A Stroll Through The Arboretum

 I had gone as far as I wanted in Commissioners Park for fall colours, but the other part of my destination was on the far side of Dow's Lake, called the Arboretum.

The view here includes Canada geese, making a lot of noise, along with ducks. Across the lake, which is lowered for the season being part of the Rideau Canal, is the naval reserve station HMCS Carleton. A careful eye might pick out the green roof of the observatory at the Experimental Farm.

I headed in that direction.

The Arboretum begins when you pass the reserve station. It is actually part of the Experimental Farm, a government agricultural facility and working farm, and here a multitude of trees have been planted.

There's a marsh along one side of the path, likely a remnant of what was here before. Before the days of the Canal, this was all called Dow's Great Swamp.

Willow trees appear to be late to change their leaves.

A creek feeds into the Canal, and so its levels are reduced to a trickle over the winter.

This slope beyond sees sledding in the winter.

As I was leaving, the rain was just getting started.