Canoe Creek Preserve

Canoe Creek Preserve is adjacent to where Canoe Creek flows into the Ohio River, just west of Henderson off of KY 136. It is home to a population of endangered Tennessee leafcup (Polymnia laevigata), which is unique from other sunflowers due to its small white flowers and intricate foliage pattern.

Location
Henderson County
 
Size
72 acres

Conditions
Due to the sensitivity of the site, the preserve is open to the public only through Conservancy guided hikes.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
For more information on visiting this and other Nature Conservancy sites in Kentucky, see our Preserve Visitation Guidelines page.

What to See: Plants
Three second-growth forest communities can be found at this preserve.

The regularly inundated floodplain is dominated by:

• sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
• cottonwood (Populus deltoids)
• water maple (Acer sacharrinum)
• an understory of poison ivy (Rhus radicans) and wood nettle (Laportea canadensis)

The slopes are dominated by the preceding species plus:

• Kentucky coffee-tree (Gymnocladus dioca)
• sugar maple (Acer sacharrum)
• shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria)
• the understory is more diverse, with Tennessee leafcup becoming a dominant species along the upper slopes

The crest is dominated by:

• sugar maple (Acer sacharrum)
• Shumard oak (Quercus shumardi)
• black walnut (Juglans nigra)
• sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
• the understory plants are Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and leafcup

What to See: Animals
Bottomland forest wildlife species are plentiful at Canoe Creek. These include:

•  numerous forest songbirds
• deer
• turkey
• squirrels

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
This site was donated by the Gulf Oil Corporation in 1983 and is of great interest due to its containing the largest population known in Kentucky of the rare leafcup.
 
What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The key goal for Canoe Creek is to protect the endangered Tennessee leafcup by maintaining and monitoring the health of its population. Threats to the leafcup include erosion, plowing of non-wooded buffer areas, gracing, logging and channelization of Canoe Creek. Other objectives for the site include evaluating the status of exotic species and initiating control measures.