#ralph ramey

Ohio History Collection

Taken by naturalist and nature conservator Ralph Ramey, this is a photograph of purple pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea), also called the northern pitcher plant or side-saddle flower. The purple pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant which lures insects which fall into the pitcher and drown in the rain water collected there, and are digested by enzymes and bacteria living in the pitchers.

Photograph of twinleaf flowers (Jeffersonia diphylla). Naturalist and photographer Ralph Ramey documented plants, animals, insects, and other notable features of the Ohio landscape on his travels throughout Ohio. Ramey (1928 - 2019) was a prolific writer and authored "Fifty Hikes in Ohio: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacking Trips throughout the Buckeye State," often illustrating his books and lectures with his photographs. Ramey spent time working for the Franklin County Park District, the Miami County Park District, and served as Director of the Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He also worked as the chief of the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, before retiring in 1994.

Taken by naturalist and nature conservator Ralph Ramey at Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs, Ohio, this is a photograph of a sassafras tree of the Lauraceae family, a tree native to North America and East Asia. The sassafras is characterized by slender branches with orangish brown or yellow bark with unlobed, bilobed, and trilobed leaves, and tiny yellow flowers. The leaves, bark, roots, flowers, and fruit of the sassafras are used for culinary, medicinal, and aromatic purposes. Sassafras is the main ingredient in root beer and an important ingredient in Creole dishes. Sassafras has been used topically and orally for various injuries and ailments ranging from arthritis and skin disorders to urinary problems and fevers.