Though I’m not much for celebrations, as most require interaction with too many people, I opted to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I decided to buy myself flowers. I picked a bouquet with the most varied blooms. That evening, I started the fireplace...
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Sunshine petals
A small bouquet of Dwaf Golden Asters is spotted in an open field on the Peak to Peak Highway.
Woodland beauty
Bushes of Colorado Wild Roses can be encountered on the Booth Creek Falls trail in Vail.
PEAK TO PEAK - Though I’m not much for celebrations, as most require interaction with too many people, I opted to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I decided to buy myself flowers. I picked a bouquet with the most varied blooms.
That evening, I started the fireplace and lit a few candles. I read a few pages of my book, “The World Beyond Your Head,” and ended the evening with a Hallmark movie, “An Unexpected Valentine.”
Before heading to bed, I sat quietly, enjoying the scent of my candles and flowers. I thought about the hundreds of hikes I’ve taken and all the wildflowers I’ve seen. Unfortunately, the wildflower season in Colorado is short. Nonetheless, I love stopping to smell the flowers during a hike in July or August.
Though it’s difficult to know the exact number, it’s believed that between 2,000 and 3,000 species of wildflowers call Colorado home. In Rocky Mountain National Park alone, there are over 900 species of wildflowers.
Coloradans love their wildflowers. Crested Butte is known as Colorado’s Wildflower Capital, celebrating wildflowers during an annual 10-day festival, The Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, every July.
The Denver Botanic Gardens also hosts a Lavender Festival at Chatfield Farms, also in July. One day at the end of every July, The Rocky Mountain Flower Fest takes over Colorado Springs. On February 22, flower lovers can attend the Denver Flower Film Festival.
Many towns in Colorado celebrate our wildflowers, and no one can blame them. I wonder, my dear reader, do you have a favorite Colorado wildflower? If not, maybe this summer, you will find a favorite.
I often see the purple Rocky Mountain Columbine, pink Fremont Geranium, magenta Common Fireweed, red and white Queen’s Crown, and the red Scarlet Paintbrush. With so many beautiful blooms, it’s difficult to choose a favorite.
Sometimes, I wonder what it’d be like to live as a wildflower, to know what it’s like to have that level of breathtaking beauty, to live such a short life yet fill everyone who crosses your path with inspiration and joy. Can you imagine?!
The hopeless romantic in me sure does wonder a lot, especially about wild things. Though I had no wildflowers in my Valentine’s Day bouquet, it was still a beautiful display and a welcome treat. I enjoyed them as much as I always enjoy the flowers in the wild.
These are a few of my favorite wildflower hikes:
Raccoon Trail, Golden Gate Canyon State Park
Walker Ranch Loop, Coal Creek Canyon
Mitchell Lake Trail, Brainard Recreation Area
Cub Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park
Booth Creek Falls, Vail, Colorado
