Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains
The distribution of vegetation in the Rocky Mountains correlates directly to elevational changes, which influence the temperature and availability of moisture. Different plant communities characterize each zone (such as foothill, montane, subalpine, and alpine) from the base of a mountain to the top, and each zone may contain several types of plant communities. More than 5,000 plant species occur in the Rocky Mountains. The wildflowers begin to bloom in early spring, as soon as the snow starts to melt. The peak bloom season is mid-summer. This collection highlights some of the most common wildflowers found in the Rocky Mountains.Printer Friendly: Species List | List with Images | List with QR Tags to Mobile
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |
Aquilegia coerulea | Colorado Blue Columbine Rocky Mountain Columbine | |
Arnica cordifolia | Heartleaf Arnica Heart-leaf Leopardbane | |
Balsamorhiza sagittata | Arrowleaf Balsamroot Arrow-leaf Balsamroot | |
Cardamine cordifolia | Heartleaf Bittercress | |
Caltha leptosepala | White Marsh-marigold Elks-lip | |
Calochortus nuttallii | Sego Lily Mariposa Lily Sego-lily | |
Castilleja rhexiifolia | Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush Rosy Indian Paintbrush | |
Campanula rotundifolia | Bluebell Bellflower Bluebell Of Scotland Bluebell Harebell Witches' Thimble | |
Chamerion angustifolium | Fireweed Willow Herb Great Willow Herb | |
Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda | Shrubby Cinquefoil Golden Hardhack Potentilla | |
Delphinium barbeyi | Subalpine Larkspur | |
Dodecatheon pulchellum | Darkthroat Shooting Star Few-flower Shooting Star Western Shooting Star | |
Erysimum capitatum | Sand-dune Wallflower Western Wallflower Prairie Rocket | |
Gaillardia aristata | Common Gaillardia Great Blanketflower Blanketflower Brown-eyed Susan | |
Gentiana calycosa | Rainier Pleated Gentian | |
Ipomopsis aggregata | Scarlet Gilia Scarlet Standing-cypress Skyrocket Skunkflower | |
Lewisia rediviva | Bitter Root Oregon Bitter-root | |
Linum lewisii | Wild Blue Flax Prairie Flax Lewis Flax Lewis's Flax | |
Lupinus sericeus | Silky Lupine | |
Mertensia ciliata | Tall Fringed Bluebells Tall Fringe Bluebells Mountain Bluebells | |
Mimulus lewisii | Purple Monkeyflower Great Purple Monkeyflower Lewis Monkeyflower Lewis's Monkeyflower | |
Monarda fistulosa | Wild Bergamot Beebalm | |
Orthocarpus luteus | Yellow Owl's-clover | |
Penstemon angustifolius | Broadbeard Penstemon Broadbeard Beardtongue Whorled Penstemon Whorled Beardtongue | |
Pedicularis groenlandica | Elephanthead Lousewort | |
Phyllodoce empetriformis | Pink Mountain Heath Pink Mountain Heather | |
Phlox pulvinata | Cushion Phlox | |
Phacelia sericea | Silky Phacelia Purple Fringe | |
Primula parryi | Parry's Primrose | |
Pulsatilla patens | Eastern Pasqueflower American Pasqueflower | |
Ranunculus eschscholtzii | Eschscholtz's Buttercup Subalpine Buttercup | |
Scabrethia scabra ssp. scabra | Badlands Mule-ears | |
Sedum lanceolatum | Spearleaf Stonecrop Lanceleaf Stonecrop | |
Symphyotrichum spathulatum var. spathulatum | Western Mountain Aster | |
Tetraneuris grandiflora | Graylocks Four-nerve Daisy Old-man-of-the-mountain Alpine Sunflower Rydbergia Bitterweed | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |