This farm pond at the south end of Aullwood's property is a favorite spot for study or peaceful contemplation. It is surrounded by second growth woods and lined with cattails and willow. Pond weed, irises, algae, duckweed and other vegetation do not over take the pond. From a perch on the study deck vistors can observe smallmouth bass, bluegill and catfish. Dragonflies abound along with many other insects.

Spring water keeps this pond cold in summer and ice-free in winter. Leaves from the tall old trees cover the bottom every fall. Chara and other interesting algae grow in the shaded waters. The cold and low light leave the water crystal clear. Isopods and other creatures can be seen slowly crawling over the leafy bounty making their simple livings.

Shallow and muddy, this pond is filled with life. Bordered by the Wet Meadow it is sometimes hard to see where the land begins and the pond ends. A scoop of edge matter from this marsh gives off a sulfurous smell as anaerobic bacteria make use of the overabundance of organic matter. This is definitely a eutrophic* environment. A little searching along the edge will yield snails, freshwater clams, fly larvae, beetles, dragonflies, damselflies, waterboatmen, backswimmers, waterstriders and many other macroinvertebrates. Frogs, toads, turtles, and fish also live here.

*The plant growth in the shallow warm water far exceeds the matter taken away. It will fill up with dead plants, dead animals and animal droppings. Over time we have to dig it out. Naturally occuring ponds in Ohio are not common.

Rare and threatened are Ohio's vernal pools. They only look like wetlands when the spring rains fill them. Although they may be dry by summer, life springs up quickly when the little pools fill up. Amphipods, fresh water shrimp and spotted salamanders are found in spring. When the first warm rains of March trickle down into the soil, burrowing mole salamanders come back to their natal pools to mate. On the right night hundreds of 15-20 centimeter black salamanders with yellow spots can be found engaged in their annual saturnalia. Soon masses of one centimeter diameter transluscent eggs can be seen. Most will not yield a breeding adult but some will.

A flat, impermiable layer of rock or glacial till causes a spring fed steam to spread out across a small wood just south of the Center Prairie. The trees above can tolerate the heavy wetting. Skunk cabbage and marsh marigold are two of the wildflowers which require it.

This body of water serves the needs of the sheep and few farm ducks. It also harbors frogs and turtles and some attractive vegetation such as irises and cattails. The air above the pond rattles with the sound of dragonfly wings when the weather is right. Overnutrification by the sheep manure yields a stunning growth of filamentous algae which can nearly cover the surface of the pond.

The creek is a constant at Aullwood. It may be the part of the land which was least changed over the last couple of centuries. No human hand was needed to make it flow. Ponds in Ohio are almost always created through human effort. If you carefully look under the rocks in the stream you will see some of the most pollution intolerant stream species. Stoneflies, mayflies, alderflies, and caddisflies all thrive in the clean cold waters of Aullwood's brook.

Ohio has a program which recognizes particularly pristine rivers. The Stillwater is one of these, a Scenic River. It is surprisingly clear and full of life with dozens of species of fish and a broad specturm of macroinvertebrates. The most sensitive groups of insects seem to do well . Dobsonflies, mayflies, and caddisflies can all be found in great variety. Fish like the exquisite rainbow darter are always abundant. In addition, exposed Ordovician rock near the Englewood Dam yields many fossils. Aullwood makes good and regular use of this special resource.