My husband and I have been photographing and studying wildflowers in Colorado since we retired there in 2003. This year has been a great year for wildflowers, even though the season started late. We toured around the Rocky Mountains in the high country of Colorado in July and August and were not disappointed by the wildflower color displays. Near Black Canyon in Gunnison National Park, we kept seeing massive fields of purple flowers along Highway 50. After stopping on a local side road, I identified the flowers as tapertip onions, Allium acuminatum.
This is a native onion and locals in the area said they never had seen such numbers and displays of this wildflower. Two more natives are the nodding onion, Allium cernuum, and Geyer’s onion, Allium geyeri, both of which have longer blooming seasons. Onions are now classified in the Amaryllis Family, though many still consider them in the onion family or lily family.
For help in identifying wildflowers in Colorado, please check out my Rocky Mountain Wildflowers Field Guide at www.highcountryartworks.com. Order by September 16, 2019 and receive a signed copy of our book as well as a bookmark.
To enjoy wildflowers throughout the coming year, order our popular 2020 Colorado Wildflowers 13-month scenic calendar. All items are shipped free from our website.