Strange question....probably belongs in gardening forum, but it's about Ohio. Anyway.... (Warren: house, fence)

[aquila]

Would anyone by chance, just maybe perhaps kinda be able to tell me what that intoxicatingly fresh, sweet fragrance is that I keep smelling along the trails in the area?

"What trails", you might ask?

The ones around the Erie Canal Trail and Gilmore Ponds in West Chester/Fairfield.

For the life of me I can't figure out what it is. I keep thinking maybe it's honeysuckle, as they have been amazingly abundant this year. But so is the Poison Hemlock...although I've heard that Hemlock has a "mousey" smell...whatever "mousey" means.

Does honeysuckle give off such a strong fragrance? I have honeysuckle outside my house, but I don't smell it here. So I don't have a clue what it might be.

EDIT: To give some sort of description...it reminds me of a peppery orange blossom. Not sure how else to describe it.

[Boilergirl]

Yes, it is the honeysuckle.
Pretty bad invasive species. It has taken over in this region.

[aquila]

Yeah, I've read that it is invasive. I can believe that with the astonishing amount of it I've seen this year. Pity, too, because the stuff smells incredible! I wish I could bottle that fragrance. Last year we had it here and there, but not as much as this year. I've literally seen it all over the place. A lot of locust trees blooming this year, too.

I'm waiting for kudzu to infiltrate the area.

[Ohiogirl81]

Those bright purple or white spiky flowers -- don't ask me what they're called -- give off a sweet/spicy scent. They should be all over the place about this time.

And wild roses should be in bloom about now, too.

I had tons of honeysuckle trained over an old wire fence at my house in Madison Place. It smelled so intoxiacting I loved to stick my face in it, which is a good way to get a bee sting!

[aquila]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Those bright purple or white spiky flowers -- don't ask me what they're called -- give off a sweet/spicy scent. They should be all over the place about this time.

And wild roses should be in bloom about now, too.

I had tons of honeysuckle trained over an old wire fence at my house in Madison Place. It smelled so intoxiacting I loved to stick my face in it, which is a good way to get a bee sting!

Yeah, I've noticed the wild roses in places. I thought maybe that was the source, though the section of trail I was walking on didn't have them in abundance - but the fragrance was strong. So I kinda ruled them out....or else I simply didn't see them hidden behind some other bushes. When I smell the honeysuckle up close it seems kinda faint, so it's hard to believe that would be the source of the intense fragrance. But I honestly don't know what else it could be.

I'm not sure what purple and white spiky flowers you're referring to. I know there is a lot of teasel along the trail, but it's not blooming yet. Usually it's purple or white.

[Ohiogirl81]

Not teasel (dang, I love that stuff! ). It looks kinda like phlox, with flat flowers, four or five petals. It's very tall. You can't miss it this time of year; they're everywhere on the sides of the roads, etc. I'm trying to find out what they are, but to no avail. Argh ...

[aquila]

Not absolutely sure what you might be referring to. I see purple flowers that resemble phlox, but they aren't tall. I was thinking it was maybe myrtle. Try this site to see if you can find out what it is.

[Ohiogirl81]

Thanks for the link; looks the name of what I'm thinking of may be Dame's Rocket.

Wild Flower Seed: Dame's Rocket(Hesperis matronalis)

When I first moved to southern Ohio a bunch of us went fishing at some old quarry in Warren County (girls just wanna have fun! ), and I picked a bunch of it. Went away for the weekend, and two days later the sweet spicy smell had turned to rot. Bleah. Now I leave it where it belongs -- outdoors!

[aquila]

Yes, I have seen that, though not as much as the hemlock and teasel. (Actually, the teasel isn't blooming yet.) Around the trail, it's white. Looks like this picture, or this one...only white. And it is kinda tall, now that I think about it. But there are also other purple flowers that look like myrtle or phlox which aren't really tall.

I've been a lazy butt the past two days and haven't gone up on the trail to explore. I should probably head up to see if I can find any of it.

[aquila]

I went for a walk on the trail today, and I didn't see any wild roses or Dame's Rocket. Also didn't see the phlox. Of course, I didn't walk the entire length due to the heat, so they may have been further along. But I still smelled that fragrance in various places. I can't say for sure that it's honeysuckle, but I'm still not ruling it out. I wonder if a locust tree gives off that fragrance (??) because there are a ton of those up there also. Took some photos of the plants I think may be the source....will post them later.