A friend took this panoramic picture of the Ohio Brush Creek (OBC) this winter. I thought it made the creek look very mysterious, and reminded me of how interesting this valley really is. The OBC flows down the length of the Edge of Appalachia Preserve, and much of the preserve property borders this compelling stream.
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| Panoramic view of OBC. Photo by Abe Myres |
When I think about many of the unique and rare creatures on the preserve, a good number of them are found in the OBC valley. In fact, most of the topics archived in this blog are of organisms associated with this valley. Past blog characters like: the unknown
Amblycorypha katydid species, chuck-wills- widows,
Antrostomus carolinensis, incredible firefly displays including the rare
Photinus sabulosus firefly, eastern smooth earthsnakes,
Virginia valeriae, and the extremely rare Lea's bog lichen,
Phaeophyscia leana can all be observed within the area pictured below.
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| A view of OBC valley from the Eulett Center. |
So why is this part of Adams County so unique? We often give the geology of this area the credit for producing such abundant diversity on the preserve. OBC cut through the land after the melting of the last glaciers thousands of years ago. This exposed the geology which in turn supports the immense diversity of plants. Those plants then create the different habitats which support the unique fauna. Presently, as the land continues to change, this valley showcases windows into many rock layers like brassfield limestone, estill shale, Lilley, Bischer and Peebles dolostones, Ohio black shale and Waverly sandstone. That is an abundant amount of rock layers that turn into different soils utilized by a wide variety of plants!
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| The last glaciers stopped just beyond the furthest hills in the distance. |
Humans have been using this valley for at least 10,000 years. Artifacts and earthworks found along OBC hint at its importance to humans. Some of the first settlements in Ohio occurred nearby as early surveyors like Nathaniel Massie traveled right up the OBC valley in 1790. There is a long history of humans interested in the offerings of OBC.
Today, humans benefit from the OBC mainly through recreation. Maybe so much diversity is found here because so many people with an interest in nature convene in this part of the county. But I would say folks visit this valley mostly for the scenery.
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| OBC in winter. |
Even in winter, the OBC valley produces interesting shows. It the cold season, there have been more and more bald eagle sightings along OBC. In the past 10 years, these giant birds have been found more frequently in this valley. It used to be a big deal to see one eagle a year. Now folks can easily see one a week if they're looking. In December of 2018, there were nine bald eagles sitting in trees taking turns feeding on a deer carcass laying in a nearby field.
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| A bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus sitting above Ohio Brush Creek. |
Even though some parts of the OBC can measure 45 feet deep during the dry season, it is not a river. Its length of 60 miles makes it too short to be called "river". But the fact that it supports many of the creatures that should be living in Ohio's waterways ranks OBC as one of the cleanest streams in Ohio. The EPA has designated parts of it as Exceptional Warm Water Habitat.
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| A pink heelsplitter mussel, Potamilus alatus, shell laying on the bank of OBC. |
The diversity of fish, aquatic insects and mollusks living in the creek are quite impressive,and are good evidence of the creek's high quality of health. It is easy to walk the banks of OBC and within minutes find shells of numerous species of freshwater mussels, as seen below. Forty-three mussel species have called OBC home at some time, and just as many fish swim its waters.
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| 2 minutes along OBC produces a wide variety of mussel shells like mapleleaf, plain pocketbook, deertoe, white heelsplitter, wartyback, pimpleback, fat mucket, black sandshell and fragile papershell. |
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| Slenderhead darter, Percina phoxocephala , once rare in Ohio, fairly common in OBC due to its water quality. |
You may not see nor hear the rare flora or fauna of the Edge of Appalachia Preserve while visiting the OBC valley, but it is there. Next time you are visiting the preserve, stop in at the Creek's Bend Picnic Shelter on Waggoner Riffle Rd. While looking out at the Ohio Brush Creek, you should know that you are standing in the middle of one of the most naturally unique places in the state, and extremely rare species are not far from your feet.
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| The Ohio Brush Creek, new discoveries await. |
Posted by: Mark Zloba
