While the Colorado Blue Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) is the official flower of the State of Colorado, I have a special affection for the Western Red Columbine (Aquilegia elegantula). With their bright red color and distinctive shape, they are like Christmas ornaments growing in the moist coniferous forests or along streams. More than 15 years ago, I found a small patch of them growing along a 4WD road near Crested Butte. They were a bit away from the road and thus not as affected by dust from passing four-wheelers. I returned several times over the years to photograph them. This summer, after a prolonged absence, I revisited the patch hoping it was still there. To my delight, not only were the flowers still there, the patch had expanded and there were now clumps of red columbine scattered in the woods on both sides of the road. We were able to photograph red columbine in this area several times over a two-week period.
This entry was posted on Friday, August 29th, 2014 and is filed under Uncategorized. Both comments and pings are currently closed.