Lawson Nature Reserve

About

The best-kept secret in southwest Oxford – the Lawson Nature Reserve encompasses 15 hectares of provincially significant Carolinian woodland and wetland.

The Lawson Nature Reserve was generously donated by Dr. John Lawson, a respected physician, naturalist and long-time member of Ontario Nature. In 1976, he bought the 15-hectare property just south of Ingersoll, solely to conserve the land and return it to its natural state.

Wood frog, Lawson Nature Reserve © Noah Cole

Plants and Animals

The Lawson Nature Reserve’s topography varies from moraine, to grassy meadow, to hardwood swamp. The reserve is home to about 200 plant species, including the rare Virginia bugleweed.

An old gravel pit on the property from the 1960s has been reforested with white pine trees and a wetland was created in the south-west portion of the property to increase wildlife habitat.

Striped hairstreak, Lawson Nature Reserve © Noah Cole

Visiting

You can access the reserve by a roadway directly across from a privately owned house. Please respect the homeowner’s privacy.

We do not charge a fee for entrance and there are no operating hours on any of our nature reserves. Properties are monitored by volunteer stewards. We rely on visitors to be safe, minimize their impact on nature and be respectful of others. For more information about visiting the reserves, please read our Permitted Activities Policy.

We welcome donations to support this nature reserve and our system of 26 nature reserves.

Lawson Nature Reserve © Stephanie Muckle

Stewardship

The Ingersoll District Nature Club is the official steward of the reserve. Ontario Nature, in partnership with IDNC, has continued Dr. Lawson’s conservation vision of ensuring natural spaces like Lawson Nature Reserve are preserved for generations to come.

IDNC Club members have continued to maintain and enhance this property for all visitors to enjoy! Explore a new trail installed in 2022, benches, picnic tables, an outhouse, bird feeders and nesting boxes throughout the reserve.

Lawson Nature Reserve trail building crew

“This property is enjoyed by so many visitors – there is never a time when you drive by that there are not at least one or two cars parked at the entrance. Giving back by maintaining this property provides us with a real sense of community.”

– Ingersoll District Nature Club

Wetlands, Lawson Nature Reserve © Noah Cole

Directions

Take exit 216 from Highway 401 west to Culloden Road South. Follow this road south to Concession 2 (McBeth Road) and turn east. Proceed approximately one and a half kilometres along McBeth Road. The reserve is located on the north (left) side just past Greenwood Farms.

You can access the reserve by a roadway directly across from a privately owned house. Please respect the homeowner’s privacy.

View Lawson Nature Reserve in a larger map.

Ingersoll District Naturalists Club, Lawson Nature Reserve © Sheila Fleming

Meadowhawk dragonfly, Lawson Nature Reserve © Noah Cole