Wildflowers of Colorado

A fun addition to any hike in spring, summer, or fall, is to track Colorado wildflowers. The most beautiful and ellusive being, of course, the Columbine.

If you come across this, the Colorado state flower, in the wilderness, I think you are very lucky. It is rare and beautiful and so delicate! I love that it's actually two flowers in one.

Ok, anyway, I like to use the Wildflowers of Colorado Field Guide by Don Mammoser with Stan Tekiela. (See cover photo). It is small enough to fit in your pocket and has beautiful pictures organized by color of flower (and conveniently tabbed by color so you can flip through). It gives you fun facts about the flowers and makes them relatively easy to identify by flower type, leaf type, leaf pattern etc. (It doesn't have everything though, or maybe I am just bad at identifying!)

I have started taking pictures of every wildflower I see while I am hiking and then bringing them home, consulting the field guide, and discovering what I found!

Here is a collection of the wildflowers I have found so far in Colorado (mostly in the Springs, but I must admit, a few elsewhere. How could I help myself? : ) )

Alpine Daisy Plants Aster alpinus

Goldeneye

Heliomeris multiflora

Pink Wild Rose

Rosa Woodsii

Sand Lily

Leucocrinum montanum

I don't know! I see this one everywhere in April but the book doesn't have it. I saw a sign for it somewhere (Red Rocks Canyon?) and am now on a quest to find it again.