Colorado Wildflowers?

Peter D. Tillman wrote:

Howzabout it, Coloradans? Any word on likely bloom peaks in the high
country?

Northern NM is kinda dull this spring, AL in the Taos & Pecos areas. We
did have a fine early iris show, but that's over now. Exceptional
four-oclock's on the Santa Fe plateau, a bit past their peak now. But
all the flower-gardens around town look great!

Cheers -- Pete Tillman
Santa Fe

Hi Peter.
I've been on travel, but here on the local front Range (Denver and west),
we've had 4 DAYS OF RAIN! I can't remember 4 days of rain in Colorado
(snow yes, rain in the summer, no ;-) I don't know how far
west the rain got (probably not west of the continental divide).
That said, it's been really dry and the wildflowers have been pretty meager
the last few years, although there are usually local hot spots.
So the front range might be good. Perhaps Rocky Mtn N.P. and
Indian Peaks Wilderness. Crested Butte is usually good, but I do not
know how much rain the got. Snow pack at the beginning of June
was 23% of normal (for the beginning of June) and dropping fast.
I think I just heard a report that said it's been the driest in something
like 900 years (didn't hear the whole report, so may have the context wrong).
But there are plenty of other things to photograph here besides
wildflowers.

Roger

Hi Peter.
I've been on travel, but here on the local front Range (Denver and west),
we've had 4 DAYS OF RAIN! I can't remember 4 days of rain in Colorado
(snow yes, rain in the summer, no ;-) I don't know how far
west the rain got (probably not west of the continental divide).
That said, it's been really dry and the wildflowers have been pretty meager
the last few years, although there are usually local hot spots.
So the front range might be good. Perhaps Rocky Mtn N.P. and
Indian Peaks Wilderness. Crested Butte is usually good, but I do not
know how much rain the got. Snow pack at the beginning of June
was 23% of normal (for the beginning of June) and dropping fast.
I think I just heard a report that said it's been the driest in something
like 900 years (didn't hear the whole report, so may have the context wrong).
But there are plenty of other things to photograph here besides
wildflowers.

Roger

Keep in mind that a 23% snowpack in June means that instead of 4" on
the ground at a monitoring station there's only 1". If they said 23%
of average in March or April, I'd be worried. The June figure only
means a rapid melt-off, but we had an okay snow year this year. In
other words, I predict a great bloom this year. Sure, there will be
places that don't get as brilliant as they historically can, but I
think we're in good shape. The San Juans in particular got back to
their prominence as Colorado's snow kingdom this past winter, so
things should be good down there. I'm already seeing nice flowers all
over the state. Came over Cottonwood Pass yesterday, and the lupines
among the lodgepole pines on the west side (mile marker 3-6, or so)
were going crazy. Until a few weeks ago, I had never seen serviceberry
bushes (I think that's what they were) blooming in such profusion
among the aspen forests in the general vicinity of McClure Pass to
Kebler Pass, as well as other places. Paintbrush of varying colors are
showing up, as well as dozens and dozens of varieties that I'm not
in-the-know enough to name. Columbines have been the holdout so far,
but it's still too early for them. But not by much. This current wet
spell will only help.

The recent spate of wet weather was mostly a Front Range and
northern/central Colorado event, but that's relative, too. While those
places got soaked, just about every square inch of the state got
something. Reportedly, there's another round coming over the next few
days. That's excellent news! Perhaps the hot, dry pattern has been
supplanted by something entirely different. What a change that would
be!

Just got back from a loop up through Chama, La manga Pass, on FR 250
along the Conejos River, past Summitville, to Souuth Fork, along the
Silver Thread Byway (149) up as far as Lake City, then back to
South Fork, Alamosa, Great Sand dunes, East on 160, south on 12
through La Veta, to Trinidad, to Santa Fe.

It's dry, although too soon to tell about the higher meadows around
Summitville, which could be real nice in a couple of weeks or so. the
false hellebore is aobut a fot tall at that elevation. not much
blooming, except for a few fields of dandelions.

Best flowers were at the junction of 160 and 12. Looks like they've
had a lot more moisture around la veta, and generally on the eastern
slopes of the Front Range..

Jack

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 12:07:29 -0600, "Peter D. Tillman"
wrote:

Howzabout it, Coloradans? Any word on likely bloom peaks in the high
country?

Northern NM is kinda dull this spring, AL in the Taos & Pecos areas. We
did have a fine early iris show, but that's over now. Exceptional
four-oclock's on the Santa Fe plateau, a bit past their peak now. But
all the flower-gardens around town look great!

Cheers -- Pete Tillman
Santa Fe

Yankee Boy Basin near Ouray. Early July I think.

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"Peter D. Tillman" wrote in message
...
Howzabout it, Coloradans? Any word on likely bloom peaks in the high
country?

Northern NM is kinda dull this spring, AL in the Taos & Pecos areas. We
did have a fine early iris show, but that's over now. Exceptional
four-oclock's on the Santa Fe plateau, a bit past their peak now. But
all the flower-gardens around town look great!

Cheers -- Pete Tillman
Santa Fe