With all of the time and effort we spend on our gardens, we sometimes forget that Mother Nature is the best gardener of all.
Here is an illustrated guide to her creations, some of which thrive in urban gardens, too.
Illustrations by Hilary Forsyth, courtesy Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks
Wildflowers unfailingly appear year after year on Boulder County trails. These hardy survivors endure drought, freezes, hail, heat, grazing and other traumas to please us each spring, summer and fall with their specialized blooms. The following guide to these bewitching beauties is courtesy Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks.
Oregon Grape
February
Mahonia repens
Oregon grape prevents erosion on steep hillsides. These tiny flowers can be very fragrant, so stop and sniff.
Found on: Flagstaff Trail
Pasque Flower
February
Pulsatilla patens ssp. multifida
The fuzzy hairs on pasque flowers keep them warm, allowing them to bloom very early in spring.
Found on: McClintock and Gregory Canyon trails
Sand Lily
February to April
Leucocrinum montanum
Sand lilies bloom early in spring, and all but the underground part of the plant dies soon afterward.
Found on: Eagle and Red Rocks trails
Blue Flax
February to April
Adenolinum lewisii
Flax has been used for fiber since ancient times. Linen is made from flax stems cured in water.
Found on: Red Rocks, Marshall Mesa and Bluebell Mesa trails
Spring Beauty
February to April
Claytonia rosea
Look at the delicate pink lines on the flower petals. Like runways, these guide insects to nectar.
Found on: Bluebell-Baird Trail
Golden Banner
April
Thermopsis montana
Golden banner is toxic to humans and many animals, but caterpillars feed safely on it.
Found on: Chautauqua and Lower Towhee trails
Mountain Bluebells
April
Mertensia lanceolata
Although their name implies it, mountain bluebells aren’t just blue. Look for other colors in the buds.
Found on: Skunk Canyon Trail
Wild Geranium
April
Geranium caespitosum
Geranium comes from the Greek word “geranos,” or crane. This plant is often called cranesbill because of the shape of the seedpods.
Found on: Mesa Trail
Chokecherry
May
Padus virginiana ssp. melanocarpa
Bears, coyotes, foxes, birds, butterflies, bees, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits and deer all depend on chokecherries for food. Look for tent caterpillars in the branches.
Found on: South Mesa Trail
Heart-leaved Arnica
May
Arnica cordifolia
If you find one arnica plant, you’ll probably find several. Like aspen, arnica spreads underground to form colonies of many connected plants. Arnica has been used medicinally for hundreds of years. Do the leaves look heart-shaped to you?
Found on: E.M. Greenman Trail
Wild Iris
May
Iris missouriensis
Paiute and Shoshone Indians found wild iris to be a cure for toothache. However, like many other medicinal plants, wild iris can be poisonous.
Found on: Big Bluestem and Mesa trails
Yarrow
May
Achillea lanulosa
The Greek hero Achilles purportedly used yarrow to heal soldiers’ wounds. Its scientific name honors him. The leaves are very aromatic; smell your fingers after rubbing them.
Found on: Numerous dry meadow and grassland trails
Larkspur
May
Delphinium nuttallianum
Larkspur flowers have been used to kill lice. Native Americans and white settlers made a louse-killing shampoo by mixing the seeds and flowers with soap.
Found on: Towhee and Homestead trails
Lupine
May
Lupinus argenteus
Lupines enrich the soil. Bacteria on the roots take nitrogen from the air and change it into a form other plants can use, then release it into the soil.
Found on: Bluebell Mesa, Eagle and Chautauqua trails
Yucca
May
Yucca glauca
Native Americans discovered many uses for yucca. The leaves can be woven into sandals, mats and baskets; fibers in the leaves can be used as thread or twisted into rope; and the roots and stems make a soapy lather when pounded into water.
Found on: Hogback Ridge and Red Rocks trails
One-sided Penstemon
May
Penstemon secundiflorus
Gardeners have discovered penstemon seeds grow better when stored for a few years before planting. Exposing the seeds to cold and moisture helps, too.
Found on: Mesa Trail
Death Camas
May
Toxicoscordion venenosum
If eaten, this plant can poison people and livestock. All parts of the plant, including the bulb, contain the poison. Death camas is easily confused with wild onion, with devastating results.
Found on: Big Bluestem and Gregory Canyon trails
Prickly Pear
May
Opuntia macrorhiza
Prickly pear spines are actually modified leaves. Leaves let water in the plant escape into the air, while spines keep water trapped inside, allowing cacti to live in very dry places.
Found on: Red Rocks and Hogback Ridge trails
Leafy Cinquefoil
May to June
Drymocallis fissa
Cinquefoil’s flowers attract caterpillars and butterflies. The leaves typically have apleasantly fuzzy feel.
Found on: Mesa Trail
Colorado Columbine
May to June
Aquilegia coerulea
This is Colorado’s state flower. The long spurs in the back are filled with nectar.
Found on: Upper Chautauqua Trail
Mariposa Lily
June
Calochortus gunnisonii
In 1848, white settlers in Utah faced starvation after crickets, drought and frost destroyed their crops. The Ute Indians came to their aid by teaching them how to use this plant for food. Today it is Utah’s state flower.
Found on: Chautauqua Meadow trails
Blanket Flower
June
Gaillardia aristata
The red heads and yellow bodies of gaillardia moths allow them to blend in while feeding on blanket flower’s nectar, protecting them from predators.
Found on: Big Bluestem and Marshall Mesa trails
Harebell
June
Campanula rotundifolia
The long-blooming harebell grows all over the Northern Hemisphere, and is the “bluebell of Scotland.”
Found on: Mesa Trail
Bergamot
June
Monarda fistulosa var. menthaefolia
You may have tasted bergamot before—the leaves of European bergamot give Earl Grey tea its special flavor.
Found on: Mesa Trail
Monument Plant
June to July
Frasera speciosa
Seeing a blooming monument plant is a cause for celebration! These plants grow for up to 60 years, bloom once and then die.
Found on: Enchanted Mesa Trail
Alpine Penstemon
June
Penstemon glaber
Penstemon is also called “beardtongue” because of the yellow hairs inside the flower. Pollen brushes off of visiting butterflies and bees and becomes trapped on the hairs.
Found on: Flagstaff trails
Western Wallflower
June to July
Erysimum asperum
Wallflowers are often very fragrant, and have a variety of petal colors on a single plant. Mustard comes from the crushed seeds of plants closely related to wallflowers.
Found on: Tenderfoot Trail
Stonecrop
June to July
Amerosedum lanceolatum
Stonecrop can live in very dry places where other plants can’t, because its succulent leaves and stems store water. In severe drought, stonecrop becomes dormant until rain returns.
Found on: Rangeview and Hogback Ridge trails
Aster
July to August
Aster spp.
Asters are a sure sign of fall, and the end of the wildflower season. Each “flower” is actually made up of many tiny flowers.
Found on: Green Mountain West Ridge Trail
Blazing Star
July to August
Liatris punctata
Blackfeet Indians named this plant “crow-root,” because they saw ravens and crows eating it in the fall.
Found on: Marshall Mesa and Skunk Canyon trails
For more info on local flora, fauna, trails and related topics, visit the City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks website at ci.boulder.co.us/openspace.
