4659 Airport Highway. (between Eastgate and Byrne roads), Toledo
(Additional entrance on Glendale Avenue)

While Swan Creek provides habitats for animals from fish to birds, the narrow corridor of land adjacent to it provides for even greater diversity. The south Toledo park named for the creek is an oasis in an urban area, providing crucial feeding and resting ground for migratory birds and a nesting area for resident species.

Swan Creek also preserves a unique habitat called an oxbow, which is formed when high water causes the winding creek to take a more direct route between curves. As a new channel forms, the previous channel becomes a pond, creating excellent microhabitats that support salamanders and other amphibians.

The oxbow also supports a wealth of plant life. Some unusual species are green dragon, nodding rattlesnake root and wild hyacinth. Giant cottonwoods and towering sycamores are typical floodplain trees, along with less common species such as butternut. Shrubs include willows, American bladdernut, elderberry and American hazelnut.

The forested banks of Swan Creek offer a sheltered corridor of wild vegetation in the midst of urban development. Animals such as deer, fox and raccoon use the corridor to move between feeding, resting and mating areas.

• Map

Video clip

Swan Creek
From the WGTE documentary " Toledo Stories: Metroparks of the Toledo Area"
(Highspeed connection recommended)