By
Sandy Hollingsworth, Gilpin County Master Gardener
2019 is one of those banner years for our native wildflowers
in the forests, public lands, and our neighborhoods. With the wet Spring and then repeated rains
this summer, the seeds have sprouted and the flowers are in bloom. Another benefit of the wet earth is the lower
wildfire risk in our local mountains and where we live in rural Gilpin County.
And our cool season high elevation vegetable gardens are happy and productive!
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| Wildflower enthusiasts in Golden Gate State Park (author at the far right) |
Our CSU Extension office offers wildflower walks in the
summer during peak bloom color. I went on one the last day of July on a
beautiful Wednesday morning. Our group was focused and inquisitive about
learning the flowers. Many questions were asked about identifying
characteristics to help recognize and remember the flowers and plants. We were
in the local state park and encountered some noxious weeds like yellow toadflax
(Linaria vulgaris) and musk thistle (Carduus nutans) but by and
large the native flowers, grasses and trees were dominating. Our Extension
agent, Irene, even showed us her technique for toppling the musk thistle by
bending it to the ground, stomping on it, taking the flower head off then pulling
up and tossing the remaining stalk to its demise.
Among the native flowers (and plants) in bloom that we admired and
examined were:
Harebell Campanula
rotundifolia
Tansy aster (yellow center) Erigeron
speciosus
Shrubby cinquefoil Potentilla
fruticosa
Gum weed (sticky flowerheads) Grindelia squarrosa
Wild Rose Rosa
woodsii
Yarrow Achillea millefolium
(lantana)
Evening primrose Oenothera villosa
Whiplash daisy Erigeron
flagellaris
Mariposa/sego Lilly Calochortus gunnisonii
Blue mist Penstemon Penstemon
virens
Lamberts locoweed Oxytropis lambertii
Laxman’s Astragalus Astragalus laxmannii
Hairy golden aster Heterotheca
villosa
Showy aspen daisy Erigeron
speciosus
Sulphur buckwheat Eriogonum
umbellatum
One-sided penstemon Penstemon
virgatus
Fringed sage Artemisia
frigida
Blanketflower Gaillardia aristata
 |
| Blanket Flower (with Yarrow in front) |
Mountain sage Artemisia
ludoviciana
Nodding Onion Allium cernuum
Northern bedstraw (scented) Galium
septentrionale
Stick seed Hackelia Hackelia
floribunda
Native thistle Cirsium
clavatum (whitish flowers)
Mountain larkspur Delphinium
ramosum
Indian paintbrush (scarlet and white) Castilleja miniata
and occidentalis
 |
| Indian Paintbrush |
Wild geranium Geranium
caespitosum
Stonecrop Amerosedum
lanceolatum
Scorpion weed Phacelia
heterophylla
Fendlers meadow rue Thalictrum
fendlerii
Twin berry honeysuckle Lonicera involucrata
Nodding brome (native grass) Bromus
anomalus
Golden rod Solidago
simplex
Prairie June grass Koeleria
macrantha
Native cinquefoils Potentilla argentea, speciosa, and
pensylvanica
Fendlers sand wort Eremogene
fendleri
Mountain parsley Cymopterus
montanus
Whiskbroom parsley Harboria
Wild tarragon Oligosporus
dracunculus
Limber pine Pinus
flexulis
Blue spruce Picea pungens
Wall flower Erysimum
capitatum
Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi
Scarlet gilia (biennial) Ipomopsis
aggregata
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| Scarlet gilia |
Golden banner Thermopsis
divaricarpa
Yellow false dandelion Agoseris
Horsetail Equisetum
Black eye Susan Rudbeckia
hirta
Blue flax Linum
lewisii
Smooth penstemon Penstemon glaber
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| Porter aster |
Porter aster Symphyotricum porteri
Pea Vine Lathyrus polymorphis
Snowberry bush Symphoricarpus alba
Showy goldeneye Heliomeris (Viguera) multiflora
Sandy Hollingsworth is a Master Gardener with Gilpin County. All photos by Sandy.
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