Aquilegia caerules

The columbines in our garden are glorious this year through absolutely no effort on our part. I did plant a couple plants a few years ago and they seem to have spread through seeding. The amount of sun must be just right for them along the front walk where they get sun for only half the day and the soil is not overly enriched nor watered excessively. 

The lavender/blue and white blossoms are just like the variety that we find around alpine lakes at the high altitudes in late July and August. It is always rewarding to come upon these clusters of flowers among the boulders on our hikes in the Snowy Range. The growing season is so short at 12,000 feet that the seeds have to wait until the snow pack melts to germinate and finally get to flower when spring comes to the mountains in the late summer.

I also have a magenta colored columbine in the front garden and in the backyard a smaller domestic variety that is beautiful but not as grand as the Colorado columbine that is the official state flower and also my favorite.

“This several-foot tall perennial herb is found across the Rocky Mountains, from the foothills to the alpine, where it is often common in aspen groves, open forests, meadows, and talus slopes. Because it is so showy and its flowers bloom throughout the growing season, this plant is well-photographed and very popular among wildflower enthusiasts, particularly in Colorado, where it is the State Flower. Coincidentally, the colors of its flower are also found in the Colorado State flag.” http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/aquilegia_caerulea.shtml

I added a couple "garden friends" this year under the birdbath (see photo) that I quite enjoy. Our neighborhood is just beginning to see some live squirrels move in but the rabbits have been around for awhile. The squirrels wait for the trees to get to maturity. Our city parks with the hundred year old cottonwoods are overrun with them. The squirrels get very bold with people who have food.

I love summer.

Lou