Oak Openings Preserve Evergreen Lake Area October 2023

Located between Whitehouse and Swanton, Ohio is Oak Openings Preserve.  

My husband and I have been returning to this park for over 30 years now. As you know, we usually have the dogs with us and stick to the walking path around Mallard Lake like our visit 2021  or sometimes we walk through the large path in the pines.

We did not have the dogs this October, so we took the road to Evergreen Lake which is the first turn-off, heading into Oak Openings Preserve.

 

The small trail to the right of the parking lot at Evergreen Lake begins at a brief footbridge and you'll see the section of trees above. We hiked a short spell and there was an open space along the end of the lake. Just beyond the open space is a trail junction. A small path veers left and runs alongside Evergreen Lake and that's the trail we took.

Many years ago evergreens were planted for erosion control. The evergreens are not as dense as when we first began hiking here some 30 years ago. Many pines that were once here are down or have been removed.

The Metroparks are restoring the rare, natural prairie and oak savanna habitat. 

The landscape surrounding the water is beautiful! It is a mix of savannah, pine forests, sand dunes, prairie, and open fields. 

On this day the trail was dry and sandy. You can see how easy a jaunt it was in the videos I took on my phone. 

In the video above,  I concentrate on the path, and in the video below, I show some of the fern color changes. If you look closely you'll recognize the aquatic plant duckweed along the water's edge. Duckweed is often a nightmare as it kills off the fish population. Park officials are working on this issue and have installed a pump to aerate the lake as Duckweed can become abundant when there is a  lack of movement.

I love hiking the same paths at different times of the year as you get to see the dramatic changes in different weather conditions and seasons.

Not far from mile marker, 1.1 I stopped to photograph a tree that was down.

There were also a few limbs down that were covered with moss and decaying fungi.

Anyway,  Oak Openings Preserve is a true nature lovers delight. If you are around the area make sure and visit. Oak Openings Preserve is a naturalist habitat and the largest of the nine Toledo Metroparks