Alpine forget-me-not
Eritrichium nanum

Tiny blue-purple flowers grace the small but hardy Alpine forget-me-not. The genus name, Eritrichium, comes from the Greek meaning "wooly hair."

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American pasqueflower
Pulsatilla patens

A distinctive feature of this western grassland native is the feathery, silky fruiting head. The leaves, flowers, and stalks are all covered with silver white hairs. In moist areas in mountains, you can also see the western pasqueflower which is larger, has white flowers, and more finely divided leaves.

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Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana

Chokecherry has white flowers that are distinctive because they are attached on stems forming long racemes. Most other cherries have flowers in short rounded clusters.

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Colorado blue columbine
Aquilegia caerulea

Colorado blue columbines flowers hang down with five upward claw-like pointing spurs. The leaves are divided in three and each leaf has three lobes.

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Darkthroat shootingstar
Dodecatheon pulchellum

Shooting stars are wildflowers of forests, meadows and grasslands with petals that are reflexed backwards and clusters of leaves at the base of the plant.

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Kinnikinnick
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Kinnikinnick is one of the few woody shrubs in the heath family with large, thick evergreen leaves that trails along the ground. It has urn-shaped whitish or pinkish flowers with openings on the bottom.

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Moss campion
Silene acaulis

Delicate pink flowers with four or five small green leaves are the calling card of the Moss campion. It forms dense cushions and is found in alpine areas.

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Ponderosa pine
Pinus ponderosa

Ponderosa pine is the iconic pine of the interior west, with its thick colorful bark which can be bright orange or yellow in color in open sunny spots. It is the only 3-needle pine in the Rockies.

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Quaking aspen
Populus tremuloides

Has smooth rounded leaves which flitter in the slightest breeze. It also has bright white or cream colored bark that looks similar to birch bark except that it does not peel.

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Woods' rose
Rosa woodsii

Native roses are similar to garden roses but usually have fewer petals, well defined entire sepals and only scattered prickles along the stem.

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Rocky Mountain National Park

In 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park was established in north-central Colorado to preserve one of the most scenic stretches of the southern Rocky Mountains and to protect the alpine tundra that encompasses one-third of the park. Approximately three million people visit the park annually. Elevations range from 7,700 feet in the montane ecosystem to the summit of Longs Peak at 14,259 feet. These different elevations and ecosystems have marked differences in wildlife and vegetation. The Continental Divide traverses the park, also delineating species and ecosystems between the generally drier east slope and wetter west slope. In summer, many visitors drive 48-mile Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in America that reaches an elevation of 12,183 feet. With over 355 miles of trails, the park is a favorite destination year-round. Sightseeing and wildlife watching are also very popular. Over 900 native and over 100 non-native vascular plant species are found in the park.