Columbine (Aquilegia saximontana) - White River National Forest: Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area

My son noticed this early blooming example of the state flower of Colorado growing from a small crack in a lichen covered rock along the Maroon Snowmass Trail. We were returning from a hike up to Crater Lake and had just rejoined the main trail in the boulder field below the lake. At his point elevation is about 10,150 feet (3,094m). The view is down and to the west. In addition, photo was actually taken with my cell phone, a Kyocera Rise, camera Kyocera C6725 and then processed with Olympus Master 2.30W software.

There is some confusion as to which species of columbine is the official state flower of Colorado. While the "blue" columbine is considered to be the official flower of Colorado, the state code seems to identify the Aquilegia saximontana as the original state flower, to wit: "The white and lavender columbine is hereby made and declared to be the state flower of the state of Colorado." Every citizen has a duty to protect the species and any form of picking or gathering on public land is illegal.

Aquilegia saximontana can be found in sub-alpine and alpine areas at elevations of 10,000–13,100 feet (3,050-4,000m) in the Rocky Mountains. This species of columbine normally blooms in July and August. The blooms are lavender and white, and the entire plant reaches 2.0–9.8 inches (5-25cm) in height. This plant is endemic (native only) to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, United States.