Kitty Todd Nature Preserve is a stop on the Lake Erie Birding Trail.

Located in western Lucas County north of Old State Line Road. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, Kitty Todd Preserve is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the first full weekend of the month from May through October only.

• Black oak savanna
• Sedge meadow
• Wet prairie communities typical of the Oak Openings region

Kitty Todd Preserve consists of a mosaic of plant communities including sand barren, black oak savanna, sedge meadow, and wet prairie communities typical of the Oak Openings region.

Kitty Todd Preserve is one of the finest nature preserves in the Oak Openings region of northwestern Ohio. The preserve was named in honor of Toledo conservationist and former Nature Conservancy board member, Kitty Todd.

The Oak Openings region was originally characterized by a series of windblown sand dunes and wetlands that were saturated in winter and spring and extremely dry in summer. These conditions gave rise to vegetation ranging from dry sand barren and oak savanna on the raised dunes to moist sedge meadow and wet prairie in the low-lying swales. Kitty Todd supports a number of these small sand dunes, interesting examples of the unusual geology of the Oak Openings region.

Last sited at Kitty Todd before its extirpation from Ohio, the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly was reintroduced to the preserve in 1998. More than 100 state-listed rare plants occur in the preserve including prickly-pear cactus, yellow-fringed orchid, cross-leaved milkwort, grass-pink orchid, and Skinner’s foxglove. One of the state’s largest populations of wild lupine occurs here. The state endangered lark sparrow nests on the preserve.

Kitty Todd Nature Preserve Trails
There are two trails at Kitty Todd Nature Preserve.
Old Savannah Trail – .5 mile
Cactus Loop Trail – .3 mile

The Oak Savanna Trail and Cactus Loop Trail at Kitty Todd Nature Preserve combine to create a 1-mile loop through arguably the best remaining example of the globally-endangered black oak savanna community that once covered the Oak Openings region in northwest Ohio. The trail traverses a mosaic of plant communities, including sand barren, black oak savanna, sedge meadow, and wet prairie. Look for the rarities that make Kitty Todd special, including the federally endangered Karner Blue Butterfly, the state-endangered Lark Sparrow, and the many rare plants including prickly-pear cactus, yellow-fringed orchid, and Skinners foxglove.

The AllTrails website has a description with a map of a hike at Kitty Todd.