My Colorado Wildflower Year

tanjabrittonwriter 91 Comments

Happy New Year to you, and welcome back to my blog, which took a looong nap.

Reviews of the old year are supposed to happen when that year is on the wane, not when the new year is in ascendance. But travel, a lingering respiratory infection, and a profound weltschmerz, which many of you will share, sapped me of energy and I’m submitting this review belatedly.

Besides birds and other animals, flowers, too, stop me in my tracks and make me appreciate nature’s beautiful offerings. Are you someone who also contemplates why things are beautiful? The scientific theories humankind has proffered to explain beauty might be interesting on an intellectual level, but this human soul is satisfied to behold—and appreciate—beauty wherever and whenever it’s encountered.

Not only is this look back late, it is also limited, as I don’t come across wildflowers in bloom during every month of the year. This is mostly a consequence of living in a state whose climate in the winter is generally not conducive to fresh vegetation. I imagine that there are corners of Colorado where one may well find blossoming flowers during the winter, but I have yet to experience this with my own eyes.

Much to my chagrin, I have, once again, missed out on exploring Colorado’s Subalpine, Alpine, and High desert Zones in 2023 and for that reason, my flower portraits reflect only the flora of our other three life zones—that of the Plains, the Foothills, and Montane Zones. The date of my images is also not necessarily representative of the start of each flower’s bloom time; rather, they document when I first took a photo that I deemed satisfactory. Lastly, Colorado is reportedly home to over 3,000 species of native wildflowers, so my selection here is miniscule, to say the least.

To enlarge a photo, click on it (this will work for most, but not all images). To read its caption, hover cursor over it. 

April 2023:

April 19, 2023: Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla patens)
April 30, 2023: Sand Lily (Leucocrinum montanum)

May 2023: 

May 22, 2023: Orange Paintbrush (Castilleja integra)/Indianerpinsel
May 25, 2023: Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis)
May 28, 2023: Lanceleaf Chiming Bells (Mertensia lanceolata)

June 2023:

June 6, 2023: ? Penstemon (Penstemon sp.), with Cheyenne Mountain in the background
June 7, 2023: Scarlet Gaura (Gaura coccinea/Oenothera suffrutescens)
June 7, 2023: Cut-Leaf Evening Primrose (Oenothera coronopifolia)
June 17, 2023: Prickly Poppy (Argemone polyanthemos)/Gehörnter Stachelmohn
June 18, 2023: Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia polyacantha)
June 18, 2023: Plains Prickly Pear pink (Opuntia polyacantha)
June 25, 2023: Hairy Clematis aka Leather Flower aka Sugarbowls (Clematis hirsutissima)/Rauhaarige Waldrebe
June 28, 2023: Rock Clematis (Clematis columbiana)/? Waldrebe
June 30, 2023: Bush Morning Glory (Ipomoea leptophylla)/? Bruchwinde

July 2023:

July 8, 2023: Prince’s Plume (Stanleya pinnata)/?
July 11, 2023: Scarlet Gilia aka Scarlet Trumpet aka Skyrocket (Ipomopsis aggregata)/?
July 11, 2023: Dusky Beardstongue (Penstemon whipplenanus)/? Bartfaden
July 11, 2023: Sego Lily (Colochortus nutallii)?Mormonentulpe
July 26, 2023: Yellow Stonecrop (Sedum lanceolatum)/Fetthennenart
July 26, 2023: Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium)/Weidenröschen
July 26, 2023: Harebell aka Bluebell (Campanula rotundifolia)

August 2023:

August 10, 2023: Bee Balm aka Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)/Wilde Bergamotte
August 23, 2023: Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

September 2023:

September 11: Dotted Gay Feather aka Blazing Star (Liatris punctata)
September 11, 2023: Many-Flowered Aster (Symphytotrichum ericoides)
September 14, 2013: Broom Senecio (Senecio spartioides)
September 14, 2013: ? Daisy (Erigeron sp.)

October 2023:

October 9, 2023: Evening Star (Mentzelia decapetala)

December 2023:

December 30, 2023: Blooming aloe (Aloe sp.)
December 31, 2023: Blooming aloe (Aloe sp.)

You would be correct to accuse me of cheating with my December contribution. 😊 The plant shown here is not a native Colorado wildflower and it obviously does not grow in the wild. I think it’s wild nonetheless. This aloe (if you know which species of aloe this is, please let me know, apparently there are over 650) started out as 2 inch baby in a tiny pot that decorated a table at a function I attended several years ago and which was gifted to me. It has stretched and grown many times over but there was no indication that it would ever bloom. Imagine our surprise when we returned home after our travels to discover a foot-long flower stalk topped by a cluster of reddish tubular flowers. They have since gradually opened, revealing their anthers little by little and making us take a close look at their wonderful transformations each morning.

Despite all the limits of and the slight fib in this post, it is full of the beauty that can enrich our lives if only we open our minds and eyes to Nature’s gifts. May this beauty and these gifts accompany us through another year which will, no doubt, be challenging in many other ways.

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

PS: If you find any mistaken identities here, please let me know. I’m not an expert in flower identification. Thank you!

91 thoughts on “My Colorado Wildflower Year”

  2. Tanja: I congratulate you on capturing these wonderful photographs and crafting this post for many to enjoy. I was going to name my favorites, but that list kept growing. The Paintbrush and Chiming Bells are highly alluring. The Cut-Leaf Primrose shape is not unlike the Dogwood so loved in North Carolina. I became fond of the Fireweed when vacationing in the Canadian Rockies for its simple and upright presentation. If I go on I’ll likely find appeal in every one. Thanks for a beauty boost to celebrate 2023 and launch 2024. Best Wishes.

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed the glimpses at some of Colorado’s lovely flowers, Doug. It would be impossible for me to pick favorites, too. Each blossom has its own appeal and is worthy of our attention and admiration.
      I hope 2024 will be a good year for you.
      Tanja

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  3. Wunderschön Tanja und am meisten hat mir die Überraschung mit der Aloe gefallen.
    Ich hatte auch mal eine und habe manchmal etwas vom Blatt abgeschnitten und mich mit dem Saft der Blätter behandelt.
    Ich wünsche dir alles Gute für 2024.
    Liebe Grüße Brigitte

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    • Ich danke Dir, liebe Brigitte. Die Aloe hat uns wirklich ein unerwartetes Geschenk präsentiert und ich bin mal gespannt, wie sie sich weiter entwickelt. Ich habe Aloesaft auch schon benutzt, um einen Sonnenbrand zu behandeln und ich finde, sie hilft.
      Ich wünsche uns allen ein gutes neues Jahr, hoffentlich mit weiteren wunderbaren Begegnungen in der Natur.
      Herzlichst,
      Tanja

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  5. Wow, das ist ja beeindruckend! Die weiße Mohnblüte finde ich wunderschön, aber es sind auch Blüten dabei, die ich nicht kenne. Die Blühende Aloe Vera ist so toll am Schluss.
    Ich wünsche dir ein gesundes gutes neues Jahr 2024
    Liebe Grüße Andrea

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  6. What a wonderful array of wildflowers, of which only 3 I recognise growing here. But I don’t often see wildflowers as much living in an urban environment.

    The last flower/plant reminds me a bit of Veltheimia bracteata. I can’t find my photo of it, but did remember the name started with ‘Velth………), so that enabled me to do a google search. Your plant is different, obviously, but that botanical name might be a starting point with identifying your plant. Maybe they’re of the same plant family?

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    • Thank you, Vicki. I’m often surprised at how many wildflowers I see even in an urban setting and maybe the same is true for Australia.
      The last plant is a species of aloe, though I don’t know if it’s aloe vera or another kind. It does share some resemblance to Veltheimia, which I had to look up. I find the variety of plants even more mind-boggling than that of birds.

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  8. für ein schönes Neues 2024…leicht virale Grüße von unserer Küste…hoffe meine ersten Zeilen sind nicht im Server Nirwana gelandet, denn ich sehe die Antwort bisher nicht…Lieben Gruß, Werner🕊️🦉 😇

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  9. Wow! Such an amazing variety of flowers! Mother Nature never ceases to amaze.
    I wish you and your loved ones a happy and fulfilling 2024, Tanja, and I look forward to reading more of your fab words in this new year. 🙂

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    • Thank you, Liz. I imagine that some of the wildflowers have been cultivated for use in gardens, but since I don’t know New Zealand’s flora, I don’t know if that is the case or not.
      A Happy New Year to you and Nigel as well.

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  11. Surely you will not be berated
    For tidings a little belated.

    Sorry to hear about the weltschmerz and the lingering respiratory infection.

    That’s a good showing of wildflowers, especially at this generally fallow time of year. Quite a few of those genera make it down into central Texas, where for lack of a real freeze so far this season we still have some blooming.

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    • Thank you, Steve.

      I’m glad I’m forgiven
      For belatedly having scriven.

      Our foot of snow in early November put an end to blossoming flowers, but reviewing the bounty of last year’s flowers heightens the anticipation of what’s to come this year.

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  13. Hello dear Tanja,
    What a treat to view such bursts of color during the winter months.
    I too am sorry to hear about the respiratory infection and weltschmerz…it really is trying times isn’t it?

    Thank you for sharing such beauty despite everything. May 2024 be a kinder year to all of us, and may you and all your loved ones be blessed with health and happiness.

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    • Dear Takami,
      I appreciate your kind comment. The times are truly trying and I know there are many of us who are sad and depressed about what is going on.
      I share your wish for a better, kinder 2024 for all living beings and I hope you and yours are doing well.
      Warmly,
      Tanja

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  15. Welcome back, Tanja, so pleased to see that you are banishing your weltschmerz (that was a new word for me, I had to look it up!) What a fine variety of wildflowers you encountered in 2023. Seeing prickly pears growing wild seems very exotic to me; so much better to see them that way than cultivated in pots, which is the only place I’ve ever encountered them.

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    • Thank you, Mr. P. Despite the general chaos, there is much to be grateful for and I try to remind myself to count all our blessings.
      I never cease to be amazed by the variety of wildflowers I encounter during my forays, and I find cacti endlessly fascinating. I used to associate them with far-away deserts and now I live in a high-elevation desert myself!

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  16. Weltschmerz. I had to look that up, but what a good word, and yes I think many of us are feeling it. But what a cheerful array of wild flowers, and such exotic looking specimens to me. The only one I recognise is the fireweed, which we call rosebay willow herb, and possibly the evening primrose. Best wishes, Tanja.

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    • Thank you, Michael. Weltschmerz is a good word, but I wish it were superfluous. Since it’s not, I will continue to ameliorate the pain with nature’s wonderful antidotes.
      Wishing you the best for 2024,
      Tanja

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  18. liebe tanja, ich wünsche dir auch hier noch mal ein glückliches neues jahr! deine sammlung an blumen gefällt mir sehr, insbesondere die: Harebell aka Bluebell (Campanula rotundifolia). mit den namen kenne ich mich auch nicht aus, insofern kann ich diesbezüglich keinen beitrag leisten. wie geht es inzwischen mit dem weltschmerz? hast du daraus auch etwas gewinnen können für dich? ich wünsche es dir, und auch sonst, alles gute und liebe, viele grüße aus berlin m.

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    • Es freut mich, daß Dir die Blumen gefallen. Ich freue mich immer, wenn ich neue entdecken kann.
      So lange wir Menschen weiterhin so wüten, hört der Weltschmerz nicht auf. Ich glaube nicht, daß sich das jemals ändern wird. Leider.
      Alles Gute Dir im neuen Jahr.
      Tanja

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      • ich verstehe deinen schmerz. hilfreich ist für mich, achtsam zu sein und zu bleiben, die innere orientierung zu wissen und ihr treu zu bleiben, gezielt und fokussiert handeln und um die eigene kraft und wirksamkeit wissen und ruhig weiter zu gehen, schritt für schritt. ich wünsche dir alles liebe, ich schicke mal eine umarmung in die ferne (wenn ich darf), liebe grüße aus b. von m.

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  21. Beautiful array of flowers; I enjoy admiring them but also, it’s fun for me to see so many that have ‘relatives’ here in Texas. I’ve only been in Colorado in June, we spent a week or so in the Rocky Mountain National Park. I remember the gorgeous flowers in bloom then and know that it’s kind of the early part of the blooming season. I’d like to come back one of these days.

    I hope your weltschmerz and respiratory infection are better.

    As an aside, I took German in college, only 2 years, and didn’t do anything with it afterward. We traveled to Austria last December/January to meet our son (who lives in Iraq–sort of a half way thing). To bone up a little bit so I’d could speak at a least a little German, I started lessons with Duo Lingo (don’t snicker 🙂 ). Anyhoo, fast forward to now, I still do lessons everyday and it was fun to read your German followers’ comments and your responses. I didn’t know all the words, but got the gist. Kind of.

    Wishing you a wonderful 2024. Keep hope alive!

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    • Thank you, Tina. I wish I had a better understanding of plant families and their distribution across different states, countries, and continents, but since I don’t, I will simply continue to enjoy the flowers I encounter.
      I really want to get above timberline when the alpine flora is in bloom as I love those hardy little plants that brave such harsh conditions. I also would like to attend the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival one of these days and imagine you would enjoy it also (https://crestedbuttewildflowerfestival.org/).

      I think it’s great that you continue to work on your German language skills and I hope you will continue to enjoy making progress.

      I love your “keep hope alive” statement and I hope we can do just that. I’m returning your good wishes for 2024.

      Warmly,

      Tanja

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  22. Liebe Tanja,
    hab’ Dank für den schönen Wildblumenkalender, den Du uns hier präsentierst.
    Ich wünsche Dir ein beschwingtes, beglückendes und herzerfrischendes Jahr 2024 mit vielen schönen Naturerlebnissen und guten zwischenmenschlichen Begegnungen! ✨ ✨ ✨
    Ich freue mich auf ein weiteres Jahr, in dem ich mit Dir – wenn auch nur fotografisch und textlich – reisen kann.

    Gruß & Umarmung von Ulrike

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    • Liebe Ulrike,
      es freut mich, daß Dir der Wildblumenkalender gefällt (wenn ihm auch einige Seiten fehlen 😊).
      Herzlichen Dank für die lieben Wünsche für das neue Jahr, die ich gerne für Dich erwidere. Es freut mich, daß wir hier miteinander reisen können, sei es in die Welt Deiner Bücher oder in die meinige.
      Alles Liebe,
      Tanja

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  26. Wow, what a beautiful variety of flowers! A Happy New Year 2024 to you liebe Tanja und auf neue viele schöne Naturbegegnungen! Die Schätze und Schönheit der Natur bereichern uns nicht nur, sie haben auch eine heilende Wirkung auf unsere Seele 🙂 Liebe Grüße und einen guten Start ins Jahr wünscht
    Almuth

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  27. There can be no better way to celebrate a year just passed and provide hope for this New Year than an outstanding bouquet of wildflowers!

    I share your view of beholding and appreciating Nature’s beauty wherever we enounter it. Here is hoping we all have more such beauty to appreciate in our future.

    Welcome back, Tanja. You were missed.

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    • I appreciate your comment, Wally, and being welcomed back. And I hope that more humans can appreciate all the beautiful natural offerings we have been taking for granted, which are now imperiled and might be lost forever if we don’t change our ways.

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  29. Das ist ein Jahresrückblick der besonderen Art. Ich genieße jedes Bild und kann nun sogar einige meiner Blütenbilder aus den USA bestimmen, dank Deiner Bestimmung. Ich wünsche Dir ein ganz besonderes Neues Jahr, bleib gesund und munter und zeige uns die Natur des wunderschönen Colorado. Ich hoffe, wir können die Frühlingsblüten in Texas erleben, jedenfalls planen wir. Schaunmermal.
    Liebe Grüße
    MAren

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    • Liebe Maren,
      es freut mich, wenn Dir meine Bilder etwas mit Deinen USA Bildern helfen kann. Wenn ich in Deutschland bin, habe ich auch Schwierigkeiten, die Blumen zu bestimmen, denn leider habe ich vor meiner Ausreise nicht genug darauf geachtet.
      Wie aufregend, daß Ihr vielleicht dieses Jahr wieder nach Texas kommt. Ich habe es noch immer nicht geschafft, diesen Staat zu besuchen, obwohl mich seine Vögel total faszinieren.
      Alles Gute,
      Tanja

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  31. When I counted the number of genera you shared that have species in my area, I recognized seventeen of them. I always enjoy seeing unfamiliar flowers, but it’s as much fun to see variations on those that are familiar to me. One that I’d love to see is the pasqueflower; I’ve seen quite a few photos of that one from a blogger who lives in Nebraska. I was surprised by the white primrose. I know that our evening primrose, which is usually pinkish, can be white, but I’ve never seen a white cutleaf evening primrose. Are yours usually yellow?

    It’s hard to believe we’re nearly a week into the new year; time does seem to be passing more quickly every year. Here’s to a good 2024, filled with enjoyment and discoveries!

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    • I don’t know enough about botany to be able to compare genera, but I see how much fun it would be to be able to narrow a plant down to genus, even when visiting a place far from home.
      We await the appearance of pasqueflowers each year, as they typically signal the start of spring.
      As far as primroses, I would say that it’s the white ones I see most often. We have some pink and yellow species also, but at least for me, I come across them less often.
      Thank you for the good wishes for 2024, which I heartily return.

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  32. Tanja – Absolutely lovely! I learned the names of some flowers that I had seen but didn’t know what they were called. Your posts are always lovely to look at and educational. Thank you for sharing! – Jill

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  34. I can’t think of a better word than “weltschmerz” to summarize my feelings for the last several years..especially during the covid cabal years. Thankfully our numerous trips throughout the year helped to get me away from the day to day news and back to nature which has a grounding effect on me. Fingers crossed you are through the respiratory issues. Lovely summary of flowers – a good remind of all the bright spots in the year.

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  35. How nice! The orange flower is really nice. I looked it up and it can also be ‘Aloe barbadencis’ (the very common one), at least the leaves look similar to the yellow-flowered one.

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    • Thank you for taking the time to go back to this older post and for commenting, Maria. And thank you for looking up the plant’s name. Unfortunately, I didn’t save the label. It was given to me as a present at least 10 years ago and it was only several inches tall. Not it’s at least a foot tall!

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