What a time we had out in the field on Saturday afternoon of 28 September 2013 keying out various plants, especially the asters. Leaves entire, slightly toothed, coarsely toothed, or obscurely toothed? Leaves slightly clasping the stem or clasping the stem? Violet rays, deep violet rays, or violet-purple rays? Becoming familiar with these distinctions and others takes practice. Walking through preserves with various habitats as Audubon’s Aurora Sanctuary provides that opportunity to observe a wide variety of plants, like beautiful blue Gentians, the arching stems of Water Loosestrife, and a few of Ohio’s invasives!: Barberry, Common Privet, Glossy Buckthorn, and Multiflora Rose, and learn about their characteristics. Add observing wildlife and wildlife-plant interactions into the mix and one’s adventurous journey with nature begins! The best part of this outdoor classroom is each person gets to set their own pace of learning and determine their own path of adventure. Many thanks and appreciation to our hosts Tracey Knierim and Diane Johnson for sharing their time, knowledge, and enthusiasm and helping guide us along on our path of nature sturdy! Many extended thank-yous to Charles Fletcher, Kent Scott, and John Senderak for their keen eyes and ears out in the field and Marian Swirski for sharing her Bottle Gentian habit photograph. All enhanced this Aurora Sanctuary bioObservation survey without exception! While not a complete list of all our group observed or heard during this walk, what the following list does illuminate is the diversity that can be found in nature in the space and time of a couple of hours. Experiencing the beauty of and learning about nature with all of you is always a joyous adventure!

THE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF NORTHEASTERN OHIO