Colorado Wildflowers

Musk Thistle.  In great abundance around Gypsum Ponds.

Colorado has so many beautiful wildflowers along our rivers, creeks, and streams.  I wanted to create an ongoing blog of wildflowers I have come across on my days of fishing.  If you have encountered a wildflower here in Colorado and would like some help with identifying the name, please feel free to send me an email of a picture:  cattoy.flyfishing@gmail.com.  Photo credit can be shared.

I would like to dedicate this growing blog to Jon Baiocchi, a fantastic fly fishing guide in California who gave his heart and soul into the fly fishing industry.  I will miss you my best friend.  You would make me laugh just rattling of the names of flowers as we would walk by.  I don't know if I could hold all those wildflowers in my head, but just to try to be as great as you were. 

The American Globeflower.

September 27th, 2021:  The American Globeflower grows in the Northeast and in the Rocky Mountain West.  It is the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) and it has a buttercup-like flower.  I came across this solo flower growing in the water close to shore on the Blue River.  They thrive in swamps and bogs in subalpine bogs in the West.  These are typically the first wildflowers that emerge in the spring snowmelt in the boggy parts of western subalpine meadows.  They usually bloom between May and August.  I am lucky to find this one late September as the weather has been mild going into fall.

Dwarf Rabbitbrush (Sticky-flowered Rabbitbrush)

 September 13th, 2021:  The Dwarf Rabbitbrush is known for its vivid color and small, slender flat-topped clusters of golden yellow flowers, 5-lobed.  Leaves are stalkless narrow, long and twisted.  Very common in western Colorado on dry hillsides, deserts, and open woods.  A native shrub that can tolerate drier conditions here in Colorado.  I came across these blooms while getting around to the banks to fish the Eagle River.  These flowers bloom from July into September trailing into the fall season.

Yampa (Squawroot, Wild Caraway.

September 1st, 2021:  The Yampa wildflower I have seen these quite abundant at a lot of rivers and creeks I have been fishing. I encountered this time with this wildflower at Clear Creek.  These tiny, white flowers like to grow in moist groves and Slopes.  They flower from July thru August, although, it is the 1st of September.

Poison Ivy.

August 18th, 2021:  Poison Ivy.  Obviously, it is not a wildflower, but to be on the look out while roaming looking at wildflowers.  Keep your dogs on leashes to prevent harm to your pets as well as transferring to you.

Hairyseed Bahia

August 16th, 2021:  These wildflowers are amazing, exploding with color!  I came across these while hiking to the banks to fish the Eagle River with my friend, Lee.  It has yellow flowers with both ray florets and disc florets.  It usually grows in sandy soil, of which the terrain of the Eagle River has.

Dwarf Goldenrod.

August 12th, 2021:  This perennial belongs to the Aster family of up to 8" tall, in clumps.  Leaves are basal about 2" long and thick.  They typically grow along gravelly and rocky areas. boulder fields, outcroppings, and ridges. I came across this wildflower while fly fishing the Blue River.  These will flower in June to September with golden orange disks, golden yellow ray flowers with gentle ripple with each petal. 

Rock Groundsel (Hoary Ragwoirt)

August 12th, 2021:  This wildflower explodes with yellow compact clusters with about 8 golden yellow ray flowers and a few more disk flowers, bracts are green and white, linear.  These grow in sunny slopes, ridges, exposed areas, and boulder fields.  I came across these wildflowers while hiking into Cheesemans to fish the S. Platte River with my friend Anh.  These wildflowers will bloom from July to September.

Oxeye Daisy 

August 8th, 2021:  These wild daisies are the Oxeye Daisy.  I came across these wildflowers by Herman's Gulch.  It is a creeping, perennial that grows 10 inches to 2 feet tall. The basal and lower leaves are spoon-shaped, toothed, and with long petioles (leaf stem). The upper leaves are narrow, toothed, and clasp the stem. Flowers bloom between June and August. Flowers are 1 to 3 inches in diameter, with 15 to 30 white ray flowers.

Butter and Eggs (YellowToadflax)

August 8th, 2021:  This pretty flower caught my eye while fishing in the S. Platte River at Deckers.  I thought of fresh popped popcorn when I looked away from the river.  It is a yellow snap dragon-like petal flower.  The inner coloring of the flower is dark yellow.  Leaves are narrow and lance-shaped.  These flowers bloom om June through October.

Little Red Elephant (Elephant Flower).

August 8th, 2021:  These wildflowers are some of my favorites with the cute little, pink elephant heads.  From the Figwort family, the Little Red Elephant wildflower can stand 2' tall in large colonies with pink, reddish to purplish flowers.  I came across these flowers while hiking with my friend Anh on the way to Upper Chicago Lake.  The hike is a reasonable descent down to the lake of loose scree and rocks and boulders.  Of course, if there is a down, the return on the way up is for those in good shape and lungs like a lion.  These flowers are usually found in shallow water, boggy wet meadows, and near streams and springs.  They flower from June to August.

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant.

August 9th, 2021:  The Rocky Mountain Bee Plant is one of the showiest wildflowers in the western and prairie regions of the United States.  It is known to have an unpleasant odor avoided by livestock.  I came across these pretty, pink wildflowers while hiking to a fishing spot at Deckers, or the S. Platte River.  They made me think of airy lanterns.  Each flower has four petals and sepals with six long showy stamens.  These nectar-filled blossoms are clustered in elongated puff shapes and near the top portion of the stems and attract a wide array of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and wasps.  They bloom from May through September.

Fairy Trumpet (Skyrocket, Scarlet Cilia, Skunk Flower)

From the Phlox family, the Fairy trumpet flower can stand 5' tall with slender downy stems.  Flowers are long with a bright red , trumpet shape corolla that is up to 2".  I came across these wildflowers on the hike to Cheesemens Canyon.  They thrive in dry open sunny areas, open woods, rocky slopes and fields.  Flowering time is from June to September.

Alpine Fireweed (Chamerion subdentatum)

July 25, 2021:  The Alpine Fireweed is from the evening Primerose family. A perennial can grow up to 20" tall with several leaning stems. Large vibrant, showy pink flowers. I was stopped by these flowers along the banks of Clear Creek while fishing for cutthroat trout. These flowers prefer moist grounds along stream banks. They flower from June to September.

Scarlet Globemallow.

This wildflower I came upon hiking into the banks of Deckers, or another section of the S. Platte River for a twilight session.  This upright flower may sprawl densely with white-hairy perennial that grows no more than a foot in height.  Found in clumps or clusters, they colonize extensively where ever they are growing. The flower is with orange-pink petals with red bracts. 

Tall Chiming Bells (Tall Mertensia, Mountain Bluebell)

July 7th, 2021:  The Tall Chiming Bells wildflower is a tall bell-shaped flower that can grow is tall as 4' in height.  Flowers are a nodding cluster with light blue to pinkish corollas.  The leaves are soft, smooth about 6" long.  I found these wildflowers blooming along the creek banks of S. Boulder Creek up in the mountains by the Moffat Tunnel and the little town, Rollinsville.  It is a favorite creek I enjoy fishing about 40 minutes away from home, as well as ride my dirt bike up to the top of Rollins Pass.  Aside from the wildflowers, the creek, and riding up to the top of the Pass, this area of Colorado takes my breath away of scenery, wildlife, and color changes through the seasons.  This wildflower blooms from June through August.  It grows on stream banks, springs, and seeps.

Tarragon, Artemisia campestris caudata. 

July 7th, 2021:  This towering wildflower I came across along the banks of the Eagle River.  This flower belongs to the Aster Family.  A biennial that can grow as tall as 30" with taproot and reddish flexible leafy stem.  Flowering time is July and August.

Showy Milkweed.

July 12th, 2021:  The Shower Milkweed is a tall wildflower with large clusters of five pointed pink flowers.  They are typically found on roadsides and open sunny areas.  Large leaves with smooth edges.  I came across these tall wildflowers while hiking along the banks of the Eagle River with my friend, Lee Raley.  These globes of flowers are large like a tennis ball.  These flowers bloom early summer to fall.

Indian Paintbrush

July 16th, 2021:  The Indian Paintbrush wildflower encountered while creekin at S. Boulder Creek nearby the Moffat Tunnel, a railroad and water tunnel that cuts through the Continental Divide in north-central Colorado. One of my favorite places close to home of beautiful mountain scenery, hiking, fly fishing, dirt biking, and enjoyment of backcountry skiing in the winter.

Sunloving Aster

July 18th, 2012:  These Sunloving Asters were everywhere with the hike into Cheesemans Canyon to fish a part of the S. Platte River.  They are a purple ray flower with large yellow disk centers.  They grow in open areas of the forest, slopes, and ridges.  Flowering time is from June to September.