Kitty Todd Nature Preserve

Kitty Todd Nature Preserve (Oak Openings Loop)

One of the Oak Opening's premier natural areas, Kitty Todd protects more than 900 acres. A primary habitat is oak savanna, which is maintained by controlled burning. Breeding bird diversity is great, and includes Red-headed Woodpecker, Summer Tanager, and Lark Sparrow.

Key Species by Season

Spring

• Yellow-Throated Vireo
• Black-Billed Cuckoo
• Red-Headed Woodpecker

Summer

• Field Sparrow
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Willow Flycatcher

Fall

• Northern Flicker
• Broad-Winged Hawk
• Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

Winter

• Great Horned Owl
• American Tree
• Sparrow Mourning Dove

At-a-Glance

85 - Kitty Todd Nature Preserve
The Nature Conservancy
10420 Old State Line Road
Swanton, OH

419.867.1521

Public Access
Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the first weekend of the month from May through October

Amenities
Hiking Trails, Outdoor Feeders

Driving Directions
Take Eber Road to its dead end at Old State Line Road and turn left. Preserve is about ¼ mile down the road on the right.

What to Look For

One of the Oak Opening's premier natural areas, Kitty Todd protects more than 900 acres. A primary habitat is oak savanna, which is maintained by controlled burning. Breeding bird diversity is great, and includes Red-headed Woodpecker, Summer Tanager, and Lark Sparrow. Blue Grosbeak has occurred. As many as 70 species may breed annually on or near the preserve, including both cuckoos, seven species of flycatchers, and eight species of sparrows. Spring and fall migration can bring influxes of migratory songbirds, and remarkable flights of raptors can pass overhead in fall migration.

Natural Features

Kitty Todd supports over 90 species of state-listed rare species. Highlights include Ohio's only native cactus, prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa), the carnivorous spathulate-leaved sundew (Drosera intermedia), and yellow fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris). Rare animals include Blanding's and spotted turtles, and frosted elfin butterfly. The federally endangered Karner blue butterfly occurs; its host plant is wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) which is plentiful.

Local Resources

Destination Toledo 
The Nature Conservancy 

About the Oak Openings Loop

The Oak Openings is legendary for the diversity of rare plants that occur here. The highly specialized habitats that comprise this ecosystem support more species of state-listed rare plants than any other region of Ohio.

The defining feature of the Oak Openings is sand. This unique region is situated on the former shores of preglacial Lake Warren, modern day Lake Erie’s much larger predecessor. As Lake Warren receded, it left its dunes and beach ridges in its wake, and these sands are now carpeted with oak savannas, dry prairie, and wet sedge meadows in low-lying areas.

What To Look For

The Oak Openings buffers the western end of Lake Erie, and lies just west of Toledo. The sandy prairies, wet sedge meadows, and oak savannas of this highly specialized ecosystem once covered about 300 square miles; today, only about 130 square miles remain. This region contains the best habitats to be found in the northwestern corner of Ohio, and many bird species breed in the Oak Openings that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere in this region. The Oak Openings is also known for its fall hawk flights. Raptors streaming around the western end of Lake Erie funnel through this area, sometimes in large numbers. The largest kettle of Broad-winged Hawks recorded in Ohio was seen near Perrysburg – about 20,000 birds on September 18th, 2002.

Noteworthy Rarities

A number of species breed in the Oak Openings that are a challenge to find elsewhere in northern Ohio, such as Eastern Whip-poor-will, Summer Tanager, and on occasion, Blue Grosbeak. The premier breeding rarity is the Lark Sparrow; the Oak Openings population is the easternmost in this species’ range. Other western species, such as Clay-colored Sparrow and Western Meadowlark, have bred or attempted to breed in this area as well. Golden Eagles are regularly spotted in migration, and good numbers of winter finches can occur. The last Ohio record of Pine Grosbeak came from the Oak Openings, in winter 2007-08. The total species list for the loop is about 300, and three of those – Atlantic Puffin (only Ohio record), Black-billed Magpie, and Mountain Bluebird – have been found only in this region.

Natural Features

The Oak Openings is legendary for the diversity of rare plants that occur here. The highly specialized habitats that comprise this ecosystem support more species of state-listed rare plants than any other region of Ohio. A great diversity of animals lives in these plant communities. Spotted turtles, blue racers, and blue-spotted salamanders are just a few of the unusual animals that can be found. The poster child for rare Oak Openings animals is the tiny Karner blue butterfly, a federally endangered species. It depends in part on rare wild lupine plants that flourish in the Oak Openings savannas.