Celebrated Beauties

With all the recent wet snow, I am dreaming of Spring and Summer and having visions of all the wildflowers I’ve missed the last couple of years. Due to the drought, and the Spring Fire, it’s been a couple of summers since we saw wildflowers flourish in the valley.

Black eyed Susans, Wallflowers, mountain geraniums and roses. Not to mention our State Colorado flower the Violet Columbine. I have one that grows underneath my house. Amazing place for a Columbine to flourish. I saw it last year while I was searching for real estate and I can’t wait to see if it comes back this summer!

My first summer in Cuchara, back in 2016, I spied a lonely orange and yellow flower sprouting tall out of the soil, beautiful but solitary. The app on my phone recognized it as a Wallflower. This made me stumble because I knew of the saying about being a lonely Wallflower, but had no idea the flower was so beautiful. It was a life lesson I learned from this lowly flower, and that is, those flowers, or people, for that matter, who stand alone, somewhat unnoticed by the rest of us, display a splendor few can match even if they don’t gather with others.

The very first wildflower I ever saw in my treks up the mountain was a wild rose whose delicate folds were so tiny and compact, yet its fragrance was unmistakable. It has been one of my favorite since then.

One of the smallest, prettiest little flower in the valley is the wild geranium. They grow everywhere and flourish in mountain meadows and near hiking trails.

And let’s not forget the Purple Asters. they seem to smile at you when you walk by. Located close to the ground, they form yellow and violet clusters that almost look good enough to eat.

Because of the snowfall we’ve had this winter, I’m sure I’ll see Bluebells and Indian Paintbrushes. There’s also Grandmas Lace and Mountain Orchids.

There are little Bluebells that hide their faces and dangle from their minute little arms.

One of my favorite spots in summer is near the Mountain Park. My old neighbors from Aspen Leaf call it, “Daisy Lane”. It is right in front of the Fern Forest. But the daisies bloom there so prolifically its a 2 ft high carpet of yellow and white. I’ve always seen daisies as sort of a common flower, but the power with which they burst on the scene lets the world know they are anything but common!

There’s Indian Paintbrush, Black Eyed Susans, Poppies and Flax to name a few more. Not necessarily specific to Colorado, but they light up the summer with a colorful display.

And least I not mention the very first wildflower to make an appearance each Spring, it is the Dandelion. As pollinators are waking from their winter cocoons, these yellow dazzlers are the first food for all the bees and wasps that make our food and crops possible. Not to mention, their leaves makes for a great addition to my morning smoothie!

“Consider the Lillies, for they neither toil nor spin, yet your Heavenly Father clothes them with splendor.” KJV