| The official State Flower of Colorado is the Rocky Mountain Columbine. |
Family Aceraceae Maple trees Family Adoxaceae Snowball bush and others Family Agavaceae Yucca Family Asteraceae Aster, daisy, or sunflower family. Family Campanulaceae Bellflower family Family Commelinaceae Spiderwart family Family Euphorbiaceae Spurge family Family Fagaceae Beech Family of trees and shrubs. Family Loasaceae Loasa Family Oleaceae Olive family Family Onagraceae Primrose family Family Papaveraceae Poppy family. Family Plantaginaceae Plantain family Family Poaceae Foxtails and others. Family Ranunculaceae Colombine and others. Family Rosaceae Rose family, large. Family Salicaceae a family of flowering plants. Family Ulmaceae Elm trees Family Vitaceae Grapes and Virginia Creeper |
| Aspen trees, near Elevenmile Lake, on 29 September 2006.
These trees turn their leaves a bright yellow in late September or early October.
If there has been a drought, they will turn a dull yellow.
Kingdom: Plantae The species we have in Colorado is the Quaking (or Trembling) Aspen, Populus tremuloides. They are called that because the leaves move in even the slightest breeze. |  |
| An Ash tree, this one the Green Ash. According to Wikipedia, it is
native to eastern and central North America, from Nova Scotia west to
southeastern Alberta and eastern Colorado, south to northern Florida,
and southwest to eastern Texas.
Kingdom: Plantae |
|
| Lilac
Kingdom: Plantae There are about 20 species within this Genus. This picture was taken on 22 May 2008, as the blooming just started in Colorado Springs, CO | 
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| Elm tree. In Colorado Springs, these things propogate and grow like weeds.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| Gambel Oak tree. Also called scrub oak.
This one was found on 6 July 2008 alongside Fountain Creek, just West of
Manitou Springs, CO.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| Cottonwood tree. These trees can grow quite large. Typically,
they do best if near a source of water. This one is just West of Manitou Springs, CO
near Fountain Creek. Picture taken 6 July 2008.
The Cottonwood tree found in Colorado would be the Eastern Cottonwood, Populus deltoides, and sub-species Rio Grande Cottonwood (populus wislizeni). Cottonwood trees, like almost all living things, come in two genders: male and female. The second picture shows the flowers that bloom on the male cottonwood. The female cottonwood tree is the one that sends the millions of white things floating all over your neighborhood. This picture was taken on 5 May 2009, El Paso county, CO. The third picture shows the seed pods on the female cottonwood. These pods release the white fluffy seeds that float on the wind.
Kingdom: Plantae |  
|
| Willow tree. This one was growing alongside Fountain Creek just West of
Manitou Springs, Colorado on 6 July 2008.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| Maple Tree. This picture was taken in November 2008.
Most of the leaves had already fallen, but these were on some small shoots growing
from the base of the tree.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants | 
|
| This is a wild grape, the River Bank Grape, AKA the Frost Grape.
It looks like a bush, but is more likely a vine climbing on a rock face, about 7 feet tall.
Just North of Manitou Springs, CO along highway 24.
The first picture was on July 6, 2008, and the second was
taken on 19 August 2008.
Kingdom: Plantae |  
|
| This is the Virginia Creeper. Grows along anything that will let it
climb. Grows small bunches of small berries. Also known as the American Ivy.
It is related to Poison Ivy, but not nearly as toxic. Poison Ivy typically has 3 leaves in a
cluster; this has 5 leaves. Also known as Woodbine.
Some people make tea from the leaves.
By mid September, the small berries are blue.
Kingdom: Plantae |   |
| Arnica mollis (probably).
Picture taken July 6, 2008 in Teller Co., Colorado.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| Dandelion. This is 19 April 2008, and we are still getting freezing
temperatures at night in Colorado Springs, but the Dandelion wastes no time in
getting started.
Kingdom: Plantae There are many species of Dandelion. | 
|
| This is the Colorado Thistle or Elk Thistle,
or more properly known as the Meadow Thistle.
Kingdom: Plantae This plant is native to Colorado. This picture was taken near Elevenmile Lake. It was at least 1 foot across, pushing back the surrounding grass. |  |
| Cocklebur. Also known as a Cockle-burr.
Picture taken 16 July 2009 in Colorado Springs.
Kingdom: Plantae
| 
|
| Sunflowers, 4 August 2008. Species unknown.
The second picture was taken on 16 July 2009
of the flower bed in my back yard, which was supposed to have a variety of flowers.
I don't know where the sunflowers came from, but they overpower everything else.
The flower part is 6" in diameter, and 2.5" for just the seed part.
Kingdom: Plantae |  
|
| Coneflower. Found on 10 July 2009 at the Fountain Creek Nature Center.
This is also known as a Mexican hat.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants | 
|
| This is probably a Rudbeckia, Rudbeckia laciniata.
Common names are Cutleaf, Cutleaf Coneflower, Goldenglow, Green-headed Coneflower,
Tall Coneflower or, Thimbleweed.
Found by Alyssa Erickson along a hiking trail on 8 August 2009.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| Canada Thistle. These pictures were taken at the Fountain, Colorado Nature Center
on 16 July 2008.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants | 
|
| Probably a Bluebell Bellflower. These were growing along
the road between Cripple Creek and Divide, Colorado on 6 July 2008.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants |  
|
| This the Common Milkweed, AKA Butterfly flower, Silkweed, Silky Swallow-wort, Virginia Silkweed.
The milky latex in this plant is toxic to many other wildlife species, but not the larvae and adult Monarch
Butterfly, which uses this plant as a primary food source. Two other insects that feed on this plant
without harm are the Red Milkweed beetle, and the Milkweed bug.
This picture was taken at the Fountain, CO Nature
Center on 12 June 2008.
Kingdom: Plantae |  
|
| Common Mullein. In Europe, it is called the Great Mullein.
In the past, it has had about 40 other common names.
Picture taken at the Fountain Creek Nature Center, 30 July 2008.
The plant is about six feet tall.
Kingdom: Plantae |  
|
| This is a Prickly Poppy, probably Argemone pleicantha or Argemone polyanthemos?
These pictures were taken July 3, 2008 in Colorado Springs, CO.
Kingdom: Plantae |  
|
| Cactus, in the EagleCrest sub-division north-west of Cripple Creek, Colorado. This is about 3 inches across. There are many species of cactus that look like this, so it remains to be seen just what this one is. |  |
| Prickly Pear cactus.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants The first picture was taken on 8 May 2008, at the Fountain, Colorado Nature center. |  
|
| Bractless Blazingstar, found at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 7 Sep 2008.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants | 
|
| This is probably a Cutleaf Daisy, Erigeron compositus Pursh.
Found in El Paso County, Colorado on 19 July 2009. It is also known as a Fleabane.
It is a small flower, with the flower part not more than 1" in diameter.
Family: Compositae or Asteraceae depending on source. | 
|
| Alyssa Erickson took this picture in June 2009 on a hiking trail near Colorado Springs.
It appears to be a close relative of the Colorado state flower (Aquilegia caerules).
I think the Genus is correct, but we still need to sort out the species.
There are about 60 - 70 species within this Genus.
|
Kingdom: Plantae 
|
| Myrtle Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites).
These pictures taken in El Paso County, Colorado.
Blooms early, this picture taken on 16 March 2009, and it had
started blooming a week earlier.
The boards on the fence are 6" wide, so you can see how big the blooms are.
According to Wikipedia, although it is sometimes grown as a decorative plant in gardens, particularly valued in xeriscaping in dry areas, myrtle spurge is often considered noxious, and is invasive in some regions. Its cultivation is illegal in the state of Colorado. The milky sap can cause significant skin and eye irritations.
Kingdom: Plantae |  
|
| A closely related plant is the Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula).
It is also known as the Green Spurge. It is in the
same genus as the Myrtle Spurge, above.
This picture was taken in Elbert Co., Colorado on 20 May 2009.
This plant is native to Europe, but has been introduced in North America. It is very invasive, and very hard to get rid of once it starts. Cattle will not graze on it.
Genus: Euphorbia |
|
| Yucca. The ends of the leaves have very sharp barbs.
If your finger gets stuck, it will hurt, but what is different about the Yucca
plant is that it will keep on hurting for several months.
There are many species, but judging by the looks of the seed pods in the second photo, this must be the Baccata species. These pictures taken 19 April 2008 in Elbert Co., CO.
Kingdom: Plantae |
 
|
| Wisteria. Takes several years before it blooms. |  |
| French Hollyhock, Malva Sylvestris. This blooms in late summer. It is a biennial, so we have to plant the seeds one year to get flowers the next year. Sometimes sold as "althaea", supposedly a perennial. |  |
| This picture of an Iris took 2nd place in the El Paso County, CO fair,
amateur photography competition, in
July 2007.
Kingdom: Plantae There are between 200 and 300 species of Iris. |  
|
| Snowball bush. More properly known as European
Cranberry Viburnum,
European Snowball Bush, Guelder Rose 'Roseum', and Viburnum opulus.
Kingdom: Plantae |   |
| Rhubarb. This plant was growing in our back yard when we
bought our house in 1976. It has been moved twice. This picture was taken
in 2003, which was a good year for it's growth. It is still here in 2008. My mother used to make pie, with 1/2 Rhubarb, chopped into small pieces, and 1/2 strawberries. When the stem part of the leaf turns red in the fall, it is ripe, and can be eaten raw. The taste is a little strong, however.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| Cattail or Bulrush. These pictures were taken at
the Fountain Creek Nature Center, Fountain Colorado.
Kingdom: Plantae |
|
| A Bird-bill Dayflower, Commelina dianthifolia. The picture was taken at
the Fountain Creek Nature Center, next to Fountain creek, on 4 June 2009. The second
picture is from 19 June 2009, same place.
Kingdom Plantae – Plants |  
|
| A foxtail, a weed that grows everywhere. It is in the Alopecurus genus,
and there are 25 to 35 species in that genus. Picture was taken on 16 July 2009 in
Colorado Springs.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| A flower in the Potentilla genus, species not identified yet.
Found at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 14 June 2009.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa)
Found at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 14 June 2009.
It had already bloomed, and these are the seed plumes.
Kingdom: Plantae |  |
| Wild Plums, picture taken on 29 August 2009 at
the Fountain Creek Nature Center. This is also called a Goose Plum or an American Plum.
Kingdom: Plantae |
 |
| A flower in the Penstemon genus, species not identified yet.
Found at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 14 June 2009.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| Evening primrose. The exact species not determined yet.
Found at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 14 June 2009.
Kingdom: Plantae | 
|
| This was found in Elbert County, Colorado on 20 May 2009. It is a paintbrush
flower, in the Genus Castilleja. There are about 200 species in this genus, but this
is probably one of the Indian Paintbrush, and might even be Wyoming's state flower
which is the Narrow-leafed Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja linariifolia.
On the other hand, it also looks like the Castilleja miniata, Greater red Indian paintbrush,
which is supposed to be common in the Rocky Mountain area.
Kingdom: Plantae
| 
|
| Unknown flower, Fountain Creek Nature Center on 8 June 2009. A small flower, low to the ground. | 
|
| Unknown flower, Fountain Creek Nature Center on 8 June 2009. | 
|
| An unusual looking flower, found in the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 25 July 2009. Identification is pending. The second picture is from 23 July 2009, same place. | 
|
| Unknown flower, Elbert County, Colorado on 20 May 2009. | 
|
| What is this? Near Eleven Mile lake, Teller county Colorado.
The first picture was taken 2 July 2007.
The second picture was taken 15 June 2009 at the same place, and shows better detail of
the earlier stages of the flower.
It has the same structure as the purplish flower growning nearby, and shown in the next flower. |  
|
| What is this? Near Eleven Mile lake, Teller county Colorado.
This picture was taken 15 June 2009 near the white flower above, and has the same
structure as the white flower.
It looks quite a bit like the Moss Campion, Silene acaulis. That flower has pinkish-purple flowers, rarely white, and grows mainly above timberline. (These were found at about 9,000 feet, not above timberline, but definitely high altitude.) It also looks quite a bit like some species of Locoweed, Oxytropis. The leaf structure may also be more similar to the Locoweed. | 
|
| Unknown flower, found at the Fountain Creek Nature Center on 7 Sep 2008. | 
|
| Unknown flower, found at Spinney Lake, Park Co., Colorado on 9 Sep 2008. | 
|
| Unknown flower, found in El Paso County, Colorado on 10 Sep 2008. | 
|
| What is this? Blooms once a year, very small white blossoms. |  |
| Alyssa Erickson took these pictures in July 2009 on a hiking trail near Colorado Springs. Identification has not been made. |  
|
| Alyssa Erickson took this picture in August 2009 on a hiking trail near Colorado Springs. Identification has not been made. | 
|
| Alyssa Erickson took this picture in August 2009 on a hiking trail near Colorado Springs. Identification has not been made. |  
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