Bluff Creek State Natural Area | park

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Bluff Creek features a series of springs and elevated hard water spring runs and seepage slopes, which originate at the base of a morainal ridge. Also present are high quality mound fens, wet-mesic prairie and southern sedge meadow communities, southern dry-mesic forest, and stretches of a fast, hard, cold stream. Small tributaries enter Bluff Creek in several places offering distinct habitats for many calcium-loving plants that are unable to withstand the heavy flow in Bluff Creek itself. These small tributaries also contain many sedge species such as slender and fen star sedge. There are two substantial springs and runs that flow into Bluff Creek. The westernmost is the largest, with mats of the macro-alga Chara and aquatic species such as round-leaved monkey flower and cut-leaved water parsnip. The banks of this run are highly calcareous and contain fen and sedge meadow-wet prairie species. The more easterly spring run is smaller and emanates at nearly the same elevation as the creek; bubbling up through clayey sand that causes the run to appear milky. The large bubbling springs are the largest and least disturbed in this region. Also present is a relatively undisturbed dry-mesic woods dominated by large red oaks with bur and white oaks, black cherry, and shagbark hickory. Herbaceous woodland plants include wild geranium, mayapple, blue cohosh, and jack-in-the-pulpit. Bluff Creek harbors numerous rare plants and animals including tussock bulrush (Scirpus cespitosus), beaked spike-rush (Eleocharis rostellata), false asphodel (Tofieldia glutinosa), prairie straw sedge (Carex suberecta), Ohio goldenrod (Solidago ohioensis), slender bog arrow-grass (Triglochin palustris), and the state-endangered queen snake (Regina septemvittata). Bluff Creek is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1993.