emailFrancis/King Regional Park
Learning Centre
Natural History
Move Through Seasons…
The forests here are over 10,000 years old — the rocky hills, millions of years old!
Spring
Begin in spring, when the forest comes alive. The scented yellow blossoms of bigleaf maple appear overhead; at eye level, look for early blooming Indian plum. At your feet, discover wildflowers such as shooting star, white fawn lily and spring gold.
Summer
In summer, the rocky outcrops hold heat, and carpets of lichens and mosses are crackle-dry. Hear crickets and northwestern gartersnakes moving through grasses, and Pacific tree frogs serenading each other in the swamp areas.
Fall
Fall offers its own colours. The delicate yellows and oranges of red alder and bigleaf maple slowly carpet the forest floor. Autumn rains break them down, and fungi with unusual names appear: witch's butter, elf's saddle, dead man's fingers.
Winter
Don't ignore winter, when everything is cool and wet. Trees keep growing, mosses are rich green and most animals never completely hibernate. Listen for the scolding sound of the small but vocal winter wren or the more strident call of the Stellar's jay.
Cultural History
Move Through Time…
This park, nestled in the rolling farmland of Saanich, has sheltered generations of people… first the Coast Salish, then the early pioneers and now you.
The forests and open spaces in Francis/King Regional Park provided food and shelter to the Coast Salish people and inspired their rich culture. These First Peoples harvested plants such as horsetail sprouts, camas bulbs and salal berries. Some they ate raw — others steamed, mashed or roasted. Berries were often dried into cakes to last the winter.
The elders knew which plants had healing properties. They used licorice fern for stomach troubles and snowberry fruit for salves. They took only the wood they needed from the giant cedar forest — for canoes, clothing, household wares and ceremonial objects.
Early pioneers also saw the richness of this land. James Francis purchased property on the east side of Munn Road in the 1840s, and except for minimal logging, preserved its natural beauty. His son, Thomas, lived there all his life, bequeathing the land to the Province of BC in 1960. It became Thomas Francis Park.
The property on the west side of Munn Road was transferred from the City of Victoria to the province in 1967. Freeman King Park was named after an early conservationist and naturalist who inspired many young Victoria naturalists. The Victoria Natural History Society managed both parks until 1981, when they were transferred to Regional Parks.
