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 |
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 | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |