Colorado Wildflowers – Six on Saturday, 7-7-18

Getting up into the mountains in the summertime is a treat, and Colorado wildflowers make it extra special.

Today, I’m venturing outside the garden gate; a complete change of habitats, from the gentle hills of Northeast Ohio to the alpine meadows of the West.

The views are amazing, and a reward for the climb.

I find the flora equally amazing.  Sure, some of the species are the same.  Yet, the clear air and cool nights make the colors so vivid. (Or, maybe it’s the thin atmosphere and legalization of cannibus? Ha!)

Columbine

pale blue petals surround the white corolla of columbine
Colorado Columbine (Aquilegia coerulea)

Columbine is Colorado’s state flower.  This beauty was enjoying the shade next to a very bumpy road on the way to the tiny town of Crystal.

Flax

Flax flower has five bright blue petals
Blue Flax (Linum perenne)

Flax is a common wildflower, but here it shines radiantly in the sunlight.

Rose

a pink rose pops out between boulders on the mountainside
Wood’s Rose (Rosa woodsii)

Wild rose is another commoner, here popping through boulders along a steep path up Mount Daly.

Columbine, Too

wild columbine petals are a fiery orange-red
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

I thought that this wild columbine was exclusive to the Rockies (where this photo was taken), but I stumbled upon a photo of it in an Ohio wildflowers field guide.  Sorry to say, I’ve never seen it in Ohio.

False Solomon’s Seal

False Solomon seal's leaves are oppositely arranged on the stem, and topped with small, starry white flowers
False Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum or M. stellatum ?)

False Solomon’s seal fills the ground around stands of Aspen trees.  It’s the foliage which is eye-catching.

Salsify

this yellow flower has brown stamen
Yellow Salsify (Tragopogon dubius)

 

Yellow salsify has European origins, and is common in the western U.S.  Its roots are edible, but I didn’t test this fact.

For more amazing photos of flora from around the world, visit the originator of “Six on Saturday,” aka, The Propagator.

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Author: A. JoAnn

Here is where I share the beauty I find in everyday life; and the humor, too!

17 thoughts

  1. Like the other commenters, I really like the red columbine. I’ve never seen one like that in the wild or a garden. The blue of the flax, simply gorgeous. And the false Solomon’s seal . . . I don’t have true SS in my garden for many reasons, but that one is lovely. How I’d love to see Colorado! Hope you enjoy your entire trip.

  2. It does look like M. stellatum. More investigation needed!

  3. Interesting that the Maianthemum is flowering much later in the wild than it does here in my garden, where it flowered mid may. I suspect it may be M. stellatum though. You seem to have so many more really garden worthy wild flowers than the UK.

  4. What a lovely six you’ve posted. I can’t imagine having these pretty flowers growing wild.

  5. Yes, I do feel challenged. And, I think the weeds are taking advantage of me while I write…

  6. Unusual six and pretty colours. I don’t know about you, but I find it is becoming a challenge to keep up with all the Sixes!!

  7. Well, coming from you, that is quite a compliment!

  8. Right?! I thought I had stumbled upon something rare, but it turns out that this wildflower is common throughout the US. I’ve never seen it before.

  9. Me, too! There’s something about true blue flowers, almost surreal.

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