Plant Viewing Tips
A wide variety of plant species live in the park. To help protect these plants, please
- Look, smell or touch gently to appreciate the plant and learn more about it.
- Do not pick, cut, collect or remove any plant material. These actions threaten the health and survival of individual plants and entire ecosystems, including wildlife living here.
- Bring your own firewood and roasting sticks with you. Even dead plant materials fulfill an important function in a healthy ecosystem. Deadfall provides food and shelter for other plants and animals. As the dead materials decompose, they add nutrients to the soil that new plants need to survive.
- Use existing paved and shale pathways. Walking off-trail can kill plants. Erosion occurs if the area is sloped because there are no plant roots to hold soil in place.
Common Plant Species
The east end of Fish Creek Provincial Park is primarily grasslands with some riverine forest along the creek. This area extends from Macleod Trail to the Bow River.
The west end of the park is a mixture of poplar and white spruce forests with some grasslands. This area is located between Macleod Trail and 37 Street S.W.
Grasslands
- Found on dry, south-facing slopes and wide areas of the valley, primarily the east end of the park
- Some small patches of blue grama grass and spear grass
- Much of the valley previously cultivated or used for pasture
- Dominant grass now awnless brome
- Flowers: brown-eyed susan, buffalo bean (golden bean), common yarrow, prairie crocus, prairie onion, three-flowered avens (old man's whiskers, prairie smoke)
- Shrubs: buckbrush, shrubby cinquefoil
Parkland
- Found in areas moister than grasslands, often at the edge of floodplains and in ravines
- Well developed understory of plants in mature areas of parkland due to high humus content of soil
- Flowers: asters, Canada anemone, cow parsnip, early blue violet, star-flowered Solomon's seal, twining honeysuckle, veiny meadow rue
- Shrubs: common wild rose, taller shrubs (such as choke cherry, saskatoon, wolf willow/silverberry), wild gooseberry
- Trees: aspen
Riverine
- Found along the banks of Fish Creek and the Bow River
- Stretches back as far as rich, moist soil continues
- Narrow valley in west end of the park results in cooler temperatures and more soil moisture retention than the park's east end
- Riverine forest a strip along the banks of the creek and river in the drier east end of the park
- Riverine forest a mix of white spruce, aspen and balsam poplar
- Flowers: bluebells, common wild rose, grasses, smooth aster
- Shrubs: Canada buffaloberry, red-osier dogwood, western snowberry, willows
- Trees: aspen, balsam poplar, water birch, white spruce
White Spruce
- Found on north-facing slopes
- Also found on the narrow valley bottom at the west end of the park (extending east from Shannon Terrace to parts of Votier's Flats)
- Flowers: bunchberry, purple clematis, kinnikinnick (bearberry), one-sided wintergreen
- Shrubs: Canada buffaloberry, red-osier dogwood
- Trees: white spruce
Invasive Plant Species
