Pearson South Remnant Great Black Swamp

The swamp at Pearson Metropark is defined by towering, wide-spreading old-growth trees, a dense understory of spicebush, and a spring forest floor alive with wildflowers such as wild ginger and jack-in-the-pulpit.

Pearson Metropark preserves one of the last remnants of the Great Black Swamp which was a vast, once-impenetrable forest that covered much of northwest Ohio. Although a network of ditches runs through the area, portions near the Orange Trail (also known as the Great Black Swamp Trail) still hold significant water depths, providing habitat for waterfowl such as wood ducks and mallards.

The terrain is characteristically flat, and while the exact age of the oldest trees is unknown, 1940s aerial imagery shows a dense, intact canopy. This section of forest has remained unbroken since that time and has been continuously protected since Metroparks Toledo acquired the property in 1934.

Within the canopy and mid-story, red oak, cottonwood, maple, American basswood, elm, and hickory dominate.