Common Wildflowers Of The Colorado Rockies

What’s a hike without a couple of wildflowers?

We all know that the Colorado Rockies are full of grand, sweeping vistas and stunning landscapes, all of which made even more impressive by snow-capped peaks and bluer-than-blue lakes. 

And, of course, the many colorful wildflowers painted over the slopes and meadows all over the mountains. 

Here are just a few of the wildflowers that you’re likely to see on a hike near Denver, especially if you head out in the spring or summer months when the weather is a little cooler. You’re also likely to spot some of Colorado’s native pollinators, too, as they flit from flower to flower in search of nectar. 

12 wildflowers you can find in the Front Range

Arrowleaf balsamroot

Balsamorhiza sagittata

Balsamroot flowers look a lot like a cross between a sunflower and a daisy. They’ve got the stunning yellow petals and dark centers of a sunflower, but they grow in clusters closer to the ground. They’re also one of the first flowers to pop up in the spring!

Black-eyed Susan 

Rudbeckia hirta

This flower's name comes from the dark brown or black center of the yellow flower that resembles a black eye. Black-eyed Susans grow to be about 2 feet tall and come back year after year in the same place, creating fields of bright yellow that return each year in the spring and summer months. 

Blanketflower 

Gaillardia pulchella

These daisy-like blooms are stunning shades of yellow, orange and red all in one flower, resembling a tie-dye pattern coming out from each flower.

Colorado bluebells 

Mertensia ciliata

Bluebells are named for, you guessed it, the delicate bell-shaped flowers that hang from a tall green stalk. The petals are light blue with streaks of white and dark blue, creating an ethereal and cool blanket of flowers in meadows and mountainsides.

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Columbine 

Aquilegia coerulea

Named Colorado’s state flower in 1899, the Rocky Mountain Columbine is a stunning alpine flower that has delighted hikers, campers and climbers since the earliest days of exploration in the state. 

All parts of the flower and the plant are poisonous to humans, but the bright colors and sweet nectar attract all sorts of pollinators to Colorado’s meadows in the spring and summer months when it blooms. 

Indian paintbrush 

Castilleja spp.

These flayed flowers come in bright reds and oranges in Colorado, though they exist in a wide range of colors all over the nation. Either way, they’re pretty easy to identify from their shape. 

Lupine 

Lupinus argenteus.

If you’re in higher elevations up to 11,000 feet, then these hardy purple wildflowers are some of the flowers that you’re sure to spot! Lupines have a corncob-like cluster of purple flowers at the top and starburst-shaped leaves (and they’re objectively the best and prettiest wildflowers out there for sure without question, okay?). 

Rocky Mountain iris 

Iris missouriensis

This delicate flower is a common sight all over the Colorado Rockies, growing anywhere from high alpine elevations to the foothills below. 

The Rocky Mountain iris has drooping purple petals surrounding a delicate center, with several petals sporting fine, textured white stripes. The flower itself, though dainty, is toxic to humans and animals — Native Americans all over the western United States used the tough stem for making cordage, the roots to treat toothache and oils for the plant as poison for arrows. 

Rocky Mountain penstemon 

Penstemon strictus

A favorite of Colorado’s pollinators and a stunning sight on its own, the large, purple, bell-shaped flowers clustered at the top the penstemon’s long stalk are common sights around the eastern foothills of the Colorado Rockies in the spring and summer months. 

Scarlet gilia 

Ipomopsis aggregata

Lewis and Clark were the first settlers to discover this mountain wildflower up in Idaho on their travels across the United States, but hummingbirds and bees have been admiring the stunning flowers for longer than humans ever have!

Identifiable by its tube-like flowers with five thin petals resembling a star, the scarlet gilia comes in either red, white or pink colors flecked with lighter spots in the center. You’re more likely to see the red one, though, so keep an eye out for the others!

Shooting star 

Dodecatheon meadia

These delicate purple and yellow flowers look like comets frozen in time. The yellow center of the flower is pointed out and away from the stem, with five purple petals trailing behind it like a tail. 

Each stem on the plant can contain as much as 20 flowers, making them a haven for bees and butterflies looking for easy nectar in the areas around mountain streams and lakes.

Fireweed

Chamerion angustifolium

Named for its ability to grow out of fire-ravaged areas, this tall, striking wildflower has long been used as a medicinal plant by indigenous peoples all over the continent. Fireweed leaves can be made into tea, the flowers are filled with nectar and the shoots are high in vitamins and antioxidants.

The stems of the plant can grow up to 9 feet in height, creating stunning forests of pink-topped greenery from foothills right up the subalpine elevations all over the Rockies. 

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If you live anywhere near our luxury Denver apartments for rent, then be sure to look out for these common wildflowers next time you’re out on a hike in the nearby Rockies. Don’t pick them, of course, but you can certainly appreciate their presence as a sign of a healthy ecosystem!

Have fun!

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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/Brian_Cragun