Visiting Colorado--Wildflowers of Rabbit Ears Pass

Rabbit Ears in 2015

Rabbit Ears Peak is a landmark in the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests in northern Colorado. At one time there were two distinct ears (photo above), in 2017 part of one fell, so more imagination is needed today. (Article after photo: link). Close by, Rabbit Ears Pass takes Colorado Route 40 west to Steamboat Springs. Most summers, the wildflowers are spectacular.

A big stand of fireweed (Chamaenerion)

You can see quite a lot at the junction of Routes 40 and 14

wildflowers where Route 40 and 14 meet

but going into the nearby wilderness, for example to Dumont Lake Campground, surrounds you in flowers.

Lots of different flowers, depending on the week and the year 

orange agroseris Agroseris aurantiaca
(sunflower and dandelion family, Asteraceae)

Colorado columbine, Aquilegia coerulea(buttercup family, Ranunculaceae)

larkspur, likely Geyer's larkspur, Deliphinium geyeri
(buttercup and columbine family, Ranunculaceae)

The pink flower is an aster, Symphyotrichum sp. (sunflower family Asteraceae)

the orange is the seed heads of a wild buckwheat 

probably sulfur flower (Eriogonum umbellatum,

 buckwheat family Polygonaceae) which is common and quite variable in color

the blue-purple is Colorado columbine (Aquilegia coerulea,
buttercup family Ranunculaceae), the red is Indian paintbrush
(likely Castilleja miniata, red Indian paintbrush, broomrape family Orobanchaceae)
I can't identify the white flower from the photo.

And of course, lots more

I don't expect to get there this summer (2019), but the record snowpack should make a record display of flowers.

Comments and corrections welcome.

Reference

Ackerfield, J. 2015. Flora of Colorado. BRIT Press, Fort Worth, Texas...but any errors in identification are mine. 

Kathy Keeler, A Wandering Botanist

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