Flowering plants of Gunnison National Forest, Colorado

Even though my summer field season has finished, I still have three blog posts about Colorado in draft mode that I want to share.  Here is one about most of the flowering plants that I photographed during the summer (and then I will post photos of insects and birds).  I have arranged these images mostly by the time I saw the plants (i.e., phenology) and/or genus.

One of the earliest flowering plant that I saw.  I couldn't identify it at the spot, but it is in the Parsley family (Apiaceae).

There were many Ballhead Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum capitatum) flowering early in the season that attracted many pollinators who couldn't find anything else.


Looking at them always reminds me of Totoro holding a leaf umbrella.


Ballhead Waterleaf (H. capitatum)

Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum) not quite flowering yet.


D. nuttallianum


D. nuttallianum


Unknown buttercup (Ranunculus sp.)

Canary violet (Viola praemorsa)

One of my study species - Dwarf Bluehells (Mertensia fusiformis).


My second study species - Short-styled Bluebells (M. brevistyla).

M. brevistyla has extremely short styles and anthers hidden inside the floral tube.

Spring beauty (Claytonia lanceolata)

Glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum)

E. grandiflorum with snow in the background.

E. grandiflorum

Marsh Marigold (Caltha leptosepala)

C. leptosepala

Plantainleaf buttercup (Ranunculus alismifolius)

King's crown (Sedum integrifolium)


Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)


Globe Flower (Trollius albiflorus)


Silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus)


Wild onion (Allium brandegeei).  I munched on a lot of onion leaves this summer when I was doing my pollinator observations.


Monument Plant (Frasera speciosa)


F. speciosa


Wild Iris (Iris missouriensis)


Blue Columbine (Aquilegia coerulea) - the official state flower of Colorado.


A. coerulea


A. coerulea


Blue flax (Linum lewisii) with a resting mining bee (family Andrenidae)


Paintbrush (Castilleja sp.).  Hybridization among Castilleja spp. has expanded the range of colours (on the colourful, leafy bracts and sepals) produced by anthocyanins.  Most paintbrushes are semi-parasitic on sagebrush and will not thrive without a host.




Sulphur paintbrush (C. sulphurea)


Scarlet Paintbrush (C. miniata)


C. miniata


Rosy Paintbrush (C. rhexifolia)






Showy Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum ssp. delicatum)

Scarlet Gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata) is perhaps the most well-known plant at RMBL because of the extensive pollination studies done on this species by RMBL researchers, which laid important foundations for studying pollinator behaviour and floral trait selection.

I was hoping to photograph a hummingbird visiting I. aggregata flowers this year.  Maybe next summer.

Mule Ears Sunflower (Wyethia amplexicaulis) with a syrphid fly.

Red columbine (Aquilegia elegantula)

Rock Jasmine (Androsace sp.)

Corydalis caseana - this plant has a catapulting seed dispersal system where seeds will scatter everywhere if you touch the ripe pods.

American bistort (Polygonum bistortoides)

Collomia (Collomia linearis)

Wild Rose (Rosa woodsii)


Curly lousewort (Pedicularis racemosa)


Whipple's Penstemon (Penstemon whippleanus)


Rocky Mountain Penstemon (P. strictus)


P. strictus


Rosy Pussytoes (Antennaria rosea)


Sulphur buckwheat (Erigonum umbellatum var. aureum) has leathery leaves with dense hairs on the underside - an adaptation to frost, drought, wind, and sun.


Golden Aster (Heterotheca villosa)


Mariposa Lily (Calochortus gunnisonii).  Many plants in this genus are extremely rare or endangered because of restricted habitats and also gardeners collecting this beautiful plant in the wild.


Harebell (Campanula sp.)

Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum) - an extremely poisonous plant.  Apparently this plant is used during medieval times to transform someone into a werewolf, hence the other common name - wolfsbane.

Death Camas (Zigadenus elegans)


Elephantella (Pedicularis groenlandica) - the coolest plant ever!