Summer Blooms At Any Altitude

Picture your most idyllic image at any elevation, and it’s likely to include a variety of wildflowers. Summer brings a brilliant palette of color and sweet smells through wildflowers for our eyes and noses to feast on.

They are also vital feeding and nesting habitats for insects, butterflies, birds, small animals and other wildlife. Wildflowers are also crucial to pollinators, like our friend the bee.

Just three of the thousands of wildflower species are featured here. Moving from the bottom up on the elevation ladder is the Indian Paintbrush, Golden Banner and the Colorado Columbine.

INDIAN PAINTBRUSH

Photo by Kim Fuller

Indian Paintbrush, also known as “Prairie-fire” or “Painted Cup,” can be found in desert and high desert terrain, near pinyon and juniper to Ponderosa forests (3,000-7,500-foot elevations), blooming late spring to mid-summer. Indian Paintbrush perennials sit in clusters of reds, oranges, yellows and fuchsia up to 20 inches tall. Although abundant in Colorado, Wyoming claims the Indian Paintbrush as its state flower.

They have a rich history, Indian lore and interesting facts. From a distance, it appears the slender stalk of the Indian Paintbrush is covered with flowers. These “flowers” are actually petal-like bracts, or colored leaves, that grow below and around the actual inconspicuous flowers.

The top of each flower looks as if it has been dipped in bright paint, hence the name Indian Paintbrush. They are a semi-parasitic plant, meaning they are attached to the tubes of host plants by their roots, from which they suck nutrients and even water.

Native Americans used Indian Paintbrush to make dye, and the Chippewa called it “Grandmother’s Hair,” using it for female diseases and rheumatism. The Indian Paintbrush plant is good at removing selenium (a toxic metal) from the soil.

Finally, the Legend of the Indian Paintbrush is a story passed down through Native American oral tradition. Tomie dePaola captured the spirit and beauty of this dramatic legend in the 1996 book by the same name. She tells and illustrates the story of a young Native American boy, Little Gopher, who, unlike other boys his age that learned to hunt and fight, was gifted in art.

GOLDEN BANNER

Golden Banner is a perennial also known as “False Lupine” for its pea-shaped flowers which are similar to Lupine. The five-part flower petals resemble a large sailing ship, the outermost petals being the banners. Native Americans used the Golden Banner to make yellow dye.

Golden Banner’s velvety seeds resemble a green bean pod. Although the seeds have a pleasant, sweet flavor which attracts people to eat them, they are poisonous. Animals avoid eating this plant as well because of its toxicity. Their leaves cluster in sets of three and are compound folded, making them easy to spot and identify.

Golden Banner grow quickly after snow melt, and by late spring, large colonies can be enjoyed under aspens. Although they typically grow in 3-foot clusters, single plants are common in less hospitable environments. Like so many plants that form large colonies, Golden Banner spreads from underground root systems. They enjoy cool, moist, subalpine forests and meadows, often surrounded by lush vegetation.

In late May and early summer, the Golden Banner can be seen from foothills to subalpine areas; for example, lining the Bear Creek Trail near the Dolores River and throughout the Uncompahgre National Forest.

Photo by Melanie Wiseman

COLORADO COLUMBINE

Colorado’s state flower, the Colorado Columbine, “Rocky Mountain Columbine” or “Granny’s Nightcap,” tempts pollinators and people alike to take a closer look. The common name “columbine” is from the Latin word for dove, referring to the flowers appearing like groups of doves. This alpine perennial tolerates cool temperatures and a wide range of soils. It can be found in 2-foot groupings by the hundreds.

The scientific name for the Colorado Blue Columbine is Aquilegia Coerulea. The nameAquilegia comes from the Latin word for eagle, perhaps because the petals look like eagle talons. Coerulea means “sky blue.”

Columbines’ white sepals and common violet, lavender or blue petals add vivid lacy color to the landscape. Columbines are one of those flowers that can cross pollinate easily, so spotting species with red or yellow flowers, some with shortened spurs, is also common. There are over 60 species and even more if you count hybrids!

The nectar-heavy flowers can be eaten as snacks or tossed in salads, but restrict use to only those from your own gardens please! Native Americans used Columbine for medicinal purposes including relieving heart problems, fevers and stomach pains.

Crag Crest Trail, at nearly 11,200 feet on the Grand Mesa, is just one spectacular location to spot Columbine clusters. Because it is such a showy flower which blooms throughout the summer months, Columbines are well-photographed and very popular among wildflower enthusiasts (as well as hummingbirds).

Photo by Sandy Fuller

Originally published in the Summer 2022 of Spoke+Blossom.