Spring wildflowers are always a welcome sight in the Rocky Mountains. These early blooming flowers bring color and life back to the mountains after a long winter.
Lower elevations and foothills are the best places to explore in the spring because that is where you can see wildflowers for the first time this year. Wildflowers begin blooming at lower elevations and then slowly creep up higher and higher into the mountains. Here are 4 of my favorite spring wildflowers that I love seeing every year.
4 Spring Wildflowers
Summer has begun for me when I go out in the mountains and see certain flowers. These early bloomers are a truly welcome site. It is like seeing some old friends that you haven’t seen for a long time, but as soon as you see them you are flooded with memories of all the good times you have spent together. Here are 4 of my favorites that I always look forward to seeing.
This small flower is a Lewis or Blue Flax.
Lewis Flax
Color: Blue
Height: 1 to 2 feet
Bloom time: May – August
Habitat: plains, and foothills
Light: full sun
Notes: Each flower lasts only one day! The flower opens in the morning, blooming during the day and the petals fall off by evening. Each flower has five petals. The flower grows at the top of a tall, frail looking stem. It is native to the Rocky Mountains and grows from Alaska all the way down to California.
Arrowleaf Balsamroot is always neat to see.
Arrowleaf Balsamroot
Color: Yellow
Height: 1-3 feet
Bloom time: May, June, July
Habitat: grasslands, sagebrush, and pine forest
Light: full sun
Notes: Leaves are silver arrowhead shaped. Flowers are large and look like sunflowers. This flower smells like chocolate! Here are 7 cool facts about Arrowleaf Balsamroot flowers.
There are many different species of Penstemons that come in various colors.
Penstemons
Color: Blue, purple, or red
Height: 1-3 feet
Bloom time: May, June
Habitat: subalpine to valley sagebrush and conifer forest
Light: part shade
Notes: This has a few stems rising nearly straight up. This is an early spring bloomer. There are hundreds of different kinds of penstemons. Some of the more common ones include the Rocky Mountain Penstemon (a purple flower – in picture above), and the Firecracker Penstemon (red flower).
The Yellow Glacier Lily is a lovely spring flower.
Yellow Glacier Lily
Color: Yellow
Height: 4 – 16 inches
Bloom Time: May to July
Habitat: Moist areas, often by melting snow
Light: Full sun
Notes: This is another beautiful spring wildflower of the Rocky Mountains. This flower is most often seen growing right along the edge of a retreating snow bank. As the snow melts the ground next to it is very moist. Then this flower grows from a bulb and pops up near the retreating snow bank. Read 7 facts about the Yellow Glacier Lily here.