In the lower slopes of the park, below approximately 9,000 feet
altitude, usually described as the Montane zone, the climate is
relatively warm and dry. This type of climate has encouraged a fairly
consistent pattern of vegetation that may be considered climax. The
forests in this zone are open. The trees are likely to be scattered in
characteristically parklike stands and are made up mostly of ponderosa
pine. On cool north slopes the stands are thicker, with Douglas-fir
sprinkled in or even dominant. With the ponderosa pine on drier sites is
juniper (commonly called "cedar"), and above 8,000 feet thick stands of
lodgepole pine are sometimes admixed. Along the streams are the
distinctive and graceful Colorado blue spruce, associated with willows,
birch, and alder. Aspen groves and, in lower altitudes, cottonwoods
appear here and there. Many types of shrubs, some characteristic of the
foothills, grow in the Montane zone.
The most characteristic forest tree of the lower part of this zone is
PONDEROSA PINE. It has dull-green needles from 3 to 6 inches
long--longer than those of other pines in the park--which are usually in
bundles of three. Although the bark on young trees is black, the mature
trees have a yellow-brown bark in characteristically rectangular plates.
The cones are about 3 inches long, with prickles on the tips of the cone
scales. Capable of growing in warm, dry environments, it is an evergreen
of south-facing slopes and is widespread as a forest tree in the
southwestern United States. On the cooler, north-facing slopes,
DOUGLAS-FIR mingles with the ponderosa pine. Douglas-fir is easily
identified by its needles, which grow singly along the branch instead of
in sheaths. The needles are flat, blunt, and about 1 inch long; and they
have a narrow stalk at the base that pulls off with the needle. This
distinguishes it from the blue spruce often found in the same vicinity.
The bark is smooth and gray on young trees, but rough, brownish, and
deeply furrowed on older trees. The cones are about 2 inches long, made
up of broad scales each with a projecting 3-pronged bract. Here,
Douglas-fir seldom attains the great size for which it is noted in the
Pacific Northwest.
Another conifer growing in this zone, usually along streams or in such
other wet locations, is BLUE SPRUCE, one of the most admired evergreens
of the West. Its needles produce a bloom, or powder, which gives the
tree a distinctive bluish or silver aspect, especially noticeable in
midsummer. The cones are from 3 to 5 inches long, tan-colored, with many
scales, which have narrow tips but no prickles.
In the upper parts of the Montane zone grow dense forests of LODGEPOLE
PINE, so named because the Indians used it for tepee (or lodge) poles.
It is characterized by tall, slender, straight trunks, with most of the
foliage near the top. Its trunk is usually much smaller than the other
conifers of the region--seldom exceeding 20 inches. The bark is much
thinner than that of the ponderosa pine; gray scales on the bark of
young trees become brown with age. The cones are about 2 inches long and
are borne in clusters of two or three, tightly attached to the branch.
Cones often remain on the tree for years, the seeds retaining their
vitality. After a light forest fire, the undamaged cones will open,
releasing the seeds. This is nature's way of reseeding a fire-swept area
and explains the extremely dense stands of lodgepole pine which, for
example, you will see near Many Parks Curve.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN JUNIPER can be seen on dry hills and rocky canyon walls
in the park. Its scalelike leaves (not needles) are small and flattened
against the innumerable branches. It has no cones, but bears little,
bluish berries, which require two seasons to ripen. Usually this juniper
grows in a squat and sprawling manner.
[Illustration: Open stands of ponderosa pine are typical of the
lower areas of the park.]
The most common deciduous tree in the park is QUAKING ASPEN. It is
immediately recognized by its smooth, white bark and small, green leaves
that tremble with the slightest breeze, because of the curious
flattening of the petiole, or leaf stalk, at right angles to the leaf
blade. Aspen grows to considerable size in beautiful groves of tall
trees, where the moisture and shelter are sufficient, but is more often
seen in scrubby thickets on rocky, drier slopes. In September the leaves
turn to a golden color, giving early autumn travelers a matchless visual
experience. NARROW-LEAF COTTONWOOD grows along streams in the lower
altitudes of the park. Many willows also occupy streambank environments,
the most common being SCOULER WILLOW with characteristic willow leaves
and large oval catkins, which are quite conspicuous in May and early
June.
WATER BIRCH is a thin-leaved, graceful shrub, sometimes growing to tree
size, commonly seen along streams in the lower forests. It can be
recognized by its graceful, almost delicate appearance. THINLEAF ALDER,
also abundant along streams, often grows in great clumps with many stems
growing from the same root. Widespread throughout the West, the alder
provides habitat for many bird groups. You may also recognize, by its
leaf, ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAPLE, which grows here and there in the park up to
about 11,000 feet.
The shrubs most commonly observed by the visitor are:
ANTELOPE BITTERBRUSH--a low, tough, much-branched shrub, with many
fragrant, pale-yellow blossoms in May and June. Its leaves are less than
1 inch long, wedge-shaped and 3-toothed at the apex. The spindle-shaped
seeds are important food for chipmunks and ground squirrels, and mule
deer depend on the shrub for browse. BOULDER RASPBERRY--a common bush
with showy, 5-petaled white blossoms, up to 3 inches across. During May
and June this shrub adds much beauty to the landscape. Birds eat its
berries avidly. WAX CURRANT--a common shrub found also in the highest
forests--forms rounded clumps, 1 to 3 feet high, with rigid,
much-branched stems and rounded leaves. The red berries ripen in summer
and are eaten by many birds and small rodents. This plant is alternate
host to blister rust (a disease which may affect the limber pine in the
park in the near future), and much of it has been eradicated in areas
where limber pine grows. SAGEBRUSH--a familiar plant in much of the
West--in this park grows in a dwarf form, and is common in Glacier Basin
and on the southwest slopes of Deer Mountain. This woody shrub, about 1
foot high, with 3-toothed, wedge-shaped, silvery leaves, is good forage
for mule deer.
Conspicuous wildflowers that grow below 9,000 feet in the park and that
will attract attention in their blossoming season are:
Early in the season--as early as March--AMERICAN PASQUEFLOWER exhibits
its large lavender blossoms as a sign of spring. As the season advances,
its blossoming follows the melting snow up the mountain slopes, where it
may be seen into July. This flower (without petals--the sepals resemble
petals--but with a golden center) looks somewhat like the garden crocus.
It is covered with silky hairs--almost "fur-covered." Another
early-blooming flower is COMMON STARLILY, often called "sandlily", which
displays narrow grasslike leaves and white, stemless flowers in early
spring. It is rare in the park, but abundant near the village of Estes
Park during May.
[Illustration: Sagebrush is one of the shrubs heavily browsed by
mule deer.]
STEMLESS TOWNSENDIA, locally called Easter-daisy, is another early
bloomer--most abundant in May. The inch-wide flower heads are pale pink
or white with yellow centers and are clustered on the crowns of the
plant. It is one of the composite family and is easily recognized by the
general similarity of the flower heads to those of the larger, taller
oxeye-daisy. The arnicas have several representatives in the park
region. An early-blooming variety is HEARTLEAF ARNICA which is common in
the moist fields and open ponderosa pine forests in May and June. It has
large, yellow composite blossoms, from 2 to 3 inches across; the
heart-shaped leaves are best developed at the base of the stem. ROCKY
MOUNTAIN IRIS is common in meadows of this zone, with its light-blue
flower adding color to the "parks" of the region, where moist conditions
permit its growth. SPREADING THERMOPSIS, or "golden banner," carpets the
open areas with yellow during June and July. This common plant is a pea,
as its flowers suggest, and as the long, flat seed pods prove. The
flowers appear in clusters along the top of the stem. PLAINS ERYSIMUM,
better known locally as "western wallflower," is also yellow, common,
and conspicuous during June and early July. Sometimes mistaken for
golden banner by visitors who drive rapidly past the meadows, it has
quite a different flower pattern, being a mustard with spikes of many
small, 4-petaled flowers.
[Illustration: Spreading pasqueflower heralds the arrival of
spring.]
As summer advances, other flowers become abundant. Penstemons present
their showy purple spikes of flowers during July. Most abundant and
conspicuous is ONESIDE PENSTEMON, usually a foot or more in height,
which often colors the meadows blue. All penstemons are easily
recognized by their lobed, generally bell-shaped flowers. The common
name beardtongue is applied to certain species which have a flattened
and bearded sterile stamen on the inside of the flower tube. This fifth
sterile stamen, whether smooth or bearded, is the source of the generic
name _Penstemon_. LAMBERT CRAZYWEED, also known as "Colorado locoweed,"
is abundant through July. It can be recognized by its spike of
reddish-purple blossoms and the narrow, pinnately compound leaves.
Curiously enough, locoweed blooms twice during the summer, the August
period of blossoming being less noticeable. FREMONT GERANIUM, or wild
pink geranium, is a lovely plant of the open pine forests, with typical
5-petaled pink geranium blossoms. COMMON PERENNIAL GAILLARDIA is a showy
composite. The flower heads are 2 to 3 inches across, with deep-maroon
to brownish centers and bright-yellow rays, often with dark bases. The
tips of these ray flowers have three distinct indentations, serving to
help distinguish this plant from BLACK-EYED-SUSAN, which is also common
in the mountain meadows.
[Illustration: Gaillardia is one of the showiest composites.]
FIREWEED, as its name suggests, commonly blooms on areas devastated by
forest fire or other destructive agencies. Its silky seeds are easily
carried by the wind to these areas, where it becomes dominant. It blooms
from early July into September, and the deep-pink, 4-petaled flowers are
borne in long, graceful spikes. It is a common roadside plant. MINER'S
CANDLE is a hairy-stemmed plant with innumerable close-set clusters of
small, white flowers throughout its stout, straight stem. It also is
common along roadsides.
Autumn flowers become increasingly abundant in late summer. Conspicuous
are the shrubby composites, including groundsels, sunflowers, and purple
asters. While the peak of the flower display comes during July for this
lower zone, many attractive wildflowers can be seen until mid-September.