In July and August of this year, my husband and I volunteered for the Fairplay Library in Colorado to take groups on wildflower identification and photography hikes. The first hike was up Buckskin Gulch to Kite Lake. Paintbrushes, chiming bells, and mountain parsley were abundant. Around Kite Lake we saw marsh marigolds and alp lilies and many varieties of higher elevation wildflowers.
In August we hosted a group from the Boys and Girls Club. The hike was a path in Placer Valley along the Middle fork of the Platte River. Some stand out wildflowers were sulphur buckwheat, tall chiming bells, owl clover, paintbrushes, locoweed, goldenrod, varieties of cinquefoil, and monkshood. The children especially like the monkshood when they learned that it is poisonous and could even kill you if you ate parts of it. Bernie showed how to take better photos with a cell phone and some children took their own photos.
After we identified wildflowers on the trail, the youngsters “wound down” the outing at a fishing pond near the parking area. They climbed rocks and splashed in the water. All in all, it was a fun afternoon, and perhaps the children will remember some of the Rocky Mountain wildflowers in the high country.
The flowers seen on these hikes can be found in my Rocky Mountain Wildflowers Field Guide at www.highcountryartworks.com. Order by September 25, 2019 and receive a signed copy of the book as well as a bookmark.
To enjoy wildflowers throughout the coming year, order our popular 2020 Wildflowers of Colorado scenic calendar that also identifies the wildflowers and gives the locations. All items are shipped free from our website.