Recently I was given a tip by another dog butler about a wonderful place to walk your canine employer. This one is a good 45 minutes west of Ottawa, up the Valley, just a step away from Fitzroy Harbour. It is the Morris Island Conservation Area and it is, in a word, picturesque.
Going to places like these I always have to keep an eye out for poison ivy, since my skin seems to be a magnet for it. Sure enough, I did spot a lot of it along the pathways, and encouraged Skye to avoid it so it wouldn’t be transferred onto my hands from her coat.
Does she look like she’s having fun to you? Of course; she’s just had a swim!
Do you see what I see?
This is a bottle or closed gentian (Gentiana andrewsii), a glorious native wildflower that favours moist woodlands and meadows. It relies on rolly polly bumblebees for pollination since they are the only flying insect strong enough to pry open the closed petals and retrieve the pollen. What a treat it was to see it!
Go and pay a visit to this lovely spot. It’s well worth the drive with your canine buddy. Dogs, of course, must be on leash and anything they deposit must be taken away with you.
September 10, 2012 at 8:30 am
Never heard of this place, but my friends and I are always on the look out for a nice place to walk and maybe stop for a picnic and if the weather continues to be warm, we may make it out this fall. Thanks for sharing.
September 11, 2012 at 7:24 pm
I know, Libby, I hadn’t heard of it either! But it’s a real jewel. It would be lovely to visit on a warm fall day with a blanket and a picnic. There are picnic tables scattered about.