This post is the last of this year’s summer posts and documents a walk I made at the Falls of the Ohio State Park one week before autumn officially began. As you can see by the pictures…it was a very beautiful day filled with all kinds of discoveries. There was a profusion of yellow-flowering plants of various species including goldenrod and sunflowers. Here is a detail, I think from the Woodland Sunflower? I wish I was as confident about plants as I am in identifying animals. When I break out my flower books, I realize it would aid identification greatly to have an example on hand. Collecting plants is not allowed within the park limits…so I try to take photos that might be of use in discerning the various closely related species. Besides, I don’t think pressing these plants flat would even work? I ask myself, what leaf shape does it have? Are the leaves serrated, smooth, or hairy and how many rays do the flower heads have and other such questions of concern to the botanist.
I suppose I’m more of an imaginative botanist at heart who also appreciates the beauty and variety the many flowers add to the temporal landscape. I do, however, stumble upon plants that I wonder if anyone else is noticing? I’ve posted about these anomalies before and as the seasons change, the parade of these “unnatural plants” and “faux flowers” continues. Consider these fresh blooms.
I call this one the “Surprising Poinsettia” because it comes shockingly red and completely unexpected. Its sepals are rather fabric-like and its stem is grafted upon this sunflower by some unknown means. The next plant is more subtle.
This is “Orangey-tickseed” and at first blush, one might be tempted to pass over it. I had to do a double-take on this one, however, my instincts told me something was not quite right here. Indeed the orange-colored flowers are not at all like the yellow plant it is cohabiting with. Again, the texture is very much like plastic. One final plant before moving on to other interesting discoveries.
I found this beautiful flower growing near the river in the sand and I have designated it the “Pink Sand Lily” because I’m not sure what else to call it? It is for the most part, a low growing plant and the “flower” appears at the terminal end of a wiry green stalk about four inches tall or so. The flower petals are composed of a string-like fiber while the stamens are hard and have pseudo-pollen on them. These unusual plants were not my only discoveries on this fine day. I nearly always find some doll or doll part that the river has washed into here and today was no exception. I spotted a form in the wood chips and bark bits and went in for a closer look. Dusting off the form revealed this doll body.
This was quite unlike any other doll “body” I’ve found before at the river. The material was obviously made from a foam-like material, but it had the flexibility of rubber. Nearby, I also discovered an unusual serpent.
Approximately a foot long, this red plush snake had large black eyes and had just a bit of its tongue sticking out. This is the first of one of these objects that I have come across . The river was flowing nearby and I walked over to the edge of the riverbank. The water level has finally leveled off to more of its seasonal pool and the fossil banks on the Kentucky side were exposed for the first time this year. Looking along the water’s edge, I came across this Freshwater Drum that an angler caught and released. Unfortunately, for the fish…it did not survive being captured. Here is its final portrait.
The Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) is a widespread fish and common in the Ohio River. It has several molar-like teeth in its mouth that it uses to crush and eat snails and small clams. The drum is not considered a desirable food species around here. Here’s another fish I found on this walk that is also inedible.
The second “fish” I came across was this plastic bottle. I’m guessing that the bottle may have contained shampoo for children? Regardless, I was struck by the level of abstraction occurring here. The tail is minimally represented and the gills are indicated by two lines near the eyes, but there is enough here to suggest a fish. My next find is mid way between the drum and the plastic bottle being closer to the latter than the former. Here are two views of it.
This is a Silvergill which is closely related to the Iron Gill (which I have posted about previously). Differences between the two species include size (this fish is smaller) and some of the fins are not the same shape or in the same position. The Silvergill is much more rarely encountered than its larger cousin. It is found in water of average to poor quality and often associated with coal and coal dust. It is omnivorous and eats aquatic insect larvae and algae which it grazes off of rocks. I’m assuming that it washed up here a victim (like the Freshwater Drum) of an angler looking to catch something more worthwhile. I took a few photos and then moved on. The fossil beds were beckoning and I could see the resident flock of Black Vultures congregating on the rocks. No doubt they had discovered a fish or two on their own. Until next time from the Falls of the Ohio.
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 
I have very much enjoyed following your blog. I know the falls of the Ohio very well as I have been visiting the area since I was a child. I’ve gone there as a part of a bird watching group and have also frequently visited in order to photograph the are for images to inspire my own artwork.
Your discoveries of creatures and plants, some of which can be categorized and others slightly less well known to the general public are of great interest to me. I will continue to follow what you are doing down along the Ohio River and will be eager to discover what you have found and created each time you visit.
Thanks Kathleen for your nice comment. I always enjoy talking with people who are also familiar with the Falls of the Ohio. You can count on me to create something from my experiences at the river. What kind of artwork do you enjoy making? Thanks for reaching out.
Josh and I were down there last night (sundown). The river’s down right now! I’m betting we’ll run into you sooner or later down there. Love those fish. :0)
Maybe we have already met…at least in passing? I’m pretty easy to spot…not too many people hauling Styrofoam behind them. Glad you liked the fish. The one I made was fun to do.
As always really enjoyed reading about your discoveries – are the ‘fossil beds’ named by you as great deposits for future archeologists or is it an official named space – that has already been recognised? I am intrigued by the final photo with its great wall appearing to separate parts of the river or is it a state line? I need to go and investigate a map as it is such a unique landscape.
Are the ‘silvergils’ increasing in number or are they heading towards extinction?
Hi Veronica…the fossil beds here are an internationally recognized treasure, although they lack the drama of the better known dinosaur finds. More animals from the Devonian Age (375 million years a go) have been described by science from the limestone here than any other place on the planet. Life at that time was mostly water-based with fish (the first animals with backbones) first appearing in the fossil record. The Falls of the Ohio are known for their many corals and brachiopods. That great wall was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 20th century to provide a stable depth and pool of water for commercial river traffic. The Ohio River is far from being a wild river and a series of locks and dams have changed the character of the river. Originally, the Ohio River was more shallow and the Falls were a series of cataracts that impeded navigation. It is why the City of Louisville is here. River borders are tricky issues that often wind up in court. Kentucky claims the Ohio River along its northern border from bank to bank. I always envisioned an imaginary line that ran down the middle of the river to demarcate borders, but that is not how it works. For me, the fact that this river, at this place, was formerly wild and is now managed says a lot about how we approach nature. I frequently reference the early nineteenth century where written accounts describe a place that seems as remote now as the ancient fossil beds. John James Audubon, for example did much of his early bird illustrations from the Falls and the first Passenger Pigeon he drew was rendered here. For me, standing on the fossil rocks that were a high point of life on earth as it once existed is a very meditative platform for the kind of art I now make. Much of what I do is based on the idea that making art throughout its history has ultimately been a survival skill and perhaps needed more now than ever. Silvergills are mysterious and it isn’t known what their status is. I have a good Falls of the Ohio link in the right hand column of my blogroll and can provide much other interesting information if you care to learn more. Thanks for your comments!
Thanks Al for such a fulsome reply – I had been really intrigued with the photos and already done a bit of searching but your response added much to my knowledge. I have followed the link and will need to spend some more time exploring. What a bountiful and beautiful repository combining so much history/archeology – would love to go exploring some day – alas a bit far from this part of world!! It is wonderful that ‘unofficial’ documentation can be collected and posted which will and does provide such a different perspective on our activities.
Hi Al.
🙂
You’ve been very busy.
Now there’s the pot calling the kettle black! I’m always amazed by all the content you post on your site. I try to stay busy with my own art because it helps give me energy for the work I do with artists at my day job. I usually have more personal art work than time to post and if I need to prioritize, I prefer making art to talking about it. I have a lot of different work I haven’t presented yet, including series involving other materials than polystyrene. I have another exhibition coming up in January of 2014 that I will use to feature these newer pieces. Thanks for checking out the latest!! You are a gem Eva!
Kettle kettle
no slack, no slack
tic tack tic tack
Content is easy with the world at one’s fingertips via the cyber-swamp network!
LOL.
I am so glad to hear that you have another exhibitions coming up!!! Please keep us posted. Hint, mabe we can have a sneak peak? Hmm?
Gem needs a lot of polish!
Your art keeps your energy flowing strong and long, Al. It’s great stuff all around.
🙂
I had a sunflower looking thing growing next to my picket fence this summer. It looked like what you have pictured, here. I let it grow and watched bugs relish it. It was a colorful spot of yellow amongst the greens and I rather enjoyed watching the first bloom and then another and another and another before it decided to be done with the blooming. 🙂 Very nice Silvergill, Al.