Serene Karplus, Nederland.  In May we reveled in the variety of expressions on the faces of the rare Calypso orchids in Nederland until someone stepped on or biked over half of them. This little three-foot patch is also under threat of being eradicated by a proposed U.S. Forest Service clear cut. We consider plants precious and rare when those who know the local forests intimately can name only a few places where they have found a particular species.

Last month we celebrated the only Little Brownie orchid we have seen locally. This flower can be hard to spot and is in danger of being crushed under foot as visitors carelessly continue to expand trails. We know one other location hosting this species over an hour’s drive from here and would like to believe some exist in between, but all are at risk for survival under our boots, bikes, or machinery.

Another rare species we enjoy here this month in mostly hidden places is the Wood Lily.

One local forested area that had hosted them was clear cut by the USFS and, years later, a few survivors struggle to repopulate the remaining meadow. This orange beauty with purple and yellow spots toward the center are difficult to see before they bloom, so please walk very carefully in any area where they live so as not to step on any of the few plants. In recent years, we have observed one small group develop on the side of the Peak to Peak highway, so those who notice them can enjoy this easy access.

We also celebrate the Yellow Pond Lilies on only two of the many high mountain lakes we have visited. Most of us enjoy cultivated water lilies in lower altitude gardens, but it is not often we find them growing in the wild above 9,000 feet. Another short-lived flower, the Avalanche Lily, only appears in wet areas at high altitude and is already fading for this season.

Consider also the state flower, the Columbine. A hundred years ago it filled our hillsides, until trainloads of people took them away in bundles, leaving bare areas unable to repopulate. It was as barbaric as sport shooting bison from a train. The limited number of columbines at our altitude have already faded and we race up higher to enjoy them a little longer as they proliferate in this banner year.

Take a moment to appreciate the exotic blossom of this little wonder. The Columbine sports a star of five petals that most of us assume are blue. Look more closely and we meet some with deep purple petals, some lilac colored and streaked with light on the back, and some so pale they are nearly white. Watch a new one opening from bud and note the subtle dusky pink, gold, and lime blending together.

The bright yellow hairs sporting pollen paddles surround themselves with five white cups, or sepals. Each cup is the front opening of a long rolled conical tube, or spur, that converts to purple as it passes through the petal star. Sometimes the change to purple shows up in the white to form little circles of color as the tube deepens. I like to call the spurs their legs. Some short stubby legs roll up at the ends and others stretch their tremendously long, graceful legs with a gentle curve. When the blossoms sway in the breeze, I call them long-legged dancing girls.

Like snowflakes, no two are alike. Look closely at the colors, sizes, and shapes of each individual blossom. This year I’ve noticed quite a few with aberrations. I’ve met a few that sport six petals and six spurs and one with seven petals and four spurs. At one spot in our area, we found the less common spurless columbine on which all parts are blue with no white. Seen less frequently here, but native to our states of the Four Corners are the tiny columbine with red spurs and yellow faces that look downward.

As mountain residents we can all take great pride in the extraordinary beauty that surrounds us. We must be responsible caretakers of the land we have settled. Please, never pick a wildflower bloom. If they miss the opportunity to be pollinated and reproduce, the flowering plant can never be replaced and is gone forever. Please tread carefully and remain on existing trails. We can be good stewards of all precious and rare plants by treating them the way our state statute protects the columbine: “24-80-906.

Duty to protect. It is hereby declared to be the duty of all citizens of this state to protect the white and lavender Columbine Aquilegia, Caerulea, the state flower, from needless destruction or waste.”