I usually end a review of a travel journey with a grand finale display.  The combination of severe drought and wildfires, however, had left me with little expectation that Beaver Creek’s landscapes would be awash in color. However, despite  vast swathes of charred flora  there were a few bright spots of  flowers – wildflowers and hothouse varieties. Let me share some of my favorites – with the help of fellow traveler Lenore who took the black background photos below.

N.B.  I do not have a great facility in identifying flower species so I have not labeled all the below and if I have labelled one incorrectly, mea culpa.

RED/PINK

 

TUBEROUS BEGONIA

YELLOW/ORANGE

WHITE

EATON’S DAISY – I thought these were Shasta daisies but the above flower has broader and fewer petals.   Many areas  that I hiked during my stay on Beaver Creek were filled with them so they are quite prolific.

 

 

PURPLE/BLUE

GALAXY/NIGHT SKY PETUNIAS – When I first spied these flowers I looked around to see if there had been a painting project around as to me they looked like they had gotten splattered. Nope. While not wildflowers I believe they deserve a shout-out.

These fascinating flowers were actually created by a German flower breeder and they come with a delightful secret.  According to the temperature and PH of the soil, these petunias can grow petals that are either pure white, or purple or the above combination that looks like the night sky of New Zealand.   Generally, warmer days and nights create mostly purple petals, cooler days and nights bring out the whiteness.  Beaver Creek enjoys both warm days and cool night and that perfect combination produced the flowers you see above.

 

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PARRYS BELLFLOWER – While I haven’t discovered who Parry is I have uncovered an interesting tidbit.  This little blue flower has a power – it is  “antiphlogistic” which means it can serve as an anti-inflammatory herbal remedy.  And, besides treating bruises and sores it also has depilatory properties.

 

PENTA? – These look like penta flowers , but the penta usually come in shades of red and pink and I haven’t seen any information on blue or purple ones.

 

CANADA THISTLE – As the name implies, this is an introduced species but surprisingly it comes from Europe, not Canada.

 

LUPINE

It was sad to see so many sections of Beaver Creek ravaged by fires – made by drought and unfortunately the stupidity of a few soulless humans.  However, Nature is resilient and like the phoenix who arises anew from the ashes, let’s hope  that Beaver Creek too shall return to its full kaleidoscope of flowers in seasons to come.

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