Adventures for Wilderness – Butterflies and Blooms on Jumpingpound Summit

August 11, 2025

Text and photos by Sara Heerema

Led by Isaac Peetoom Heida

One of the best hikes in Alberta’s public lands (in my humble opinion) is Jumpingpound Summit. The view is made even better by the wide array of plant and animal diversity that can be found along the way. For our adventure this past Sunday, we were lucky enough to have Isaac Peetoom Heida, a plant ecologist, show us some of the exciting things hidden along the trail.

The hike is located within the Kananaskis Public Land Use Zone, which is a beautiful section of the province that sadly has few protections afforded to it. This area of public land can be opened to activities like cattle grazing, trapping, mineral extraction, oil and gas production, and logging. One main threat that the area is facing is logging, with many sections of the PLUZ being actively logged today.

A small group of us started along a mildly muddy trail and immediately noticed the impact that the rainstorms of the past few weeks had had. Mushrooms were popping up all around us, exposing the fruiting bodies of a vast and secretive underground network of mycelium. Frequent stops were made throughout the hike to take pictures and speculate on the varieties. Isaac described the difference between bolete and gilled mushrooms, showing us that the former have pores rather than gills on their undersides, and discouraged us from eating them despite their likelihood of being non-poisonous as compared to the gilled variety. We discussed how mushrooms can often sense humidity and time their spore release when conditions are optimal for dispersion.

We made a few stops at trees in varying states of growth and decay along the trail, discussing the root system of a spruce before moving on to why the bark of some trees is twisted like a candy cane. We looked at the needles of spruce, pine, and fir trees and took our best guesses at IDs. My personal favourite was analyzing wood decay like it was a crime scene, with Isaac explaining the different mechanisms that white and brown rot use to break down fallen trees.

After some quiet huffing and puffing through the steepest section of the trail, we began to notice the forest cover thinning and wildflowers beginning to take the spotlight on either side of the trail. As we emerged into the first sunny meadow at the top of the climb, Isaac described the research project that has been taking place in the area for 30 years. Population numbers, genetic variation, and environmental conditions are all looked at for one of Alberta’s native butterfly species, the Rocky Mountain parnassian, which relies on the yellow sedum that grows in the meadows. Isaac explained that for some species, there is a growing mismatch between when plants are blooming and when the animals that eat or utilize them are active, due to plants’ ability to adapt more quickly to changing environmental conditions influenced by climate change.

The way down was interspersed by stops to discuss neat finds along the trail, from squirrel middens to grass species. I found myself wishing we had more time to explore the entirety of the forest. Thank you again to Isaac — we can’t wait for next time!