Captina Creek Photo Contest

Get your cameras out and get ready to snap some pics. Captina Creek is having a photo contest and the winner will be announced at the 3rd Annual Captina Creek Watershed Rally featuring the always great Jack Hanna.
The photo contest will provide a great opportunity for the public to enjoy the nooks and crannies of Captina Creek that they may not have seen and allows us to enjoy the gem we call Captina Creek by viewing nature through the world of a camera.
 The water is clear, the fish are abundant and the health of the creek has never been better. Taking pictures of Captina Creek will reconnect us with nature and help us to realize the true beauty and majestic features of the creek that flows through are lives everyday.

            Deadline for photos is April 6, 2012

               You can find the entry form and photo submission directions       
               for the photo contest  at captina creek forms on the main blog page.
                             

Captina Creek Mainstem.

The color was so fantastic , the way the sun ricocheted off the water brought out the many shades of aquablue and aquagreen. It truely was a natural wonder as I was flyfishing this wonderful creek. Standing knee deep in clear water, clear as the sky on a crisp, cool morning with the sun peaking above the hillside. Clear water, crisp air and a fly rod in my hand.........doesn't get much better than that !

Have Fun , Enjoy Captina Creek and Reconnect

Public Meeting Announcement

 

Captina Creek Watershed will be hosting a public meeting Oct. 27th, 2011 at the OOYO Powhatan store located at 162 First St, Powhatan Point, Ohio from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. The agenda will focus on the future conservation needs for Captina Creek Watershed, public concerns, issues and ideas for the future of Captina Creek Watershed and stakeholder and public involvement in the writing and project implementation side to the watershed management plan.

 

It is a potluck so bring some goodies ! Hope to see you there !!

Anderson Run

Anderson Run is located in the central portion of Captina Watershed and is 5.4 miles in length. This beautiful little tributary is ephemeral meaning in drier years it has pools of water and in many cases completely dries up. Problems exist with heavy ATV traffic yet the tributary remains very beautiful with a complete forest canopy which is important to reduce large fluctuations of temperature in the stream.
Aquatic insects found in the tributary include stoneflies, mayflies and many other important aquatic insects. Just pick up a rock in the stream, turn it over and look for these wonderful critters !!
Look for the next tributary Bend Fork in a couple of weeks !!!

Getting to Know Your Watershed

Hello to all faithful followers of the gem of the state....Captina Creek Watershed.

The blog is back and ready to inform the masses with Stephen Ferrante and his boy steering the Captina ship.

Stephen Ferrante : Watershed Coordinator

Ruari Ferrante : Co - Captain

A few things...

Captina Creek is the hidden gem in the state of Ohio. A few reasons why :
1. Highest IBI in the state 55.1 out of 60
2. Several tributaries are designated cold water habitats due to the salamander and aquatic insects  found in the creek

Every two weeks I will present a different tributary of Captina Creek. There are 27 named tributaries so get ready to learn, explore and enjoy one of the last remnant stream systems in Ohio.

The week of October 3rd I will post factual info and pics of Anderson Creek  tributary # 1 !

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

A common wildflower oddity of the eastern deciduous forest, the jack-in-the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) grows in a variety of wooded habitats provided that some topsoil is present.  Best growth occurs along rich, moist lowland slopes although smaller individuals frequent drier upland slopes.  The "pulpit" part of the plant is called the spathe and houses a stalk of tiny flowers called a spadix ("jack").  Most jacks have one to two leaves with up to three leaflets each.  Average height is between 12-15" although in favorable growing conditions it is not uncommon to see an individual approach 30".  Once fertilized, the flowers on the spadix will develop into a bright red cluster of seeds by late summer. 

   

Spring Flowers Part IV

Spring wildflowers are beginning to peak in eastern Ohio and will gradually wane over the next couple of weeks as average daily temperatures conitnue to increase and the amount of light available on the forest floor continues to decrease.  Usually a lull in flowering plants occurs between late May and mid-June signifying a transition between spring and summer flowering foliage.

Blue-Eyed Marys.  These colorful wildflowers are usually
widespread across moist wooded floodplains and gently
sloping, north facing upland wooded slopes.  Colonies
can be several hundred square feet in coverage on the
forest floor.

Fire Pink.  Occurs mainly on dry upland south-facing wooded
slopes commonly under stands of oak and hickory.  Bright
red flowers with notches on the ends of the petals make
this plant easily identifiable in the field. 

Golden Ragwort.  A generalist in terms of habitat, golden
ragwort can be found from roadsides to deep within wooded
areas.  The plant somewhat resembles hawkweed, but has
a purplish stalk and larger flowers.  Commonly encountered.

Cut-Leaf Toothwort.  Though not as small as the spring beauty,
cut-leaf toothwort could be easily overlooked if it weren't
for its tendency to be widespread across the forest floor.
Is somewhat of a generalist in terms of habitat.   It seems to
grow well as long as there is tree cover with not too much
moisture in the soil.  A plant of folklore, early settlers believed
it to be useful for curing toothaches.

Wood Poppy.  This colorful flower is one of the larger species
in terms of petal diameter in the watershed measuring up to
2 inches.  An easily recognizable plant when flowering
as no other large yellow flowers occur in early spring in this area.
The relatively large fleshy leaves are sometimes highlighted with
a silvery mottling.  Prefers moist low-land wooded slopes with
rich deep soils, but will occasionally be found on upland slopes
provided soils aren't too dry.  Occurs in large colonies covering
several dozen square feet where growing conditions are favorable.

Good Year for Morels

One of the most identifiable organisms of the eastern deciduous forest, the morel is reaching its peak season in eastern Ohio.  This has apparently been a good growing season for morels as I have encountered more than in year past.  White morels are commonly found under dead elm and apple trees where their mycelium take up residence in decaying roots. I have found them under decaying tulip poplar and maple as well.  This individual was approximately 4-5 inches in height and about 1.5 inches in width.  In a week or so the ascus (dimpled cap) will begin to darken and wither releasing spores.  One way morels differ from the traditional "toad stool" mushroom is by lack of a protective cap called a basidium which protects spores and allows for a more aerodynamic release.