As Colorado rolls into arguably its most beautiful time of year, even the most barren foothills lining the Front Range turn a vibrant green for a few weeks. If you look closer at this lush ground cover, you’ll be amazed at the detail within the rainbow hues sprouting amid the greenery. Meadows, lakeshores, riverbanks, and forest floors take on a multi-colored lining and large swaths of vibrant purple, red, orange, and yellow.
The Centennial state is home to countless varieties of wildflowers, but here are some of the most striking. You can find Colorado’s state flower in at least three color varieties–rich shades of red, yellow, and purple—but white and lavender are the classics. It sits either alone or in bushy clusters, mostly in forested areas and meadows without intense direct sun.
It begins to bloom in lower elevations in June but hits its peak in July and August. Columbines grow rampantly at Trappers Lake near Steamboat Springs. In Rocky Mountain National Park near Cony Lake and on the way up Cony Pass, They can be found in profuse quantities even in late June and above treeline near snowfields.
These also come in various colors and can be found in the foothills, high desert, and alpine slopes throughout the state as early as April and as late as September. The scarlet variety is the most common color around Colorado. Still, you’ll also find paintbrushes running to the warm side of the color wheel — in several shades of orange, yellow, and even off-white.
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