Champaign County lies entirely within the Till Plains ecoregion, and most of the county is within the Great Miami River Watershed. The county is bisected north to south by the Mad River.  It is one of the "spring valley" counties, characterized by many springs, seeps, bogs and fens (see Glacial Geology of Champaign County, Ohio).

Places to Visit

Champaign County has a number of excellent odonata observation sites. It provides the best viewing in Ohio for Elfin Skimmers. It is also one of the counties where you can see all 8 Ohio Argia species in one day.

• Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve has great Odonata habitat. 59 species have been observed, and the relatively rare state-listed Elfin Skimmer and Seepage Dancer are the most frequently observed. Accessible via 1 mile boardwalk, access to sedge-meadow fens, hardwood forest swamp, two clear-water streams. The property also has a man-made pond, vernal pools, and Massasauga habitat that are not open to the public. Located in the Mad River valley, it is Ohio's oldest dedicated State Nature Preserve and a National Natural Landmark. It ranks the highest of any site in the state for its great diversity of plants. There is adequate parking, and restrooms are located in the Nature Center. Cedar Bog is open during limited hours and has an admission fee.

• Kiser Lake was historically a chain of three glacial remnant ponds on Mosquito Creek. A dam was constructed at the west end creating an impoundment that is now 396 acre Kiser Lake. Stream, fen, lake provided Odonata habitat. 43 species have been observed. See also Kiser Lake Wetlands State Nature Preserve.

  • Kiser Lake State Park has camping and restrooms. There is a fee to camp. The lake supports a currently increasing population of Lilypad Forktails and also Phanogomphus Clubtails.

  • Kiser Lake State Nature Preserve. Two fen areas that feed Kiser Lake are a State Nature Preserve. The larger on the east end has a boardwalk. Species of interest for the wetlands are state-listed Sphagnum Sprite as well as Spiketails and Mosaic Darners. Visiting the wetlands is free.

• Melvin Miller Park is a city park for the city of Urbana where 23 species have been identified. It has a spring-fed fishing pond with most of the typical pond Odonata species. A popular recreational area, there is good parking and access to restrooms.

• Mad River, a high-sustained low-flow tributary of the Great Miami River (which it joins in Dayton) flows through Champaign Co, from north to south. Typical species are stream Dragons and Damsels. The Mad is considered to be an excellent trout stream. While walking access is limited, there are many bridges over the Mad where you can stop. Two of the best places are the bridges at SR 36 and SR 55, these are also put-ins for local canoe liveries. Neither location has restrooms. See access maps Mad River Access and Mad River trout fishing.

County Observation Activity

This graph shows the total number of odonata observations for the county in blue, with the average for all Ohio counties in orange. The season is divided into 10 or 11 day segments by Month – basically early-month, mid-month, and late-month.