Western Spiderwort
Tradescantia occidentalis
Family:
Spiderwort (Commelinaceae)
AKA:
Spiderlily, Prairie Spiderwort
Photo taken on:
August 19, 2010
Location:
Wet Mountains, Eastern CO
Life Zones:
Plains and foothills
Habitat:
Rocky slopes, hot open areas
Grows to 2 feet with long, narrow, arching, grass-like
leaves. Flowers grow in clusters and can be pink, purple or blue opening
in the morning for one day. Flowers are up to 1½" across with
with three roundish petals and six stamens with long blue hairs topped
by golden anthers. 
The cells of the stamen hairs of Prairie Spiderwort are normally colored blue, but when exposed to neutron radiation or other forms of ionizing radiation, the cells mutate and change color to pink. Thus the plant can be used as a bioassay for radiation. Source.
Photo taken on:
August 17, 2020
Location:
Madera Trail, Santa Fe National Forest, NM
Flora of North America reference.