Jane Coates Wildflower Trail

Jane Coates Wildflower Trail is a half-mile loop located on the southern end of South Bass Island. With gorgeous wildflowers everywhere you look and migratory birds singing in the trees, this oasis is a hidden gem of Put-in-Bay.

Jane Coates Wildflower Trail Details

The blooms are the most vibrant in April and May, but the trail is delightful all summer long. The Wildflower Trail links three acres of woods adjacent to the Ladd Carr Wildlife Woods. Thanks to a grant from the Clean Ohio Conservation Fund in 2007 and funds from a private donor, this part of the island is protected from further development.

The Lake Erie Islands Conservancy maintains both the trail and the wooden areas. Volunteers can often be seen cleaning the trail and tending to the areas. This is truly a labor of love for islanders as they understand the importance of the maintaining the natural beauty of this island.

Named for Jane Coates, a beloved island artist, this trial celebrates her love of the islands wild area.

The wooded Trail is a mix of Sugar Maple, Blue Ash, Basswood, Black Cherry, and Common Hackberry. Wildflowers like Dutchman’s Breeches, Jack in the Pulpit and Blue Phlox are present in the spring. There are also Wild Hyacinths and Appendaged Waterleaf. The Dutchman’s Breeches completely cover the ground in the spring with sweet white flowers.

This is an ideal place to watch birds, enjoy wildlife, walk in the woods, and enjoy this peaceful respite.

The Wildlife of the Lake Erie Islands

Visitors to Jane Coates Wildflower Trail can often spot the critters of South Bass Island. Migratory birds pass through this area offering bird watchers new species to spot. Interested in learning more about the birds of Lake Erie? There is an extensive checklist of both migratory and local birds compiled by Tom Bartlett with data from the Kelleys Island Audubon, Pelee Island Bird Observatory, Lake Erie Islands Conservancy and his years of banding birds on the Lake Erie Islands.

Bird Species

Horned Larks
Tree Swallows
Worm Eating Warblers
Clay Colored Sparrow
Western Meadowlark
Eastern Bluebird
Scarlet Tanager

The woods of South Bass Island are also home to several species of reptiles and amphibians. The wet woods provide important breeding, feeding, and overwintering spots for many critters. The temporary breeding pools found here in spring are known as vernal pools. Animals like the Blandings Turtle, the American Toad, and Salamanders can be spotted throughout the island.