Columbine in Bloom
by Judi Dressler
Title
Columbine in Bloom
Artist
Judi Dressler
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
These flowers were blooming next to a trail near Isabelle Lake in Indian Peaks Wilderness in Colorado. I had gone hiking, hoping to see wildflowers, and was not disappointed. The Colorado State Flower is beautiful!
The white and lavender Rocky Mountain Columbine was designated the official state flower of Colorado in 1899 after winning the vote of Colorado's school children.
Discovered in 1820 on Pike's Peak by mountain climber Edwin James, the Rocky Mountain columbine (Columbine Aquilegia caerulea) is a lovely flower with a rich aroma to attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies to it's nectar. The Latin word aquila means "Eagle" and refers to the claw-like spurs at the base of the flower.
Arrival of the genus Aquilegia into North America is a recent event occurring 10,000 to 40,000 years ago during the Pleistocene. Columbines crossed into North America from Asia over the Bering land bridge that connected the two continents during that period. A progenitor columbine began to radiate rapidly out of Alaska and throughout the North American continent. As the columbines were moving through out the continent, new species developed.
As with Darwinโs finches, columbines developed similar but differently shaped and colored flowers in response to newly encountered habitats and pollinators. They developed different positions for presenting their flowers, sepals, and spurs, and different spur shapes in response to their primary pollinator.
Photo taken on August 6, 2020, in Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado
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Descriptive keywords and tags for this image include columbine, flowers, columbine flower, wildflower, wild flower, rocky mountain columbine, colorado, blooms, blossoms, blooming, flowering plants, colorado state flower, rocky mountains, high altitude, indian peaks, flower, aquilegia, columbine aquilegia caerulea, purple, white, floral, wild, judi dressler, and dressler.
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August 7th, 2020
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Viewed 1,018 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/23/2024 at 10:03 PM
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Comments (19)
Gary F Richards
Outstanding floral composition, lighting, shading, beautiful purple color and artwork! F/L voted
Gary F Richards
Spectacular composition, lighting, shading, colors and artwork! F/L voted in CHANGING SEASONS contest
Gary F Richards
Outstanding capture and artwork! F/L โฆ voted on this piece in the Blue and Purple contest.
Conni Schaftenaar
This is simply gorgeous, Judi - I love how you captured the light shining on the columbine, and the soft-focus background just sets it off perfectly! LF
Barbara Jewell
Wonderful photo of these beautiful flowers, complemented by the bright yellows. Love it! L
Jordan Hill
Congratulations on being featured in the FAA Group โThe Outdoor Photographer' To ensure your feature remains available over time, post your featured images in the Group's 'Thanks for the Feature / photo archive
John M Bailey
Congratulations on your feature in the Fine Art America Group "Images That Excite You!"