A little botany lesson

One of the things that's interesting and frustrating about identifying wildflowers is that there are so many that look alike.  There.  I've said it.  After a while you can tell what some of the look-alikes  are by slight differences in color or height, but when you're first learning them it's nearly impossible.  There are a couple varieties of sunflower on Green Mountain right now that are really hard to distinguish if you only look at the flower.  The Bush Sunflower (Helianthus pumilus) starts blooming in June and is widespread.  But late in the summer, another sunflower, Goledeneye (Heiomeris multiflora), takes its turn.  I just saw the first Goldeneyes of the year this last weekend.  There's an easy way to tell the two apart, but it's in the leaves, not the flower.

Bush Sunflower (left) and Goldeneye (right)

The Bush Sunflower has hairy, rough leaves and stems.  If you rub a leaf between your fingers you can fell how rough it is..  Sometimes the hairs on the leaves catch dust and make the leaves look dirty.  On the other hand, Goldeneye's leaves are narrower, and are smooth and somewhat shiny.  Once you've stopped to look at one it makes it a lot easier to spot as your're walking by.  

Mid Summer

There are a couple signs that we've reached the middle of summer--besides the calendar.  The one that really tells me it's here is when Liatris (Liatris punctata) starts blooming.  This is the latest of the purple flowers that bloom on Green Moiuntain, and in the middle of the yellows and golds, these purple spikes  add some needed color.  They're starting to bloom all over the mountain  but haven't reached their peak yet.  Liatris is known as Gayfeather in some parts of the country.  

Liatris 

The other sign of oncoming fall is Goldenrod.  I saw a couple on Saturday, so they're just starting up.  We have a couple varieties on Green Mountain but they look pretty similar.  This one is called Rough Goldenrod (Solidago nana).  The other is Western  Goldenrod (Solidago occidentalis).  The main differences are just what the name implies--the Western Goldenrod can be 18" tall, but has a smooth leaf while the smaller Rough Goldenrod has leaves that feel rough if you run your fingers across them.

Rough Goldenrod

I found a few Nodding Onions (Allium cernuum) yesterday, too.  In the Spring we had a lot of Wild Onions, which have white flowers and stand erect, but this time of year you can occasionally find these Nodding Onions.  They're about the same size--like a small chive, but have pale purple blossoms that flop over.  Look for them in shadier spots, especially on north-facing slopes.  The photo below is a closeup of the small flowers.  The plants are about 8" tall.

Nodding Onion

Landscaping with Natives

The summer wildflowers are all that's left from a great Spring season.  There are lots of sunflowers, a few roses and yarrow, but that's most of it.  As you look out on the mountain, though you can get some good ideas of how to landscape your yard with native plants , which are more drought-tolerant and will give you some color after the spring blooms are gone.

A lot of these summer flowers leave their skeletons behind in the fall, but they can be interesting even as the snow falls on them.  We have several Black-eyed Susans and condflowers that come up each year which give us lots of flowers through the heat, but are interesting after they've dried, too.  

We planted some Little Bluestem a couple years ago.  This time of year it's only about 6" tall, but it will get up to 18" in the Fall and turns a deep orangish red.  If you have a bigger area, Big Bluestem will grow to 4-6', especially if it's getting some water!  

One smaller wildflower that comes in lots of varieties is the Buckwheat family.  We have several on Green Mountain.  The one that's blooming now is James Buckwheat (Eriogonum jamesii).  It's gold flowers are on an umbel, so they have a lot of color in a small area.  The other I'd recommend for a yard is Sulfurflower (Eriogonum umbellatum).  It blooms earlier, but both of these flowers keep their shape after they've gone to seed, and the plant turns a rust color that's still attractive. 

James Buckwheat

Sulfurflower

There are others I've mentioned before--Prairie Coneflower (also known as Mexican Hat in nurseries), Blanketflower, and Purple Prairie Clover that can give you Summer flowers and an interesting Fall and Winter garden, too.

Crested Butte Wildflower Festival

We just returned from a week in Crested Butte where the wildflowers are spectacular.  There are lots of places with whole hillsides covered in lupine or various sunflowers.  The Wildflower Festival (www.cbwildflowerfestival.com) ends today, but is worth planning a trip for next year.  They offer lots of different wildflower hikes and classes specializing in everything from medicinal and edible plants to photography, sketching, and batik.  If you'd still like to get away this summer, they offer lots of information for self-guided hikes.  

The 403 trail above Crested Butte

Beyond the wildflowers, CB is a colorful town with lots to do.  There's plenty of mountain biking and fishing, and art, music and food festivals.  But now we're back in Lakewood and I hope Green Mountain dries out so I can see what's been happening over the last two weeks!

Clustered Penstemon in Crested Butte