This endangered wildflower is so rare, the State of Ohio established a nature preserve to protect it.
The lakeside daisy only grows in a handful of places worldwide. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the only place the wildflower occurs naturally in the United States is in Ohio. And you can only find it in one place — on the Marblehead Peninsula that separates Lake Erie from Sandusky Bay.
And the lakeside daisy is now in full bloom, per ODNR. Want to see it? Here’s where to go.
We’ve hit peak bloom time for spring wildflowers! Check out our Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves’ Ohio…
Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve established to protect rare, endangered wildflower
The Colleen Taylor and Ruth Fiscus – Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve “was established to protect the only natural United States population of the lakeside daisy,” per ODNR.
The preserve, which began as a 19-acre parcel in 1988, now encompasses 136 acres of land once quarried for limestone. It expanded in 2019 when the state purchased 118 acres of adjoining land from Lafarge Marblehead Quarry, the Port Clinton News Herald, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported at the time. It’s named in honor of two people instrumental in protecting the original piece of land.
The Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve, at 309 Alexander Pike in Marblehead, is open from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. The rules forbid visitors from straying away the established path, bringing their pets or taking flowers or other natural items.
When does the lakeside daisy bloom? How long do blooms last? When to see Ohio’s rare flower
Per ODNR, “This is one of Ohio’s most spectacular wildflowers. In early to mid-May, its bright yellow flowers adorn the otherwise bleak, sun-baked landscape of the Marblehead quarry.”
The lakeside daisy grows “where few others can,” on barren limestone bedrock in full sunlight and blooms in early to mid-May. All the plants in a given population tend to bloom at the same time, “producing the spectacular effect of a golden blanket across the rocky landscape.”
Blooms begin to fade after about a week, and the plant goes to seed in about a month.
The rare lakeside daisy is listed as a federally threatened species, endangered in Ohio
The lakeside daisy (Tetraneuris herbacea) was listed as a federally threatened species in 1988. It has been an endangered species in Ohio since 1980.
The plant’s total range includes Ohio and two locations in Canada — the Bruce Peninsula and Mantioulin Island, which separates Lake Huron from Georgian Bay in Ontario. In Ohio, the lakeside daisy was successfully introduced at abandoned quarries on Kelleys Island and in Castalia, near Sandusky.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows the wildflower in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and two places in Illinois. However, ODNR says it’s unclear if those populations are natural or introduced. The state agency says the wildflower had been completely destroyed in Illinois and is a recent find in Michigan.
The lakeside daisy is threatened by overgrowth by woody species, trampling, soil compaction, over-collecting and raiding of wild populations for gardens, per ODNR. However, its recovery potential is very good. The wildflower grows readily when cultivated in limestone gardens and is easily transplanted into suitable situations, such as the abandoned quarries on Kelleys Island.
Where to find the lakeside daisy in Ohio
The Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve is the only public site to see a naturally growing population, according to an ODNR spokesperson. The wildflower has been introduced at:
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: This endangered wildflower only grows naturally in Ohio. And it’s in bloom. Here’s where
Reporting by Chad Murphy, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
