There’s magic afoot! High season in Colorado…
Sulphur flower (Eriogonum umbellatum v. umbellatum) with Boulder in background
Now is the time! Colleagues who visited Aurora’s Saddle Rock golf course’s fabulous prairie yesterday said it was in peak bloom. The pygmy columbine on Elk Meadows on Pikes Peak is blooming along with dozens of other alpine treasures. The mountain parks are awash with wild iris. Loraine Yeatts just got back from Browns Park and said it’s never been so flowery. Last weekend I hiked up Gregory Canyon in Boulder with my son and girlfriend (the pictures you see here): the flowers were awesome… The whole freaking state is Glorious with Mother Flora as I type this. What on earth are you doing on the computer! Get outta here! Quick! (But read on first…)
- Tall buckbrush (Ceanothus herbaceus)
The tall buckbrush (pictured above) occurs very sparingly mostly in the Boulder/Denver area. It is much showier than the common Fendler’s buckbrush that grows nearby. It was a treat to see this fabulous native in peak bloom. Another rarity along this trail was Smilax herbaceus…the only native greenbriar in Colorado–known only from a few foothills canyons.
Mexican blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata)
Who can resist Gaillardia? I know there are fussy people who don’t like daisies, and hate the color yellow: what fools these mortals be! Yellow and blue are the predominant colors in our wildflowers, and they are colors near and dear to my heart (come to think of it, all colors please me! Life is too short to be fussy!). I love common plants as much as the rare ones!
Plains larkspur (Delphinium virescens)
I finish with a closeup of one of our three local larkspurs that grow out on prairie: the other two are dazzling blues (Delphinium nuttallii and Delphinium geyeri), but white is a color too. Those who have read Moby Dick know that there is a depth of meaning to the color white, and this poisonous native fulfils Melville’s symbolism! And I love it too!
The city is alluring, and full of distractions. Forget the shopping malls! Turn off that darned television and get your bum up onto the hills: you know, you don’t have nearly enough springs and early summers left to really revel in our gorgeous state. Scary, no?
June 28, 2011 at 9:58 am
I have never been to the mountains and meadows in Colorado and I have always wanted to see fields of wildflowers. I can hike – but don’t want anything very strenuous. I will be staying in Boulder for a month. What would you say should be my priority list for wildflowers.
Thanks so much. Judy Guskin
June 28, 2011 at 11:32 am
There is a great deal to see this time of year: The tundra is still mostly under snow! Depending on how soon you are coming, I would start with the foothills and montane, and even the plains on cooler days. There are hikes all around Boulder proper in the Mountain parks..many trailheads you can even walk to from parts of town.
Rocky Mt. National Park is nearby: Wild Basin is one of my favorite hikes, and there are numerous short hikes you can take from Trail Ridge.
There are many, many trailheads in the Indian Peaks area (Pawnee Pass, Arapahoe Pass, etc.) but you must get to these VERY EARLY in the morning to get parking. If you have time to drive a bit further away, you will find superb hiking in the Medicine Bow mountains of Wyoming (100 miles north) with far less people, and the Mosquito Mountains (near Fairplay).
You could hike a different trail every day inside a days drive from Boulder, and it would take decades to use them all up: and the next month is THE peak of wildflowers. Prepare to be overwhelmed!
June 29, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Boulder County has some outstanding hiking trails, with wonderful botanical displays. Don’t miss Hall Ranch in Lyons. El Dorado Mountain trail in El Dorado Canyon is little known and not crowded. And that reminds me that you must visit El Dorado Canyon State Park. An entirely different ecosystem, with the rushing cool water.
July 2, 2011 at 10:22 am
I think we better schedule a hike up El Dorado some time soon!