Flowers a No-Show?

Colorado, Pike National Forest, wildflowers | UltraRob | Friday, May 13th, 2011 at 8:33 am

Ahh…springtime in the Rockies. Those fuzzy caterpillar-like catkins have fallen from the aspen trees and covered my deck. A herd of evening grosbeaks have taken over my bird feeder, bullying the winter regulars – chickadees and pine siskins – into retreating and watching from the tree nearby. Hungry young mule deer, wandering in groups like teenagers looking for a good party, fill my yard at night.

There’s just one thing missing – pasque flowers. They usually show up by now, poking through the dead leaves and dry pine needles on the forest floor.

But the sturdy lavender blooms are a no show, at least in the woods near my house at 8,600 feet. What’s up with that? I know the little blooms have been spotted at lower elevations, but has anyone seen the little blooms anywhere higher in the Pike National Forest?

– Deb Acord

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