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Aquilegia coerulea, July 3, 2023

Above Ruby, 11,900’, August 4, 2023

Common & scientific name

Colorado columbine, Aquilegia coerulea

Family

Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location

Mt. Massive, 11,200’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Our beloved state flower, equally at home in aspen groves and on rocky tundra, manifesting all kinds of color combinations, hybridizing with all other species of Aquilegia, occasionally with spurless variants: how lucky we are to call this endlessly interesting flower our own!

Blue Lake area, 12,000’, July 30, 2023