A 10 minute walk away from Metro Station Laurier. From the Metro Station walk North on Avenue St. Denis until the bridge. Walk along the railroad to the left until you arrive at the park.
Based on © OpenStreetMap
Welcome to our Guide to Champ des Possibles, Montreal
An urban park maintained as a community project turning abandoned industrial areas into natural biotope. In spite of the small size, quenched between tall office buildings and railroad tracks, over 400 species of plants and animals have been reported.
How to Get Here
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Photography Tips
Recommended places for macro photography are the Southern entrance or Northern exit. The area is small though and you can cover it in a short 5 min walk looking for the best place.
Mostly though a good place for flower photography and macro photography of small critters. During summer and autumn, the place is full of insects and spiders looking for food or being prey for others. You will be able to get macro shots of spiders, bugs and beetles, butterflies and bees and bumblebees. Large trees and nearby buildings provide shadow during sunny days preventing overexposed highlight spots.
What to See Here
A place where you can look for many different small creatures like butterflies, bees, grasshoppers and spiders. The only place where I was able watching house sparrows invading a park area. In late spring, birds can bee seen often. Less common though during the rest of the year. There are a few bushes with berries and on one occasion we counted 4 different bird species simultaneously enjoying the berries.
Recent Photos of Species
Species and Seasonality
| Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Robin (Turdus migratorius) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Birds-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cardinal Flower (Lobelia Cardinalis) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chicory (Cichorium intybus) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Common Eastern Bumble Bee (Bombus impatiens) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cross Orbweaver (Araneus diadematus) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| European Common Blue (Polyommattus icarus) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Merlin Falcon (Falco columbarius) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Panicled Aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Rustic Wolf Spider (Trochosa ruricola) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seven-spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spur-throated grasshoppers (Melanoplus) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| White-lipped snail (Cepaea hortensis) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Number of times a species has been observed, identified and recorded while visiting this park. A species is reported only once per visit to a park. Visit the page Park Visit Journals and learn how we record observations in the field.
Videos Recorded in Champ des Possibles
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Seven spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) - Eats Aphid
Recorded: 2022-08-20 - Published: 2022-08-26 - Duration: [03:22]
Videos are hosted on Muuuh's YouTube Channel.
Landscape Photos Taken in Champ des Possibles
Having to look long time for something green showing up. This plant was the only green spot in the whole park.
2020-04-10
NIKON D500; 90mm f/2.8; Focal Length 90mm; Exposure 1/200; Aperture f/7.1; Iso 100;
2020-04-04
iPhone 11 Pro; iPhone 11 Pro back triple camera 1.54mm f/2.4; Focal Length 1mm; Exposure 1/727; Aperture f2.4; Iso 20;
2015-07-19
NIKON D7100; 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6; Focal Length 45mm; Exposure 1/100; Aperture f16.0; Iso 200;
For high quality, free available photos visit our profile on Unsplash.
References
Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to Champ des Possibles.
All photos, videos, and text on this page are protected by copyright and are the exclusive property of Karl-Heinz Müller. Reproduction, distribution, or use of any content without permission is strictly prohibited. © Karl-Heinz Müller.