Colorado’s mountains and meadows burst with colorful wildflowers each spring and summer, creating breathtaking natural displays.
While many wildflower species are protected by state law to preserve their populations, there are still plenty you can legally gather for personal enjoyment.
Before heading out with your basket, familiarize yourself with these 17 wildflowers that are legal to pick in reasonable quantities on public lands in Colorado.
1. Blue Flax
Morning brings a delicate show as these sky-blue blooms open to greet the sun. Native to Colorado’s prairies and foothills, blue flax has been used historically for both fiber and medicine.
The flowers last just one day, making them perfect for mindful picking – they’ll drop their petals by afternoon anyway! Found abundantly throughout the state, blue flax is drought-resistant and reseeds easily, so picking a few won’t harm populations.
2. Wild Sunflower
Roadside travelers often spot these cheerful yellow faces nodding in the breeze along Colorado highways. Unlike their cultivated cousins, wild sunflowers stay relatively small but pack a visual punch with their golden petals.
Summer months bring these natives in abundance, especially in disturbed soils and sunny locations. Their seeds provide important food for birds and wildlife, so it’s best to leave plenty behind when picking. Early settlers used these plants for dye and oil.
3. Yarrow
Hikers frequently encounter this versatile plant with its feathery leaves and flat-topped clusters of tiny white flowers. For centuries, yarrow has been prized for its medicinal properties – Native Americans used it to treat wounds and inflammation.
Growing throughout Colorado from plains to alpine zones, yarrow thrives in tough conditions. The flowers dry beautifully for arrangements and last for months. Considered somewhat weedy by gardeners, yarrow’s abundance makes it perfectly acceptable for thoughtful harvesting.
4. Blanketflower
Sunset colors dance in these daisy-like blooms that brighten Colorado’s lower elevations. Their red centers ringed with yellow-tipped petals create a fiery display that persists through summer heat.
Members of the sunflower family, blanketflowers earned their name from patterns resembling Native American blankets. Drought-tolerant and prolific, they recover quickly from picking and often produce multiple blooms per stem. Many gardeners deliberately plant these natives for their cheerful, long-lasting flowers.
5. Fireweed
After forest fires sweep through the Rockies, these tall spikes of magenta flowers are often first to return – hence their fitting name. Growing up to six feet tall, fireweed creates stunning purple patches along mountain roads and in clearings.
Young shoots and leaves can actually be eaten as spring vegetables, tasting similar to asparagus. Bees love the nectar, producing a distinctive honey from fireweed blooms. Since these plants rapidly colonize disturbed areas, picking some flowers won’t impact their robust populations.
6. Common Mullein
Driving through Colorado’s foothills, you’ll spot these tall yellow flower spikes rising from rosettes of fuzzy gray-green leaves. Originally brought by European settlers for medicinal purposes, mullein has naturalized across North America.
The soft leaves once served as primitive toilet paper for hikers and were stuffed in shoes for warmth! Standing like sentinels along roadsides and in fields, mullein is considered somewhat invasive in Colorado, making it guilt-free for picking. The flowers make a soothing tea used for respiratory conditions.
7. Chicory
Early risers catch the best show from these starry blue flowers that close by afternoon. Commonly seen along Colorado roadsides and trails, chicory’s periwinkle blooms provide a striking contrast against summer’s tawny grasses.
Coffee lovers might recognize chicory root as a coffee substitute or additive, especially popular in New Orleans. The leaves make a slightly bitter salad green, similar to dandelion. Since chicory grows abundantly and is non-native to Colorado, feel free to pick these lovely blue blooms for short-lived bouquets.
8. Rocky Mountain Beeplant
Hummingbirds and bees flock to these unusual pink-purple flower clusters that resemble small brushes. Native peoples used beeplant extensively – as food, for black dye, and even as soap.
Growing in disturbed areas throughout Colorado, these natives have a somewhat unpleasant smell when crushed. The plants can reach three feet tall and produce abundant seeds that feed wildlife. Considered common throughout their range, beeplant can be picked in moderation without harming populations.
9. Scarlet Gilia
Hummingbirds can’t resist these trumpet-shaped red flowers that brighten Colorado’s mountains from June through August. Also called skyrocket for their upward-pointing blooms, these wildflowers thrive in well-drained soils at mid to high elevations.
The flowers actually change color as they age – starting bright red and fading to pink or white. Found abundantly throughout mountain meadows and open forests, scarlet gilia is prolific enough that careful picking won’t harm populations. Early settlers sometimes used the plant to treat skin conditions.
10. Western Wallflower
Golden crosses of four-petaled flowers cluster atop these tall stems in Colorado’s foothills and mountains. Belonging to the mustard family, western wallflowers bring early color to spring landscapes, often blooming before many other wildflowers appear.
Butterflies particularly love these bright yellow blooms that can last from April through August depending on elevation. The plants grow abundantly in open areas and along trails. Their prolific nature and wide distribution make them suitable for occasional picking for those spring bouquets.
11. Sulphur Flower
Cushions of bright yellow blooms carpet dry, rocky areas throughout Colorado’s mountains and mesas. Despite their delicate appearance, these hardy natives thrive in poor soils and exposed locations where few other plants survive.
Part of the buckwheat family, sulphur flowers provide important early-season nectar for pollinators. The round clusters of tiny flowers sit atop short stems rising from ground-hugging leaf rosettes. Abundant throughout their range, these cheerful blooms can be picked sparingly without population concerns.
12. Plains Coreopsis
Summer brings these cheerful yellow daisies with distinctive burgundy centers to Colorado’s eastern plains and foothills. Also called tickseed, these annual flowers produce abundant seeds that birds adore.
Growing quickly in disturbed areas, plains coreopsis often forms large colonies along roadsides and in meadows. The flowers last well in bouquets and have been used to make yellow dye. Their prolific seeding habit ensures populations remain robust even with moderate picking.
13. Evening Primrose
Magical moments await those watching these yellow blooms unfurl at dusk – they literally open before your eyes in just minutes! Various species grow throughout Colorado, from the plains to mountain meadows.
The plants have been used medicinally for centuries, with modern research confirming benefits of evening primrose oil. Large, cup-shaped flowers attract night-flying moths with their sweet fragrance. Common throughout their range and quick to reproduce, these wildflowers can be responsibly harvested in small quantities.
14. Wild Geranium
Shady forest floors in Colorado’s mountains come alive with these delicate pink to purple blooms in late spring. Unlike their showy garden cousins, wild geraniums have simple five-petaled flowers above deeply-cut leaves.
After flowering, the seed pods form distinctive beak-like structures that give them their other name – cranesbill. The plants spread readily through rhizomes and seeds. Found abundantly in mountain woodlands, wild geraniums recover well from light picking and will return year after year.
15. Common Sundrops
Morning hikers often discover these bright yellow cup-shaped flowers that resemble small versions of evening primrose. Related to evening primrose but blooming during daylight, sundrops create cheerful patches of color in Colorado’s foothills and plains.
The four-petaled blooms appear from late spring through summer, opening fresh each morning. Butterflies frequently visit these nectar-rich flowers. Abundant in open, sunny locations and quick to reproduce, sundrops can be picked in moderation without harming their populations.
16. Prairie Coneflower
Distinctive gray-green central cones surrounded by drooping yellow petals make these flowers instantly recognizable across Colorado’s grasslands. Sometimes called Mexican hat due to their sombrero-like appearance, these drought-tolerant natives bloom throughout summer.
Butterflies and bees frequently visit the flowers, while birds enjoy the seeds later in the season. Growing abundantly in prairies and along roadsides, prairie coneflowers reseed readily and tolerate poor conditions. Their resilient nature makes them suitable for occasional picking for wildflower arrangements.
17. Showy Milkweed
Monarch butterflies depend on these plants with their clusters of star-shaped pink flowers and thick, milky stems. While some milkweed species are rare, showy milkweed grows abundantly across Colorado and is fine to pick in moderation.
The fragrant flower clusters appear in summer, attracting numerous pollinators. Indigenous peoples used the silky fluff from the seed pods for insulation and textile stuffing. These native perennials spread through both seeds and underground roots, ensuring populations remain stable despite occasional harvesting.