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While Colorado’s Front Range is seeing the peak of wildflower bloom, the High Country is patiently waiting for its own.
A cold, wet winter and spring defined by above-average snow and rainfall is likely to delay peak bloom by as much as two weeks. But it also means this summer will see even more color than last.
“It’s definitely going to be, it already is, a very, very good wildflower year,” said Tyler Johnson, a U.S. Forest Service botanist for the Rocky Mountain region.
While expeditions in the High Country are likely to reveal early-season blooms, including lupines and yarrows, plants such as columbines, the iconic state flower, as well as paintbrushes and goldenrods are still dormant.
The region usually sees its wildflower season begin to peak around the Fourth of July weekend, when nightly temperatures tend to hover around 50 degrees. In order to avoid devastating summer frosts, wildflowers wait until temperatures are safe before reproducing, or flowering, and dispersing seeds.
