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| One-Sided Penstemon |
2015 Update:
I decided to create my own Facebook page, Wildflowers of the Colorado Foothills, so that I can continue to share my love of wildflowers with others. But I know that people also stumble upon my blog so I am updating previous wildflower posts with new flowers, new trails, etc.
Red Rocks/Morrison Slide/Dakota Ridge Loop
May was a very wet month. We had a late snowstorm the day before Mother's Day and only had a few days without rain. That made for some really muddy trail runs. On one of my days off, we did a trail run on a loop that began in Red Rocks part on the Red Rocks Trail, continued onto Morrison Slide Trail and the Matthews/Winters Open Space, then returned back to Red Rocks via the Dakota Ridge trail.
A white Milkvetch was growing in clumps beside the steep ascent on Dakota Ridge. Milkvetch is from the Fabaceae (pea) family. The Eastern Colorado Wildflower website lists 15 different varieties of Milkvetch. I also saw Wavyleaf Dandelions next to the trail as well as Death Camus.
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| Cicer Milkvetch |
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| Wavyleaf Dandelion |
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| Death Camas |
Mount Falcon
The next week, we ran at Mount Falcon. I saw a white flower that looked a lot like Death Camas but its leaves are quite different. The second flower below is one that has long perplexed me because I can't find anything quite like it. I used to think it was a Golden Draba but now I'm leaning towards Fiddle Leaf Twin Pod. At Mount Falcon, I also saw another variety of Milkvetch. Based on the shape of the leaves and the fact that it is low growing and trailing, I think it is Parry's.
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| Snowball Saxifrage |
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| Parry's Milkvetch |
Green Mountain
The third week of May, I went to Green Mountain. It was still very muddy. Here I found a plant that reminded me of one I used to see a lot when I was a kid - Common Cheeseweed. I saw lots and lots of Salsify, some Paintbrush, Colorado Locoweed and another member of the pea family. I wanted to get a good photograph of Blue Flax here because I don't see it growing on the higher elevation foothills trails but the rain kept most of them from opening up.
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| Common Cheeseweed |
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| Paintbrush and Salsify |
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| Blue Flax |
Apex Park
We went to Apex Park on Memorial Day and could see the results of the trail maintenance following the floods of September 2013, including a couple of new foot bridges. I loved running along the creek which was really full from all the rain. Here I saw a plant called American Wintercress or Yellow Rocket.
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| Boulder Raspberry |
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| American Wintercress (Yellow Rocket) |
Chimney Gulch
The last week of May, we went to Chimney Gulch in Golden. One of the plants I saw there had me puzzled because the flowers are not fully open; I believe it is a tufted evening primrose. This May, I did not see any Western Spiderwort and have not seen any of the "bluemist" penstemons but have seen a couple of pink ones.
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| Tufted Evening Primrose |
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| Penstemon |
2014:
Over the past few years, I have taken dozens of photographs of Colorado wildflowers, primarily on trail runs. I told myself that this year I wouldn't have to take so many pictures of wildflowers because by now I have photographed about 100 different kinds. But when I went on my first trail run on the first of May, I couldn't resist taking pictures of wildflowers any more than some people can resist taking pictures of themselves. I love seeing my favorite wildflowers again. I am still delighted when I find and learn about a new flower - like Kinnikinnick or Western Spiderwort. So I am giving in to my compulsion and will catalog the wildflowers I see by blooming month!
I visited five Colorado trails in the month of May - Mount Falcon on the first, Deer Creek on the 3rd and 29th, Chimney Gulch on the 15th, Little Scraggy on the 24th, and Mount Morrison on Memorial Day. The Colorado Native Plant Society defines the foothills as vegetation zones from 6500 to 8000 feet.
Mount Falcon, Jefferson County: Mount Falcon is great for viewing wildflowers because its trails have few trees so the sunshine is abundant. I ran on the Turkey Trot Trail from the East parking area to the Castle Trail, then up to the shelter at the Summer White House Site. When I saw a Pasqueflower, I was so excited, I had to take a picture! Sometimes when I want a longer run, I continue on the Castle Trail beyond the shelter because eventually it comes to a very pretty meadow. This time, I explored a short trail 0.3 mile trail called Two-Dog and saw one of the early blooming Wild Delphiniums. On this run, I also took a snapshot of Fendler's Pennycress and was able to identify it based on photos on other wildflower sites.
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| Nelson's Larkspur (Delphinium) |
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| Wild Candytuft |
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| Pasqueflower |
Deer Creek Canyon Park, Jefferson County: Deer Creek is one of my favorite trails in the foothills because I love running next to the Plymouth Creek Trail with its flowering trees and butterflies. I also love the forested Homestead Trail and Red Mesa Loop, though I usually don't run Red Mesa because of the distance. On my first run early in the month, the Spring Beauty flowers absolutely lived up to their name. I learned that Spring Beauties have edible tubers. (Good to know, but I'll stick with energy bars!) I also saw the yellow Nuttall's violet on my first visit.
On my second run at the end of the month, I saw a bunch of Canada violets along the creek (not pictured). After I turned onto the short trail that connects with Red Mesa Loop, I found
Hookedspur Violet. According to Eastern Colorado Wildflowers, its vegetation zone is primarily Montane or Subalpine (i.e. over 8,000 feet). Wild Delphiniums, Golden Banner and a couple of different kinds of Penstemons were blooming profusely. The Chiming Bells were also really pretty on Red Mesa. Last year when I ran on Red Mesa, I saw a dark purple flower that I initially thought might be some type of Penstemon. Now after finding it again in the same area and at Mount Morrison, I believe it is really Britton's Skullcap which grows on dry open slopes and in dry pine forests.
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| Spring Beauty |
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| Nuttall's Violet |
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| Britton's Skullcap |
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| Chiming Bells |
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| Hookedspur Violet |
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| Penstemon - Bluemist |
Chimney Gulch Trail (Golden, Colorado): When I visited Chimney Gulch, it was just days after the late snow we had on Mother's Day. I only took a couple of wildflower photos, including this picture of Missouri Milkvetch, which is not especially pretty. It was something new to add to my list, however.
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| Narrowleaf Puccoon |
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| Milkvetch |
Little Scraggy, Colorado Trail near Pine, Colorado: We first visited this trail last year in August. At that time, I noticed a lot of Columbine plants in the forest and wanted to return this year to see them blooming. May proved to be too early to see Columbine flowers but I did find something new to me - Kinnikinnick - a low growing shrub with bell-shaped flowers that grows in Montane and Subalpine regions. You can see its evergreen leaves in my other photos of daisies and Pussytoes.
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| Kinnikinnick |
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| Cutleaf Daisy |
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| Small-leaf Pussytoes |
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