Nature has a rhythm. The snows covers the landscape in winter. There is beauty to be found, but the beauty is a cold, ethereal one. A landscape with a palette of a few colors. Green trees, white snow, brown grass, gray rocks, and blue skies. But then the snow starts to melt. The mountain streams grow from a bare trickle to a steady flow and then become a raging torrent. The birds are making their morning calls more frequently.

Old man of the mountain wildflowers gracing the high country.

Wildflower Season Begins

A fragrant smell is in the air. New colors appear in Nature’s palette. Vibrant colors start dotting the landscape. Trees bud and then leaf. A vivid color of green starts to appear in the mountain and hillside meadows. The streamsides, forests, and even the plains start teeming with splashes of color. The aptly named pasque flowers are often seen first. Their delicate lavender seeming to fit well with our holidays associated with spring. And the sand lilies soon appear as well. The delicate white flowers, dark green leaves, and yellow styles are a contrast to the white, gray, and brown colors seen just a few weeks earlier.

Even the desert seems to rejoice in the turning of winter and the start of spring. The red rocks and brown sands start to have colors not usually associated with the harsh landscape. A dark red claret flower or the pink blooms of other cacti give testimony that even in harsh environments, life can flourish and be beautiful.

And, soon, even the high mountains start to shed their winter cloak and don a much more colorful one. Spring has come. Summer is now here. The blue columbines are a direct contrast to the still snow-covered mountains above. And, incongruously, glacier lilies are often seen blooming bright yellow in the very snow that is rapidly melting. Seems the mountains almost have a patchwork quilt over them. Bright red flowers, yellow-orange “old man of the mountain” are found in the high passes. Countless colors are seen with pinks, purples, reds, blues, and yellows reaching even up the summits of the mountains themselves.

The world is alive. But summer is brief in the mountains. Soon a chill is felt in the air at night. The flowers retreat with perhaps a few stalwart harebells standing testimony to the season that is rapidly passing. They are in slumber until next spring and summer. Frost is starting to appear on the ground. A slight damp smell is noticed in the air. A new cloak is worn. The russet and golds of autumn are displayed. The cycle is repeated until next spring. The wildflower season in the backcountry is brief and beautiful. And one to rejoice in.

More Information

As beautiful as it is to look at wildflowers, knowing their names is much like getting to know the names of strangers that will become friends. While saying, half-jokingly, “little yellow flower” or “yet another red one”, knowing the names of wildflowers can add much richness to a backcountry experience. Many regions and states have wildflower guides organized by color that makes for easy identification.

These books are often small enough to fit into a good sized cargo pocket. My favorite for Colorado is the Rocky Mountain Wildflowers Pocket Guide by David Dahms. A constant companion for me on day hikes and often found by my side when going over my post-trip photos. Many copies can be found online for less than five dollars with shipping included. Other states should have similar books available. Additional titles for this area include The Best Front Range Wildflower Hikes as well as Wildflowers of Utah's Colorado Plateau.

For more easterly and central hikers, see A Peterson Field Guide To Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-central North America.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor Paul Magnanti originally appeared in Issue 22 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.