Among the many joys of visiting or living in Summit County is appreciating the plethora of wildflowers that bloom in May through August, especially after adequate precipitation, as is the case this year.
Two prominent, marvelous and gigantic wildflowers in the wild are the green gentian, otherwise known as monument plant, and the corn lily, otherwise known as skunk cabbage or cow cabbage. The two can easily be confused by a novice. According to the “Rocky Mountain Wildflowers” pocket guide by David Dahms, which is available for sale at the Dillon Ranger District ranger station in Silverthorne, “Green Gentian (has) numerous intricate flowers (that) cover the tall erect stem.” The guide continues to say that the flowers have four greenish-white petals with purple specks that are backed by four pointed sepals.
The wildflowers usually grow to between 2 and 7 feet and feature leaves with long and narrow whorls. But the flower can grow to a gigantic 10 feet tall.
The flowers typically grow between July and August in foothills and subalpine terrain, usually in open meadows and forest clearings, according to Dahm’s guide.
The guide reads, “This plant lives many years without blooming as a flat rosette of leaves. In its last year, it sends up its main stem and blooms.”
