Swan Creek Preserve

Swan Creek Preserve. . , Discover Swan Creek , For over 500 years, Swan Creek and its smaller tributary streams have shaped the Toledo-area landscape, meandering through dense woods, floodplains, swales and ravines. The creek is the second largest stream in the region after the Moumee River, which it joins in downtown Toledo. These streams, along with the Ottawa River, drain vast areas of northwest Ohio, eventually emptying into Lake Erie., Swan Creek is formed by the convergence of other streams in the Oak Openings area and travels a winding, 40-mile route through the city of Toledo before meeting the Maumee near another Metroparks property, The Middlegrounds, adjacent to the Anthony Wayne Bridge., What To Look For , Oxbow: Swan Creek preserves an unusual habitat called an oxbow, which is formed when high water causes the winding creek to take a more direct route between curves. As a new channel forms, the previous channel becomes a pond., Floodplain: This low, wet area shaded by gigantic cottonwood and sycamore trees is a good place to see spring wildflowers, such as bloodroot, trout lilies and jack-in-the-pulpit., Birds and Butterflies: Swan Creek's big woods and meadows are home to black swallowtail, monarch, viceroy and sulfur butterflies. The preserve is also an excellent urban birding oasis, attracting an array of species from songbirds to hawks. A Window on Wildlife offers a quiet spot to observe a variety of birds and other wildlife., Wildlife: The oxbow creates microhabitats where salamanders and other amphibians are found. Wooded areas along Swan Creek are a haven for wood ducks, raccoons, foxes, deer and other wildlife., Preserving Northwest Ohio's Natural Heritage , The Metroparks preserve pieces of the region's natural heritage. Within these parks, you will find parts of the historic Oak Openings and Black Swamp regions, as well as corridors formed by northwest Ohio's largest streams: the Maumee River, Ottawa River and Swan Creek., Since 1928, with the support of the Lucas County community, Metroparks has preserved these significant natural areas for everyone to explore and enjoy. With your support in the future, the park system will continue to live the mission of preserving clean, safe, natural parks for this and future generations., Also Visit These Regions, Discover The Oak Openings , The Oak Openings Region is one of Ohio's most unusual natural areas. Stretching across western Lucas County, its diverse habitats include ook savannas, wet prairies, sand barrens and dunes. The region is home to more rare and endangered species than any other area its size in Ohio, and has been described as globally rare, Wildwood Preserve, Ook Openings Preserve and Secor Metroparks are located in this region., Discover The Moumee River , The mighty Maumee is the largest river flowing into the Great Lakes and one of the dominant natural features of the northwest Ohio landscape. In the mid-1800s, the Miami and Erie Canal used parts of the river and ran parallel to it in some places. Side Cut, Farnsworth, Bend View and Providence Metropark are located along the Maumee and each preserve pieces of the former canal system. The Middlegrounds, a Metroparks property in downtown Toledo, also overlooks the river., Discover The Great Black Swamp The city of Toledo was built on the edge of a vast and notorious swamp described by a soldier in the 1790s the most "forsaken, desolate and inhospitable” wilderness in America. Pearson Metropark preserves piece of that swamp which stretched along the Lake Erie shore and the banks of the Maumer River.