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Introduction The Rocky Mountains have been famous as magnets for winter sports for decades, but the appeal of the Rockies has grown exponentially in the summer months as well, as residents of the burgeoning Front Range flee the summer heat by driving to the heights on weekends. Tourists in droves from across North America and the world pay homage to the numerous national parks that stud the region. The incomparable displays of wildflowers that bloom reliably throughout the growing season are a large part of the draw. Crested Butte has celebrated a Wildflower Festival for decades, but truth be told, the Mardi Gras of flowers in the Rockies is never-ending, beginning in late winter and extending to the last days of fall. Thirty years ago, Denver Botanic Gardens published Rocky Mountain Alpines, a coffee-table tome with authors from around the world celebrating the unique flora of this region. Since then, the native plant collections at the Gardens have expanded enormously. They have become a focal point of interest for keen gardeners who visit. This book is a testament to the Gardens’ commitment to our native flora. Throughout the growing season, the Rocky Mountain region boasts colorful displays at different elevations, and first-time visitors are justified in being somewhat confused and overwhelmed by the flora they encounter. The first flowers begin to appear in March most years (a few harbingers even before that at the lowest elevations and in special microclimates): regional flower buffs are always seeking the first pasqueflowers, springbeauties, or Townsend daisies on the fringes of the Great Plains. It’s not till May most years that the lower foothills and plains explode with color, and June is when the higher mountains begin their floral pageant. July and August are the months for glorious bloom across the higher mountains. Although autumn arrives mid-August at the heights, the color only deepens as foliage on Ross’ avens (Geum rossii) turns bright scarlet, the asters and gentians blaze with bright blue color, and a hundred yellow composites burgeon everywhere, making this book all the more important to have along to help sort them out! Elevation, rainfall, and aspect have an extraordinary impact on the character and nature of floral displays in the Rockies—perhaps more than almost any other part of our country. You can drive countless miles at lower elevations through dry sagebrush or prairie where there may be nothing in bloom to speak of, but if you rise a few hundred feet in elevation, the meadows suddenly fill with flowers. Aspect (the orientation toward the sun) is magnified in dry, continental climates. One quickly notices that north slopes are more heavily wooded—the place to seek out orchids and ferns. Lower-elevation flora invariably climbs higher on south-facing slopes—where cacti and yucca can be found thousands of feet higher in elevation than one would expect. In spring or later during wet years, the lowland vegetation can rival the alpine heights in floral display. Timing is key to understanding and appreciating the richness of this flora. Mid-June to mid-August virtually guarantee visitors wonderful flower displays at higher elevations—the Fourth of July weekend is often the peak at the heights. But during drought cycles, the season shifts earlier, and during cold, snowy winters, the flower displays can be postponed almost a month at higher elevations. It is not uncommon to return to the very same spot on the very same date a few years later and not find a single wildflower that once occurred by the thousands or millions blooming there. The season can be so delayed the plants may simply not have emerged yet. Or they may be past. Or some, like monument plant (Frasera speciosa), may bloom prolifically one year, and then for several years not a single stalk may rise in a colony. This phenomenon is common in mountains everywhere but seems to be more pronounced in the Rockies. The Rocky Mountains can be said to have a predictably good flower display every year, but locals come to realize that certain years are spectacular. Especially when snow and rains are heavy in spring and early summer, you can expect the flowers to increase in quantity and size enormously. These “miracle years”—particularly at lower elevations—are worth a special trip, as few places on earth can offer the diversity of flower color and type you can find in sagebrush country in a wet spring! It is astonishing so many drivers whiz by on interstates in years like that, oblivious to the Persian carpet of phlox, buckwheat, paintbrush, milkvetch, penstemon, and daisy in every bright hue imaginable, blooming prolifically among the sagebrush like a painting come to life. The species makeup can vary enormously from one valley to the next: the public lands of the Rockies are North America’s wildflower treasure chests, and this book can be the key to unlock them!
