Doc Findlay Nature Hike
On a late June pleasant day we hiked a loop route in Kenna Cartwright Park on a series of trails, including the Lower Doc Findlay Trail. We were pleased that this trail was named after Doctor Ian Findlay, a family friend from years past.
The trail goes up and down a series of rocky hills, overlooking the University, commercial, and industrial parks on the east side of Mountain Dufferin. Much of the route is through open douglas fir forest, but some of the south-facing slopes have open grass/scrub land dry areas. As we hiked, we stopped to enjoy the trees, wildflowers, shrubs, insects, and birds, taking a few photos, some of which are shared here.
Featured here are hairy false goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa), narrowleaf wirelettuce (Stephanomeria tenufolia) blister beetle (Epicauta puncticolis) on fleabane, alfalfa (Medicado sativa), wavyleaf thistle (Cirsium undulatum), blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata), parsnip-flowered buckwheat (Erigonum heracleoides), and spineless horsebrush (Tetradymia canescens).
Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
And in this gallery are more images of some of the species listed above, but also an ornate checked beetle (Tricodes ornatus) on buckwheat, wax currant (Ribes cereum), giant wildrye (Leymus condensatus), and silverleaf phacelia (Phacelia hastata).
Every day we hike through the hills, we stay alert to nature’s gifts. Thanks for visiting the site.