It’s 1 p.m. on a Sunday, and 20 Oxford residents have gathered under the pavilion in Peffer Park, dressed for the warm spring weather, but they aren’t there for a picnic or a sporting event.
They’re taking advantage of one of Miami University’s most colorful natural areas: Silvoor Biological Sanctuary.
Every Sunday from late March until mid-May, volunteers lead residents through the 2.5-acre sanctuary on wildflower walks. Robert Hefner, who donated the tract of land to Miami in 1978, spent decades restoring the formerly barren land and bringing back 60 native wildflower species to the area.
Amanda Bentley Brymer is the curator for Silvoor and assistant director of Miami’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability. She said the sanctuary is maintained through a unique partnership between the university and residents of Silvoor Lane, who privately own parts of the sanctuary.
The Wildflower Walks are a decades-old tradition, Bentley Brimer said, and help to inspire residents to think about how to restore their own land.
“I love getting people on those walks who say, ‘I have a backyard that looks like this. Can I do something like this, too?’ We’re trying to model for people what they could achieve in restoring habitat in their own spaces,” Bentley Brimer said.
Mary Ann Eaton, a retired clerk of council for Oxford, took advantage of the weather on April 28 and went on a Wildflower Walk led by volunteer Kelsey Vance. Eaton said she’s gone on the walks in past years, but this was her first one in 2024.
“I just really like spring flowers,” Eaton said, “and I wanted to see what was going on over here. I’ve lived in Oxford Township for a long time, so I try to get to the trails every now and then.”
Vance, who works as a landscaper, has helped lead the wildflower walks for the past three years, highlighting each species along the trail and answering questions from attendees.
“Since living in Ohio, I’ve been getting more and more interested in our natural landscape and biodiversity and trying to help maintain our native plants,” Vance said. Aside from identifying the flowers along the trails, Vance also talked about the unique roles each species plays in the ecosystem and how the sanctuary is working to manage invasive species like honeysuckle and lesser celandine.
Bentley Brimer said it’s an important site for student research on natural area management and new strategies for limiting invasive species.
This semester, graduate students at Miami have helped develop a plan to introduce more species of wildflowers, ferns and woody shrubs to the sanctuary. Other students have done research on the most effective ways to reduce the spread of lesser celandine without harming native species.
“By working with biology faculty, students have the opportunity to come into Silvoor and help us monitor the wildflower species’ richness and abundance,” Bentley Brimer said.
Wildflower Walks will continue at Silvoor Biological Sanctuary each Sunday at 1 p.m. through May 12. Bentley Brimer said groups can also schedule individual tours depending on volunteer availability by contacting [email protected].
