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Wildflower Photo Album

These Colorado wildflower pictures are arranged by flower color. Find out some information on the photographers who took the wildflower pictures in this album. Additions and corrections to these pages are welcome!

The scientific name of the plant is listed underneath its picture (following A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland). For taxa further subdivided into subspecies and variety, the scientific name is placed on the flower picture. Please select the flower color you would like to start with:

White

Yellow

Red/Orange

Pink

Blue

Purple

Green

Fungi

For easier browsing, some of the flower pictures are further separated by family. Refer to the following for a guide to some of the families:

Apiaceae

  • Flowers in umbels
  • Hollow stems
  • Leaves compound (usually)
  • Common genera are Celery (Apium), Caraway (Carum), and Coriander (Coriandrum)

Asteraceae

  • Flowers in heads, with disk flowers and with/without ray flowers
  • Phyllaries present
  • Common genera are Aster, Dandelion (Taraxacum), and Sunflowers (Helianthus)

Brassicaceae

  • Flowers with 4 petals
  • Fruit a silique or silicle
  • Common genera are Mustard (Brassica), Water Cress (Nasturtium), and Shepherd's Purse (Capsella)

Caryophyllaceae

  • Herbs with swollen nodes
  • Leaves are opposite
  • Common genera are Dianthus, Carnation, and Baby's Breath (Gypsophilia)

Fabaceae

  • Flowers are usually zygomorphic
  • Fruit is a legume (like a bean pod)
  • Leaves usually pinnate or bipinnate, but can be simple
  • Common genera are Honey Locust (Gleditsia), Lupinus, and Clover (Trifolium)

Liliaceae

  • Flowers appearing to have 6 petals
  • Plant arrizes from bulbs, rhizomes, or corms
  • Leaves with parallel veination
  • Common genera are Lily (Lilium), Crocus (Colchicum), and False Hellebore (Veratrum)

Rosaceae

  • Flowers with 5 petals and 5 sepals
  • Flowers with many stamens
  • Hypanthium is present (a floral cup arising from the fusion of the perianth and basal portion of the androecium)
  • Fruit types include drupes, pomes, aggregate achenes (rose hips), and aggregate follicles
  • Common genera are Roses (Rosa), Cherries (Prunus), and Spirea