By Marilyn Phillips

Found in disturbed soil
Seen blooming by the Tierra Azul acequia

Not a wildflower to encourage, Canada Thistle is one of the most economically important agricultural weeds in the world. It was introduced to North America in the 1600s and soon was recognized as a problem weed. Weed control legislation against the species was passed by the Vermont legislature in 1795. Canada Thistle is now listed as a noxious weed in most areas where it occurs. Despite this, it can be a source of forage for livestock, providing similar nutritional value to alfalfa, bees and butterflies love it as a source of nectar. It is an aggressive plant that grows three to five feet tall in large, dense colonies from a deep and wide-spreading root system. Leaves are very spiny and lobed with wavy edges. The many flower heads are pale-purplish, ½ to ¾ inch across and less than one inch high. Bracts are pointed but do not have spines. Roots can be eaten raw or cooked, but may cause flatulence. Stems can be peeled and cooked like asparagus or rhubarb. The leaves are edible but not worth the effort of removing the spines. The root is tonic, diuretic, astringent, antiphlogistic and hepatic. It has been chewed as a remedy for toothache. A decoction of the roots was used to treat worms in children. Source.

If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.   

Found in moist meadows, woodlands
Seen blooming in June near FS Rd 137 in Carson NF

The bright yellow flowers of Mountain Parsley are a common sight on trails at higher elevations throughout the summer. It grows from a few inches high at alpine elevations to two feet with slender stem and basal leaves that have long stalks and narrow leaf segments. The flowers grow in a flat, umbrella-like cluster of tiny flowers up to two inches wide. Flowers can be red, orange or purple in color but I have only seen yellow ones. The entire plant is edible, with the root being a significant source of sustenance. The dried root was ground into a flour which gave it the common name of Biscuitroot. Leaves were eaten as a green, the root was cooked with meat, and the leaves were boiled with cornmeal. Native Americans used it for gastrointestinal and urinary issues, as a laxative, and for ceremonial purposes. Additionally, the Navajo took an infusion or decoction after swallowing an ant. Source.

If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.   

Found in roadsides, clearings, yards
Seen blooming in June near Hwy 554

​Northern Catalpa is native to the mid-West but it has been widely planted in urban areas as a street tree and lawn tree as it grows in moist low spots or dry areas with poor soils. The name ‘catalpa’ comes from the Cherokee Indian name for the tree. It grows 40 to 60 feet tall, with a narrow, open, irregularly rounded crown and spreading branches. Its bark is brownish-gray becoming ridged with age. It has large, heart-shaped leaves and pyramid-shaped clusters of fragrant, showy flowers. Flowers are large, over 2 inches long, white and bell-shaped with ruffled edges and orange stripes and purple spots and stripes inside. The long, bean-like seed pods are 8 to 18 inches long, turn brown and persist through the winter. European settlers planted the tree to produce fence posts. Railroad companies grew plantations of it for use as track ties and fuel wood. Carpenters commonly used it for interior trim and to make furniture. The seed pods are not toxic but have no culinary use. Pioneer doctors used the seed pods and seeds to make a decoction for chronic bronchial infections, spasmodic asthma, labored breathing and heart problems. The juice from either the leaves or roots was used to treat swelling of an eye or cutaneous affections. Green leaves were crushed and placed on swollen lymph glands. Source.

If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.   

Found in sandy, disturbed areas, roadsides, under old junipers
Seen blooming in June by FS Road 23, Carson NF

​Showy Four O'clock is a magnificent native wildflower that blooms all summer and into the fall. The Latin name, Mirabilis multiflora, translates to "marvelous multi-flowered plant", which is a fitting description. Stems spread to two feet tall and six feet across forming a mound of soft, heart-shaped leaves and flowers. Magenta-pink flowers are funnel-like, up to three inches long, opening in the evening for pollination by hawkmoths, and closing the next morning, unless it is cloudy. Showy Four O'clock has become a popular xeriscape plant in southwestern gardens. It requires little supplemental water once established and needs plenty of space or it will smother adjacent plants. Native Americans used the root in the treatment of stomach complaints; to relieve hunger and after overeating to relieve the discomfort. It was used as an antiseptic to wash out wounds in horses and a poultice of the powdered root applied to swellings. Source.

If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.

Found in dry meadows, slopes, dry coniferous forests
Seen blooming in late May by FS Rd 137, Carson NF

The flower heads of the Antennaria genus grow in a tightly packed cluster which, from above, resemble a cat's paw, from below, so it was given the common name of Pussytoes. Small-leaf Pussytoes grows to four inches high, usually less, from a mat of small, grey-green leaves. Flower heads of two to seven flowers appear when stems are only two inches high. Traditionally it was used to treat swellings, chewed with deer or sheep tallow as a blood purifier, taken for the mad coyote bite, a cold infusion of the root was taken as protection against witches, and the young leaves were used as greens. Source.
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If you are trying to identify a different flower then you can check what other flowers bloom this month. If you cannot identify a flower from the website, send a photo and where you took it to contact@rockymountainsflora.com. Read online for tips.