Oak+Openings--Orange+Trail

Also, see Oak Openings Preserve Metropark
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Lucas County
=Oak Openings= =Orange Trail= Swanton, Ohio 43558 Oak Openings Preserve Metropark webpage Oak Openings Preserve map Oak Openings Trails webpage Oak Openings Preserve recommended birding sites

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Oak Openings--Orange Trail
Coordinates: 41.5479658, -83.8374639 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

Tips for birding Oak Openings
From Lake Erie Birding Trail website From Ohio Ornithological society website From Oak Openings Metropark webpage

About Orange Trail
The Evergreen Trail, blazed in orange, is 1.9 miles, begins at Oak Openings Lodge, and passes through large stands of non-native red and scotch pines, spruce and fir, as well as open areas and small sand dunes. Some of the park’s beautiful colonies of lichens and moss can be seen here as well.

Note: The pines, which were planted decades ago for erosion control, are reaching the end of their natural life and some have been removed for safety reasons. They are not being replaced, as Metroparks continues its efforts to restore the rare, natural Oak Openings prairie and savanna habitats. From Oak Openings Orange Trail webpage

About Oak Openings
Located between Whitehouse and Swanton, Oak Openings Preserve takes its name from the surrounding region, which is 23 times larger than the park itself. That’s something to consider when you realize that Oak Openings Preserve is over 4,000 acres.

Pioneers trudging through a dense swamp called this area “Oak Openings.” Most of the park is an oak savanna ecosystem, characterized by alternating wetlands and vegetated dunes. The Nature Conservancy once named the sandy region one of the 200 “Last Great Places on Earth.”

Prickly-pear cactus, wild lupine and sand cherry bloom atop dry, hot sand dunes just yards away from orchids growing in low, wet swales. There are more than 50 miles of trails in Oak Openings Preserve. Stands of isolated pine and spruce planted by the WPA during the Great Depression are still visible.

Oak Openings is a birder's paradise. It is the nesting place of bluebirds, indigo buntings, whippoorwills, Lark sparrows, and many other species, as well as an excellent location to see migrating songbirds in the spring. From Oak Openings Preserve Metropark webpage

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|| L4609203 US US-OH US-OH-095 41.5479658 -83.8374639 Oak Openings--Orange Trail