Autumn walk in High Park

The unseasonably warm and ideal walking weather prompted me to get out and enjoy nature and it’s autumn splendor once again. On Thursday I ventured westward over to High Park.

This is the park of my childhood. I grew up a couple blocks away and even though I had a large backyard I still spent considerable time in the park. It was where I caught tadpoles, went toboganning and socialized.

The last time I lived in Toronto I also lived in this area. As an adult I appreciated High Park for its natural and landscaped areas, serenity, restaurant and farmer’s market. The park has a zoo, sports facilities, an off-leash dog park, playgrounds, picnics areas, trails and ponds. In days gone by you could skate on Grenadier Pond in the winter and rent paddle boats in the summer. Ecological rehabilitation takes priority now. This park is a treasure!

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Tommy Thompson Park – To the Lighthouse, eventually

Fishers

I noticed a number of tweets highlighting fall walks for this Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend. I decided to head over to Tommy Thompson Park to take advantage of one of the volunteer guided walks. We went for a leisurely and informative walk over to the Bird Research Station. Along the way we met a few birders who were kind enough to share their binoculars with us. At the station we chatted a bit with the conservation staff person. He and the volunteers were busy banding birds. Our guide, I didn’t catch his name but he’s originally an oceanographer from Uruguay who met a Canadian woman and is now an environmental student here, mentioned that the cormorants in the park nest in the cottonwood trees. It’s unusual as cormorants normally nest on the ground and it’s killing the trees.

Bird banding at the Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station

Cormorant nests in Cottonwood trees

As I was already at the park and it was such a lovely day I decided to continue walking on my own after the guided excursion. I made it over to the lighthouse and had meant to look for the turtles at the pond on the way back but forgot about it.

Lighthouse at Tommy Thompson Park

When I left home this morning it was a chilly 6 degrees Celsius but by afternoon it had definitely reached the anticipated 15 degrees, or more likely warmer as I no longer needed to wear my jacket. I’m loving this weather!

Have you been out enjoying nature this holiday weekend?

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September stroll at the Central Experimental Farm and Arboretum

Fletcher Wildlife Garden

Silver Poplar bark

That end of summer feeling is in the shops and mind. I’m not quite psyched up for the approaching fall and I thought I should get in a
pre-autumn walk before the non-commercial signs are too obvious. Umbrella in hand, I headed back over to the Arboretum and Central Experimental Farm. The rain held off and it turned out to be a perfect Sunday afternoon.

I’ve been looking at several books on trees, wild fruits and nuts, and foraging. I see people picking crab apples and I think I may try gathering some and experimenting with a jelly. Today, however, was about walking, not foraging, and I drew my inspiration from a copy of For the Love of Trees by Richard Hinchcliff and Roman Popadiouk, which is a guide to the trees at the
Arboretum.

I do love trees! I’m also drawn to architecture and have developed an interest in barn architecture. It makes
this a great place to stroll! As I wandered through the Farm I was curious about the “experimental” aspect of the corn stalks – they certainly attracted a lot of crows.

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Spring stroll: A feast of blooms

Hawthorn

Crab apple blossoms

Prince of Wales is one of the Ottawa streets that I quite like. The trees are in bloom and the area is infused with lovely spring growth and colour. It’s major downfall is the constant procession of traffic! The Canadian Agriculture Museum, Ornamental Gardens and Arboretum, which are part of the Central Experimental Farm, and the Fletcher Wildlife Centre are situated in the Dow’s Lake area. I wandered around this area today for the first time… and along the the Rideau Canal path.

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