This land is part of the Ohio River Watershed. Looking south is Laurel Ridge, one of the mountains of the Alleghenies. To the north is Blacklick Creek which appears orange from acid mine drainage, however several treatment and reclamation projects have contributed to the creek’s improvement over the past few decades.
Numerous native plants can be found on the farm and it may take many lifetimes to learn them all. You may be familiar with the Pennsylvania state tree, eastern hemlock, or the state flower, mountain laurel. These species appear in the woods along with many others such as tulip poplar, wood fern, shagbark hickory, spicebush, and trillium. One of our favorites is the sugar maple which provides us with delicious sap in the late winter. Although the land is thriving with native species, we also find invasive plants and insects here and there.
Commonly seen animals include white tailed deer, eastern chipmunks, and the pileated woodpecker. We also enjoy seeing the occasional opossum or fox, and are especially fond of migratory waterfowl such as the bufflehead duck.
