Rocky Mountain Wildflowers — Rocky Mountain Wildflower Field Guide

Recently I completed my first Colorado Native Plant Society course through the CSU Extension. For three Saturdays a group of approximately 15 of us explored the flora of Golden Gate State Park in Colorado. We hiked along trails as our instructor, Mariska Hamstra, pointed out plants and gave information as to their families, scientific names, characteristics, and ecological connections. Each day we studied approximately 30 plants; so by the end of the course, we learned close to 100 species. On the last day of the class, the beginning of our time was spent with a test. Our instructor walked along...

Recently Bernie and I joined a Colorado Native Plant Society group for an informative outing at Mount Evans. We began our trek at the Mt. Goliath trailhead at 12,100 feet and followed it downward through the Bristlecone area of Mount Evans along the Walter Pesman trail. Many of the flowers we discovered were tiny, ¼ inch or less as our altitude was comparable to northern Canada’s tundra or to the Arctic Circle. We marveled at how these plants grow in such a harsh environment and learned some of their survival secrets. Along the steep rocky trail we spotted the following...

This week my husband and I drove into Buckskin Gulch in the Mosquito Range of South Park, Colorado. The mountains were still covered with winter’s snows but along the roadside and in the meadows, wildflowers were beginning to add color to the landscape. Sky Pilot, Alpine Sandwort, Alp Lily, Chickweed, Old Man of the Mountain, Alpine Phlox and Wallflower were some of the notable flowers growing among the grasses, rocks and around the Bristlecone Pines at 11,500 feet.        Bristlecone and Wallflowers The Wallflowers especially were putting on a show. Bright yellow clumps were springing up everywhere, but what...

                   Linda and I attended the first “Meet the Authors” event in Salida, Colorado on March 29, 2014. It was Linda’s first book signing for her Rocky Mountain Wildflowers Field Guide. Fourteen local authors including us met at the Salida Community Center and we spoke about our latest books in front of a supportive audience. Linda and I were pleased with our book signings and sales afterwards. Authors attending were from Salida, Cotopaxi, Fairplay, Westcliffe and Como, Colorado. The range of genre represented by the authors was from history, historical fact and fiction, fantasy, nature, young adult, Native American, self-help...

  Hi All! Greetings from the Colorado High Country. After digging out from all the new snow and high drifts, I just returned from the Post Office in Fairplay and was pleasantly surprised to find 2 certificates for the People's Choice Awards. I was voted now for the 5th consecutive year the Best Local Author and the Best Local Photographer. Also in the news is that Linda’s new Rocky Mountain Wildflower Field Guide book is published and is receiving praise from many sources – be sure to check it out! – Bernie