I'm finally getting around to posting a few photos from an August 2019 trip up Pikes Peak and down to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. On this particular day my colleague Mike Kintgen and I got to show off one of my favorite areas of Colorado to Marcella and Ariel who were visiting from Argentina. Here's the crew minus me: from left to right Marcella, Mike, and Ariel.
We stopped on the way up to photo a rather eye-catching specimen of Oxytropis sericea and a few other montane species
Pollinators on Senecio atratus:
To be expected, penstemon was a big hit: Penstemon alpinus
The dusky purple form of Penstemon whippleanus:
Penstemon hallii:
We weren't sure we were going to see Telesonix jamesii in peak bloom since it was already the 5th of August. We were in luck thanks to a cold wet spring and a late snowmelt. I was so excited to see such a big population of this species since it is my all-time favorite Colorado wildflower. And in such a pretty setting too!
Mike with Telesonix jamesii
Telesonix jamesii cascading down granite
Close up of T. jamesii.
At our next stop, we discovered a common love of Colorado native thistles.
What's not to love about a beautiful tomentose thistle?
Looking up towards a shoulder of the Pike's Peak massif
We parked our car in the big parking lot, which is at the point where only shuttles can continue. After eating lunch Mike and I botanized the area while Marcella and Ariel took the shuttle to the top.
Minuartia obtusiloba and Saxifraga chrysantha
A purple pair: Mertensia alpina and Silene acaulis
Androsace chamaejasme in "2nd bloom." The petals have dropped but the sepals have persisted.
Mike and Marcella photographing away on a perfect day in the alpine
Hemiparasitic cousins Pedicularis and Castilleja hanging out.
Cream-colored Chionophila jamesii. Such a beauty!
After Pikes Peak we headed to Florissant Fossil Beds to botanize. This National Monument has a visitor center with an excellent collection of fossils from the area -- anything from ancient plant leaves to earwigs to the iconic wasp you seen in all of their promotional materials to fish vomit. We spent some time looking through the collection before hitting the trails to look at plants.
We chose a trail that wandered through several ecosystems including a ponderosa pine forest, the short grass steppe, and a meadow. Due to all the rain, this area was prettier than I had ever seen it before and I intend to return for some more exploration.
I love this arrangement of owl clover, paintbrush, artemisia, and grasses.
An evening stroll through the pines
Blue grama grass, its flowers seemingly suspended midair. The diversity of grasses was astounding to me.
Meadow and short grass steppe ecotone and lots of shrubby cinquefoil.
Besseya plantaginea
Erigeron sp.
Allium cernuum
I love the textures and shades of green in the photo below. I wish I could replicate this in my garden.
Final stop of the day before heading back to Denver: A private tour of Dominic Turnbull's very impressive crevice gardens
We arrived back in Denver well after dark, having crammed a lot into a 16-hour day.
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