STATE FLOWER
Colorado's State Flower: Rocky Mountain Columbine
The Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) has been Colorado's official state flower since 1899, prized for its two-tone blue-and-white blooms in high alpine meadows.
Protected by Law
In 1925, more than two decades after it became the state flower, Colorado's General Assembly passed laws specifically to protect the columbine, including a prohibition on uprooting it from public land. The flower's long spurred petals are adapted to pollination by hummingbirds and long-tongued moths, which can reach the nectar deep inside.
QUICK FACT
Rocky Mountain columbine typically blooms at elevations above 7,000 feet, from late spring into midsummer.
