
flowers only open when the sun is shining. This plant is usually an annual but
can sometime live for two years. This is a delightful plant to encounter,
especially late in the season when most other wildflowers have finished for the
year.
There is nothing quite like the sight and feeling of a
freshly picked buckeye fruit. That shiny, smooth, cool-to-the touch nut is
really quite captivating. There are two species of buckeye trees common to
Ohio, Yellow Buckeye and Ohio Buckeye. The
former is restricted to the southern third of the state, but the latter is
widespread. While the two are similar to look at, an easy way to tell the
difference is by looking at the husks that surround the nuts. The husks of the
yellow are smooth while Ohio Buckeye is spiny.