by @rosiespinoza.bsky.social
100 days of CO native plants: daily posts highlighting different plant species native to Colorado. Each post features a drawing of the plant (created using a combination of Copic markers and pens) as well as additional species info and links to learn more. Images always include #AltText.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (76/100) Fragaria virginiana 🍓 #mammals, #birds, and #turtles alike delight in the fruits of #Fragaria_virginiana, and its nectar and pollen feed myriad bee, butterfly, and other insect species. Attached art printed (by me) using a #TetraPak carton.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (75/100) Festuca arizonica family: Poaceae 🌾 #ArizonaFescue is a cool-season, long lived perennial bunch grass and common understory species with #PonderosaPine 🦋 hosts several butterfly species. 🦌 provides forage for deer, elk, antelope, mountain goat, bighorn sheep.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (74/100) Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia family: Betulaceae (Birch) Thinleaf Alder grows along streams, lakes, wet meadows and gulches, dominating some lower montane riparian shrublands. Important host plant for native invertebrate larvae and food source for #birds. 🐛 🐦
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants 🌲🌾 forest-plains grassland #ecotone 70: Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum (Rocky Mountain #ponderosapine) Understory grass species: 71: Buchloe dactyloides 72: Bouteloua eriopoda 73: Pascopyrum smithii & 🌾 Bouteloua gracilis (reposted below) conps.org/project/sout...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (69/100) Prunus americana 🌸 🐛 🦋 🍑 🐦 American Wild Plum is an important larval and adult food host for many native invertebrates. It grows in thickets that provide valuable nesting cover for many kinds of #birds, who also eat the fruits. www.fcgov.com/vegetation/?...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (68/100) 🌼 Caltha leptosepala 🌼 family: Ranunculaceae (buttercup) #MarshMarigold is a bright and delightful perennial forb that blooms in Colorado #SubalpineWillowCarrs in early spring. Their heart-shaped leaves are eaten by elk. 🦌 www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants Featured plant community: #Salixmonticola / #Carexutriculata Wet Shrubland 63: Salix monticola 64: Carex utriculata 65: Deschampsia caespitosa 66: Calamagrostis canadensis 67: Mertensia ciliata 🌳 🌾 🦫🪻 #SubalpineWillowCarrs are often found near #beaver ponds.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants #Solidago spp. 🌼 i.e. #Goldenrod genus Pictured left to right: 57: Solidago velutina 58: Solidago simplex var. simplex 59: Solidago multiradiata var. scopulorum 60: Solidago gigantea 61: Solidago nemoralis var. longipetiolata 62: Solidago speciosa var. pallida 🌼 🐛 🌼 🦋
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants genus: Helianthus / Asterales It has been a dark few weeks. I hope these sunflowers help provide some light. 🌻🌻🌻🌻 Ordered from shortest to tallest: (53/100) Helianthus pumilus (54/100) Helianthus petiolaris (55/100) Helianthus nuttallii (56/100) Helianthus maximiliani
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (52/100) Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima family: Asteraceae Warm-season annual/biennial forb that reseeds readily. Many one to three foot tall stems grow from a taproot, each one topped with a bright yellow solitary flower. 🌻 www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62741-R...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (51/100) 🌸 Kalmia microphylla 🌸 family: Ericaceae (heather) This short shrub thrives in open heath or shrublands with moist, acidic soils. The flowers have five fused pink petals and bear five-parted capsule fruits upon pollination. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmia_...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (50/100) 🌳 Populus deltoides family: Salicaceae (willow) Highlighting a very special species to celebrate the halfway point of this series. This keystone species is the largest native broadleaf tree in Colorado and one of the largest hardwood trees in North America.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (49/100) Coreopsis tinctoria family: Asteraceae 🌻 Plains coreopsis is an annual forb native to North America. The flowerheads provide nectar and pollen to insects including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. 🐝🦋🐞
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants family: Anacardiaceae (47/100) Rhus glabra (48/100) Rhus trilobata Smooth and Fragrant Sumac respectively. Both species produce edible red berries. Smooth Sumac is the only shrub or tree that is native to all 48 contiguous states. www.colorado.edu/asmagazine/2...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (46/100) 🌼 Gaillardia aristata 🌼 family: Asteraceae Schinia masoni or “Colorado firemoth” is a specialist species that solely lays its eggs on blanketflowers. #BugSky Learn more about their coevolution and shared relationship to fire: www.colorado.edu/cumuseum/202...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (45/100) 🌼 Arnica cordifolia 🌼 family: Asteraceae Heartleaf 💚 Arnica is one of the dominant understory wildflowers in western conifer forests, known for its medicinal properties. It gets its name for its heart shaped leaves. Learn more: www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (44/100) Callirhoe involucrata family: Malvaceae 🌺 (mallows) This perennial plant belongs to the same family of flowering plants as hibiscus, hollyhocks and okra. It provides nice ground cover, spreading out in a colorful mat of pink-magenta flowers and green foliage.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (43/100) Cirsium undulatum family: Asteraceae 🌻 Wavy-leaf thistle provides food for the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. 🐛 🦋 Its flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees, and its seeds are a favorite of goldfinches. 🐝 🐤 Mature plants can grow to 7ft tall.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (42/100) 🪻Lupinus argenteus🪻 family: Fabaceae (pea) 🫛 This sun-loving, nitrogen-fixing, perennial forb is naturally widespread throughout western North America. Silvery Lupine is an important food host for many CO-native invertebrate larvae & adults (and hummingbirds!)
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (41/100) Atriplex canescens family: Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot) Four-winged saltbush (or chamiso) is an evergreen shrub that offers cover and browse for wildlife and is extremely tolerant of drought and salinity. #NRCS Plant Guide: www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmateria...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (40/100) Amelanchier alnifolia 🫐 Saskatoon serviceberry 🫐 family: Rosaceae Produces edible fruit that is high in potassium, iron, manganese, and aluminum. Great for attracting wildlife, especially #birds. 🐤🐦🐭🦫🐻🐦⬛ Learn more: planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/fruit...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (39/100) 🪻 Penstemon strictus 🪻 family: Plantaginaceae (Plantain) Rocky Mountain Penstemon provides habitat for many CO native bumblebees. 🐝 Check out this piece by C. Reiners to learn more about these hardy perennial plants: frontrange.wildones.org/rocky-mounta...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (38/100) Populus tremuloides Aspens were some of the first friends I made in Colorado. I loved the sound of their rattling leaves & sight of them shimmering in the sunlight. They are a fire-adapted species that sprouts prolifically after high intensity fires. 🔥🌱
Rosie S. After a holiday hiatus, we are so back! 100 days of CO native plants (37/100) 🌸 Calypso bulbosa 🌸 family: Orchidaceae (Orchid) This fabulous forb is one of twenty orchid species native to Colorado, which I learned from this sign at the #DenverBotanicGardens while perusing their Blossoms of Light.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants Revisiting (12/100) Salix exigua because I spent six hours today weaving coyote willow branches to make this basket! 🪹 plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibr... If you’re enjoying the series, I made a feed where you can view all the posts in one place: bsky.app/profile/did:...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (36/100) Yucca glauca family: Asparagaceae This perennial evergreen plant has an obligate mutualistic relationship with the yucca moth Tegeticula yuccasella, who they are dependent on for pollination. The fibers in the leaves can be knotted together to make rope.
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (35/100) Zinnia grandiflora 🌼🟡🌼 Prairie Zinnia 🌼🟡🌼 family: Asteraceae (Sunflower) Native to southwestern/central USA (KS, OK, TX, CO, NM, AZ) & northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Zacatecas) src: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinnia_...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (34/100) 🌼 Eriogonum jamesii 🌼 family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat) Sometimes called Antelope Sage, possibly because it is a favored forb of our native Pronghorns? (Antilocapra americana, colloquially known as prairie antelope) source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriogon...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (33/100) Ribes aureum 🟡🌼 Golden Currant 🌼🟡 family: Grossulariaceae 🪿 (gooseberry again!) non-spiny shrub 🍁 stems 4-5 feet tall with mostly three-lobed leaves and sweetly-scented yellow tubular hypanthia (source in 🧵 and more detail in image Alt Text as always!)
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants family: Grossulariaceae 🪿 (gooseberry) (32/100) Ribes americanum 🔴⚫️ Wild Black Currant ⚫️🔴 Reproduce mostly by seed, including grazing animals, birds & small mammals who love their berries 🍒 the berries can also be made into jam and jelly. 🧵 sources in thread
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants Don’t Rush — cultivate the ecological conditions to grow 🌾 Rush 🌾 I haven’t been in a rush with these daily plants so today I’m catching up with Rush! family: Juncaceae (Rush) (29/100) Juncus articulatus jointed rush 🔵 wetland obligate 🔵 (see thread for 30 & 31)
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (28/100) Picea pungens family: Pinaceae 🌲 Colorado Spruce is an evergreen tree with sharp, arching, often bluish needles. Cones 2.5-4 inches long with papery, pointed scales. The largest blue spruce recorded was from CO at 126 feet tall with 60.8 inches d.b.h. (see 🧵)
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (27/100) Eriogonum umbellatum family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat) Sulphur flower is a host plant for many bee species and other native pollinators, including Euphilotes ancilla 🦋 (pictured nectaring) Its tiny yellow flowers have many colorful sepals, but no petals!
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (26/100) Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Cyperaceae 🟢 sedges without edges 🟢 (round or oval stem cross-sections) Native Americans weave the leaves and stalks into fine mats. Softstem bulrush provides food & cover for fish, otters, raccoons, muskrats, and #birds. 🌾🐦🦆🦦
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants Missed a couple so we’re playing catchup w/ Carex today! (family: Cyperaceae) 🌾 23/100: Carex bebbii 🌾 24/100: Carex pellita (Woolly Sedge) 🌾 25/100: Carex hystericina (Bottlebrush or Porcupine Sedge) Only Cyperaceae members in genus Carex may be called #truesedges
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (22/100) Schoenoplectus acutus family: Cyperaceae The edible young sprouts and shoots are enjoyed by humans and beavers alike. The stems are used by both humans and muskrats to construct houses, the stems weaving nicely into mats. 🌾🦫 plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibr...
Rosie S. 100 days of CO native plants (21/100) Carex nebrascensis family: Cyperaceae (sedge) Today I am highlighting Nebraska sedge because I spent 21 of my 24 hours in Nebraska! This sweet sedge is a wetland obligate species (C5) & spreads by rhizomes. It has 🔺 triangular stems 🔺 (“sedges have edges”)