Gorman Nature Center

Calendar of Events - Autumn 2015

Wed Sept 2 9 & 10 Moms & Kids (for parents and their pre-school children, sessions 9-10 and 10-11 am) (JL)

Sun Sept 13 2:00 pm Sumacs- a workshop to learn about our native sumacs with Steve McKee and the Mohican Native Plant Society at Mohican Outdoor School - more details on page 2. (SM)

Wed Sept 16 9 & 10 Moms & Kids (AK & JL)

Wed Sept 16 7:30 pm Ashland University Environmental Lecture Series - Steve McKee - “A Natural History of

our own Backyard.” See www.ashland.edu for details.

Wed Sept 16 8:30 pm The Night Sky - a monthly telescope program at GNC– only if the sky is clear. (JL)

Sat Sept 19 8:00 am Birds & Breakfast Bird Walk - meet at GNC. See page 4 for details! (JL)

Sat Sept 19 1-5 pm Invasive Plant Identification & Removal Workshop! See page 4 for details! (JL)

Sat Sept 19 5:30 pm Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association (ONAPA) 3rd Annual Banquet &

Meeting. See onapa.org for details.

Wed Sept 23 8:00 pm Night Hike - Night Sounds! See page 4 for details! (AK & JL) Sat Sept 26 10:00 am Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association (ONAPA) Field Trip Event –

Seed Collecting at Guy Denny’s Prairie. See onapa.org for details.

Sat Sept 26 2-5 pm Gorman Nature Center All Taxa Biotic Inventory! See page 4 for details. (AK & JL) Wed Oct 7 9 & 10 Moms & Kids (AK & JL)

Thu Oct 8 1:30 pm Fall Color Nature Walk for Seniors at GNC. (AK, JF, JL)

Sat Oct 10 All Day The Big Sit #1 - A 24-hour, bird-counting event sponsored by Bird Watcher’s Digest. Visitors welcome! See page 3 for details or call 419-884-3764. (JL)

Sun Oct 11 9 am-5 pm The Big Sit #2 - Another Big Sit sponsored by GMAS at Charles Mill Lake Park. For details see: www.gmasohio.org/events/ Visitors welcome!

Sat Oct 17 8:00 am Birds & Breakfast Bird Walk - meet at GNC. See page 4 for details! (JL)

Sat Oct 17 11-4 pm Fall Family Fest - at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary. Call 419-884-4295 for times & details.

Sat Oct 17 1-5 pm Invasive Plant Identification & Removal Workshop! See page 4 for details! (JL)

Sat Oct 17 8:00 pm The Night Sky - a monthly telescope program at GNC– only if the sky is clear. (JL) Wed Oct 21 9 & 10 Moms & Kids (AK & JL)

Thu Oct 29 3:30 pm Creepy Critters! Halloween and animal feeding! See page 3 for details. (AK & JL) Wed Nov 4 9 & 10 Moms & Kids (AK & JL)

Thu Nov 5 7:30 pm Ashland University Environmental Lecture Series - Merrill Tawse - "Bats in our backyard:

a Mohican story." See www.ashland.edu for details.

Mon Nov 16 7:00 pm The Night Sky - a monthly telescope program at GNC– only if the sky is clear. (JL) Wed Nov 18 9 & 10 Moms & Kids (AK & JL)

Sat Nov 21 8:00 am Birds & Breakfast Bird Walk - meet at GNC. See page 4 for details! (JL)

Sat Nov 21 1-5 pm Invasive Plant Identification & Removal Workshop! See page 4 for details! (JL) Wed Dec 2 9 & 10 Moms & Kids (AK & JL)

Sat Dec 5 10:00 am What’s Up Duck? Annual Waterfowl Watch at nearby reservoirs. Meet at GNC! (SM & JL)

Mon Dec 14 7:00 pm The Night Sky - a monthly telescope program at GNC. Wed Dec 16 9 & 10 Moms & Kids (AK & JL)

Sat Dec 19 All Day Mansfield Christmas Bird Count - call 419-884-3764 for details. All programs free to the public. (AK = Amanda Kriner, JF=Jan Ferrell, JL=Jason Larson, SM=Steve McKee)

Richland County Park District Autumn 2015 Vol 34, No 3

Friends of the

Gorman Nature Center Newsletter

Green Newsletter

If you would prefer an

email version of the

newsletter to save

paper and postage,

please email us at

gormannaturecenter@

gmail.com. Thanks.

Richland Flora–––– Knowing the Sumacs Knowing the Sumacs Knowing the Sumacs Knowing the Sumacs

What local wild plant has the most tropical appearance? For me, it is the large shrub that we know as

“sumac”. As I drive by roadside sumacs, I often smile and think, “What are you doing here?” Indeed, the

sumacs are part of the plant family Anacardiaceae, best known as the “cashew family”, which is mostly

tropical and contains the cashew nut of tropical America, the Mango of warm Asian regions, and the

Pistachio of the Mediterranean region.

In a few days you will notice along the roads or on the Nature Center trails that a deep, rich red color is

developing in these familiar shrubs. In addition to the large compound leaves, this shrub sports a collection

of red flame-shaped "berry clusters" sprouting out its top! Many people have a vague understanding of this

being a sumac, but what else do we know about it? Could it be the mysterious Poison Sumac, or is there such

a plant?

The “Sumacs” will be the subject of this year’s annual wild plant workshop. For the 19th year, we will offer

a workshop to learn about a special group of wild plants that you can find in our area. Past workshops have

included maples, oaks & hickories, vines, shrubs, ferns, sedges, violets, ash trees, non-photosynthetic plants,

asters, conifers, duckweeds, the trees of South Park, goldenrods and several others. The

workshops are held in association with the Mohican Native Plant Society, a local

group of wild-plant enthusiasts. This year’s free public workshop is entitled

“Knowing the Sumacs” and will be held at the Mohican Outdoor School Field Trip Center on Bunkerhill Road, between SR 97 and SR 95 east of Butler, on Sunday,

September 13 at 2:00 pm. Call GNC at 419-884-3764 if you need directions.

An alternate, and perhaps old-fashioned name for sumac is “shoe-make” or

“shoemake”, probably because sumacs are a good source of tannin which was used by

shoemakers to tan leather. Apparently the old “shoemake” plant name got shortened to

“sumac” over time.

Our most common sumac is the Smooth Sumac (scientific name, Rhus glabra), noted for the leaves and berries described above. Identification focuses on the upper branches

which are very smooth, with no hairs on the bark. This plant is not poisonous, in fact it

is the source of a unique pink lemonade that is popular with wild-edible-plant

enthusiasts. During the summer, hairs on the surface of the berries secrete a frothy

malic acid (the same as in apples), which can be dissolved in water, producing a

pleasant acid taste.

Of similar likeness along our roadsides is the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) which has very furry upper branches, similar to the velvety appearance of new deer antlers (or "stag

horns").

Those two red-berried sumacs are quite different in appearance

and habitat from Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) which bears loose clusters of hanging white berries and prefers to grow in

bogs and bog-like areas. Although sometimes abundant in the

right habitat, we have discovered only a few stands of poison

sumac in the local five-county area. If you know of any poison sumac, please let us

know because its presence often indicates other unique bog or wetland plants!

The other sumac-relative with white berries and poisonous dermatitis-causing leaves

is no rare stranger - Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)! Although not a shrub,

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Poison S

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Poi

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I am eager to help support natural history education in Richland County and to receive your quarterly newsletter. Please enroll me in “Friends of the Nature Center” at the following level for one year: Name ________________________________________

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poison ivy shares features with other sumacs. People have received a case of "poison ivy" from dried specimens over 100 years old! The rarest sumac in Richland County, with only a few known locations, is the Winged Sumac or Shining Sumac (Rhus copallinum), known by the leafy wings that connect the leaflets.

Perhaps you can help us find the only sumac missing from Richland County! Known from both east and west of us, including one large patch in Mohican, but never found here, is the Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica). This beautiful plant, with a pungent smell, looks like a large poison ivy shrub! Please let the Gorman Nature Center know about any of your unusual plant finds. Thanks! All six of our local “sumacs” are easily recognized and would be a fun group for you to learn. We will learn about and see all of them at our “Knowing the Sumacs” workshop on September 13!

Winged S

umac

Creepy Critters!Creepy Critters!Creepy Critters!Creepy Critters!

Thursday, October 29 at 3:30 pm

Come to GNC on Thursday, October 29th at 3:30 pm for Creepy Critters! Dress up in your best Halloween costume and join us for an afternoon of snakes, spiders, and other creepy, crawly animals. We will do a Halloween-themed craft and have a fun snack while we talk about all the critters that make your skin crawl! This will also be an end of year celebration for animal feeding day, which happens every Thursday from the beginning of May to the end of October and will begin again in the spring of 2016. Creepy Critters will be tailored to younger children (ages 3-12), but all are welcome to attend, as there will be fun for everyone! For additional information call GNC at 419 -884-3764.

GNC Big Sit 2015!

Saturday, October 10 - All Day!

Come join us for this 24-hour, bird-counting competition sponsored by Bird Watcher's Digest. The entire day will be spent counting from a 17' diameter circle at the GNC pond. Visitors are welcome and may come and go, as they please, throughout the day. Binoculars and lawn chairs are recommended, but are not required, to participate in this event. Feel free to stop by for an hour or two, bring something to snack upon, learn a little bit about the birds that inhabit the GNC property and those birds that are just migrating through for the season. A variety of food and beverages will be available for participants throughout the day. For additional information call GNC at 419-884-3764.

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Published quarterly by

Friends of the

Gorman Nature Center

Park Commissioners

Eric S. Miller

Cyndde DeWeese

Marion Zaugg

Nature Center Staff

(full or part-time)

Jason Larson

Amanda Kriner

Jan Ferrell

Steve McKee

Anthony Arata

A red X in the box at the right means that it is time to renew

your “Friends of the Nature Center” membership.

Thanks for you support!

Non-profit Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Mansfield OH

Permit No. 121

2295 Lexington Ave

Mansfield OH 44907-3027

419-884-3764

gormannaturecenter.org

Address Service Requested

Birds & Breakfast Fall Migration Bird Walks

Saturday, September 19 at 8:00 a.m.

Saturday, October 17 at 8:00 a.m. &

Saturday, November 21 at 8:00 a.m.

Join us for an early morning bird walk around the GNC

property followed by a hearty breakfast and discussion

of that morning’s sightings at a local restaurant! Fall

migration will be in full swing, so be prepared for

warblers, vireos and more! Walks will be held rain or

shine! Free checklists, ODNR bird guides

and ODNR bird CD’s provided!

Invasive Plant Removal Workshops

Saturday, September 19 from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 17 from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 21 from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Are you interested in learning more about the non-

native, invasive plants in our area and how to

combat them? A short informational session will be

followed by some hands-on invasive removal in our

fields and prairies. We will take a break around 3:00 and

then head back out until 5:00 p.m. Extra

handsaws and pruners will be needed. Call

419-884-3764 for details!

Night Hike-

Night Sounds!

Wednesday, September 23 at 8:00 p.m.

Have you ever wondered what happens at GNC after

dark? Curious about those sounds you hear after the sun

goes down? If so, then consider joining us for this

nocturnal hike around the GNC property, as we explore

the sounds of the night. Call 419-884-3764 for details!

GNC All Taxa Biotic Inventory

Saturday, September 26 from 2-5 pm

Have you ever heard of an ATBI? No? Come join us for

our annual ATBI and help us identify and catalog each

and every species of creature here on the Gorman

Nature Center property. Biodiversity is critical to

maintaining a healthy ecosystem and we want you to

understand why! Bring your camera or smart phone!