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Season 3 (Summer) Episode 1: (Paint Creek)

  • Writer: Gary Thewoodsprite
    Gary Thewoodsprite
  • Jul 10
  • 5 min read

On Today’s episode of Adventures with Gary The Wood Sprite: Season 3, (Summer) episode 1 (Paint Creek State Park). It’s June 29, 2026. We started at the parking lot for Triple Waterfalls in Greenfield, OH. This was my very first time in the summer. My favorite season. Yay!


Because Triple Waterfalls is a hidden, undeveloped gem rather than a main state park attraction, it does not have an official name, trail markers, or sign. However, weirdly it is a location in google maps. Paint Creek State Park is a 5,652-acre public recreation area located in Highland and Ross counties in Ohio. The state park's central feature is a reservoir, 1,148-acre Paint Creek Lake, which was created by the damming of Paint Creek. It was dammed primarily for flood risk management and recreation, like Caesar Creek Lake (S1E4).


The waterfall was spectacular. I have seen waterfalls at Crawdad Falls (S1E5) and Fallsville Falls – which is also a wildlife area (S1E6). Weirdly this is the only waterfall we saw, even though it’s named the Triple Falls area. I am not sure where the other two were. We walked around but didn’t find them. Ah well. My guess is that there was not enough rainwater to have two more waterfalls. So, the lesson for the day is: sometimes waterfalls don’t fall.


Maybe they are ephemeral waterfalls. Which is a waterfall that only flows during heavy rain, a flash flood, or seasonal snowmelt, remaining completely dry the rest of the year. There looked to be rock crevices that once had water. In Hocking Hills (S2E14) one of those was a ghost waterfall. Its also sometimes called a phantom waterfall where water completely vanishes from view, usually sinking into the rock beds or flowing through underground caverns before the drop. OR they could be a dry fall/dry cataract which is the most common general term for a cliff-face, gorge, or rock amphitheater that was carved by an active waterfall but no longer has a water supply.


Why is the word cataract used for a waterfall? The word "cataract" traces back to the Ancient Greek word katarraktes and the Latin cataracta, which mean to "rush or dash down". Originally referring to any down-rushing water or steep rapids, geographers adopted the term to describe the sheer drop-off of massive waterfalls, even if those falls are currently dry.


How is the word cataract related to the eye problem? The eye condition and the waterfall share the exact same linguistic root: the Latin word cataracta, which translates to "waterfall" or "floodgate." Historically, doctors used the waterfall analogy because of how a cataract looks and functions inside the eye. Essentially, both terms describe something that "rushes down"—either water rushing down a cliff, or an opaque fluid imagined to be rushing down into the eye to block your vision.


The merlin app found a bird call that I had never heard before called an American redstart. They are a hyperactive, insect-eating warbler that rarely stays still. The males are a striking black and orange. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it, only heard.


We found a rusted metal box with wires. My first thought was car battery but I think not. We also found trash (Styrofoam cup and later the matching lid and straw).


Along the rock walls were lots of funnel weaver spider web covered in dew even though it was 2:30 PM. They were in the shade of the rock though.


We saw paint creek which looks peaceful and still on the surface but I am guessing the currents are moving well underneath so of course we didn’t go for a swim. I don’t like to get wet anyway.


The tiny clustered balls of dirt are earthworm castings (feces) deposited on the soil surface. Earthworms consume soil and organic matter, digest it, and leave behind these nutrient-rich mounds at the entrance of their burrows. Gardeners pay a premium for earthworm castings because they are considered one of nature’s most effective, nutrient-rich soil enhancements. Some people start a home worm bin to harvest their own. You can even buy a 30-pound bag on Amazon for $35.00. Poop is great!


On to the plants!


In the parking lot we were greeted by a huge Silver Maple. Ah how I wish these old trees could talk. Maybe I can since I am a wood sprite. Let me get back to you on that. I got the sense that this tree was like a king’s guard, or a club bouncer checking out the visitors and scanning, watching for trouble makers.


The first thing we notice was a lot of young Ohio buckeye trees with yellow blotches. Its too early for fall so I think they appear to be affected by Guignardia blotch, a common fungal disease of Aesculus species like buckeyes and horse chestnuts. The symptoms include large, irregularly shaped dead spots or blotches with a distinct yellowish edge, which may cause the leaf edges to curl. The tree may also be affected by the Aesculus leafmining moth, which causes similar leaf damage.


The gorgeous red berry is from a plant called Morrow’s honeysuckle. There are approximately 180 species of honeysuckle worldwide. China is the global hub for honeysuckle, containing over 100 native species. Europe, India, and North America each have about 20 native species. If you are trying to differentiate a native honeysuckle vine from an invasive bush honeysuckle, you can inspect the twigs. Native North American honeysuckles have a solid white stem center (pith), whereas non-native invasive species have a hollow brown center. I discussed honeysuckle in S2E5, and S1E2 when we were volunteering at the nature center and we cut down and sprayed the invasive honeysuckle. It gets huge and can look like a tree!


The white three-tiered flower is a perennial herb called a Hairy pagoda plant, aka Hairy wood mint. The crushed or damaged leaves give off a strong, pleasant minty scent. How did it get pagoda in the name? The flowers grow in dense, circular clusters stacked vertically on top of one another along the upper stems. This tiered arrangement strongly resembles the layered, multi-roofed structure of traditional Asian pagoda buildings. A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves, common across Asia. Its origins were developed in ancient India.


The ferns on the walls are called Bulblet bladderfern. The bulblet bladder fern gets its name from two distinct, defining characteristics of the plant: its asexual reproduction (bulblets) and its spore coverings (bladders). Neat!!


See the cluster of green berries? This plant is False Solomon's Seal. The fruit shown are immature berries, which typically appear green with red speckling before turning deep red or purple. These berries are edible for humans, though often considered bland, and are a food source for various birds and small mammals.


Since this is the first post of summer: what are your favorite memories of summer? What is your favorite season?



 

 
 
 

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