Eddie

06/03/2026

Four plants in the same family. All have umbrella-shaped white flower clusters. All have divided feathery leaves. Three of them will hurt you in completely different ways.

🌿 The 3-second field check:

Is it taller than you with massive leaves? Giant hogweed. The sap causes severe blistering burns when skin is exposed to sunlight afterward. Do not touch. Do not cut. Report to your county extension office.

Are the flowers yellow? Wild parsnip. Same phototoxic sap as giant hogweed. Same burn risk. The yellow color is the diagnostic — if the umbrella flowers are yellow, don't touch any part of it.

Is the stem smooth with purple blotches? Poison hemlock. Crush a leaf — it smells musty, not like carrot. Toxic in every part of the plant. Grows in ditches and roadsides across the US.

Is the stem hairy with no blotches? Queen Anne's lace. Crush a leaf or root — it smells like carrot. Flat cluster that curls into a bird's nest shape as it dries. Not toxic.

🐾 The sequence: size first, then flower color, then stem, then smell. Four checks. Four answers.

When unsure, leave it. The safe one has a hairy stem and smells like carrot. Everything else gets distance 🌿

05/08/2026

Trying to restore balance in your nervous system? Connecting with nature is one of the most powerful ways to do that. No striving or efforting required! Come join us. It's free.

You don't need to perform or accomplish anything when you sit with a tree. You can simply be and receive the sound of birds, the rustle of the wind, the feel of the sun.

But "hanging out with the trees" can feel edgy to do alone. So come try Sit Spot Club, Sundays at 9am. It's an easy, free and comfortable way to weave nature connection into your week. It's solo tree time, in community.

Find all the details about our six-week pilot program here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1988333828004?aff=oddtdtcreator

04/29/2026

*** My forest therapy guide community is launching a pilot program to practice sitspot and sharing at the Dominion Arboretum on six Sunday mornings. These sessions are intended to build a community of nature lovers, and they are free. ***

Have you ever rested near a tree with nowhere else to be? No agenda, no effort?

You know that being outdoors among the trees feels great, but you struggle to make time in your life for it. This is for you.

A sit spot is a place outdoors where you return regularly, simply to sit and be. A Sit Spot practice builds a habit of nature connection. A connection that offers scientifically-proven benefits for your nervous system and overall health.

We’ll help you build the habit into your life, with a place, a regular time, and a circle of kindred spirits. No cost. Come as you are. No experience needed.

Join our six-week pilot program, hosted by certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guides.

When: Sundays: May 3-June 7, from 9 to 10 am
Where: Dominion Arboretum, off Prince of Wales Drive
For more information and to register, visit Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1988333828004?aff=oddtdtcreator

Let's create a community to nurture a habit of nature connection! You’ll be amazed at how great it feels!

04/26/2026

04/11/2026

What if the most powerful tool for your mental health was free, available every day, and growing right outside your door?

A meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health reviewed the best available studies on nature walking and mental health. The conclusion was clear: walking in natural environments significantly reduces both anxiety and depression.

And the benefits go beyond what indoor exercise alone can provide. Research shows that walking in green spaces amplifies mood improvements, reduces rumination (that repetitive negative thinking pattern linked to depression), and even lowers cortisol and blood pressure.

In my practice, I've started writing "nature prescriptions." Twenty minutes, three times a week, walking somewhere with trees. My patients laugh at first. Then they come back and tell me it changed their week.

There's a growing body of evidence that our brains are simply wired for nature. We spent hundreds of thousands of years surrounded by it. The modern world pulls us indoors, under fluorescent lights, staring at screens. Our nervous systems are starving for what forests and parks offer for free.

You don't need a national park. A neighborhood with trees will do. A garden. A trail. Even a green cemetery (they're surprisingly peaceful).

When was the last time you took a walk with no destination and no earbuds?

10/25/2025

Full itinerary for today's activities
Today's Itinerary:
10:30 am - 12 pm
Tip to Tip Trail (4.5 km)
Meet at Burritts Rapids Lockstation
673 River Rd, Kemptville, ON
Walking route: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/tip-to-tip-trail-7d465d8

12 pm - 1:15 pm
Brunch at the Boathouse Cafe
646 River Rd, Kemptville, ON
https://theboathousecafe.ca/cafe-menu/

1:30 pm - 3 pm
Rideau Woodland Ramble
7210 Burritts Rapids Rd · Merrickville, ON
https://www.rideauwoodlandramble.com/about%20us.shtml

4:30 pm - 6 pm
Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary
5591 Morrisons Rd, Ingleside, ON
Meet at the parking lot
https://www.google.com/maps/place/44%C2%B058'08.0%22N+75%C2%B001'30.7%22W/@44.9687635,-75.0249672,528m
Walking route: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/upper-canada-migratory-bird-sanctuary-fd9042c

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Upper Canada Village:
13740 County Rd 2, Morrisburg.
Meet at the long lineup at the ticket booth
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Upper+Canada+Village/@44.9462048,-75.067865,533m
Walking route: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/upper-canada-village-1ca3c9b

07/02/2024

Welcome to the new home of the Ottawa Hike to Heal with Eddie. Going forward this will be one of the two ways I will be posting future events. I haven't organized a Facebook group before, so I expect some bumps on the road. So let me know if there are things that don't quite work or needs improvement I'll see if I can find a way to improve the experience.