Colorado Columbine
Aquilegia coerulea
Family:
Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)
AKA:
Colorado Blue Columbine
Photo taken on:
August 2, 2008
Location:
Poverty Gulch, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane to alpine
Habitat:
Meadows, woods, scree
The State Flower of Colorado grows to
3ft in shady aspen groves and lower elevation meadows as well as in
higher elevation rocks . Leaves are mostly basal, bluish-green and divided into three
roundish lobes. Flowers can be up to 3" across with five, usually blue,
sepals and five white petals with long spurs. The flowers are most often blue but can be white, and rarely, pink
as is the
Colorado
Columbine hybrid. 
At higher elevations in scree the plants may be only a few inches high.
Photo taken on:
July 14, 2007
Location:
Scarp Ridge, GV, CO
Flora of North America reference.