Wetlands
Don’t let the mud and sloppy trails fool you, Valley View is doing important work.
When Valley View is muddy and wet, it serves an essential role as a wetland ecosystem helping to protect our environment. Valley View lies in the 100-year floodplain, partially in the 500-year floodplain and includes about 32 acres in the floodway near the confluence of the Little Miami River and East Fork of the Little Miami. Think of it as nature’s giant sponge, soaking up excess water and nutrients during heavy rains and storms. This not only filters pollutants, improving water quality for both aquatic life and communities downstream, but also reduces the risk of flash floods and lessens the impact of downstream flooding. Beyond flood protection, Valley View wetlands provide a haven for a rich diversity of plants and animals, from vibrant wildflowers and towering trees to playful frogs and elusive turtles. This biodiversity is essential for maintaining a healthy ecosystem that benefits us all.
Woodlands
Valley View has close to 40 acres of streamside forest and 45 acres of hillside mixed hardwood forest with towering oaks, hickories, and sycamore filtering the sunlight through their canopy.
Wildflowers carpet the forest floor in spring, Fungi weave intricate networks beneath the surface, all providing important habitat for a variety of animals. Along the trails you hear the chirping symphony of songbirds and woodpeckers along with the rustle of small mammals like squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons. These are just a few of the residents thriving in this haven for wildlife. Keep an eye out for white-tailed deer, industrious beavers, foxes, salamanders, turtles, and frogs – who all call southwest Ohio’s woodlands home.
Prairie
The open grassland at Valley View is slowly transforming. Similar to much of Ohio, agriculture and other forces swept away this ecological treasure, but with the ongoing restoration efforts we are slowly bringing back the lost glory of the native prairie.
Tall and majestic grasses like big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, and switchgrass swaying in the wind. Interspersed between them, a vibrant tapestry of wildflowers such as Coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, milkweeds, blazing stars, spiderworts, bergamot, and countless others that will paint the meadow with life. Once established, songbirds will flit amongst the blooms, pollinators buzz from flower to flower and insects thrive playing their own vital roles in the web of life. This is not just beautiful; it’s an active ecosystem critical to nature’s balance.
