My dream is to live in the mountains being surrounded by the four elements. Since my current circumstances prevent me from achieving this goal at this time, my only recourse is to visit them as often as I can.
Whenever I get the chance, the Colorado Rockies is by far the number one destination for me, because of their close proximity and the plethora of trails that'll keep me busy for easily a decade. For each visit I go out of my way to hike a new trail and will do this until either all the trails have been visited or another range is closer to where I end up.
Over the last five years I've hiked many trails in the Rockies, with Heart Lake being my favorite to date. This is where I came across this amazingly beautiful specimen for the first and only time thus far.
The Mountain Prairies are filled with color, but the Aquilegia caerules-AKA~The Colorado Blue Columbine is among the most striking of them all. It's stature and demeanor oozes confidence as it shoots out high above the foliage that born it, like a star. Fittingly it looks like a star as well and it kind of reminds me of an orchid.
As the name suggests, the Colorado Blue is Colorado's state flower and is the only flower of the Columbines "considered" edible, the rest being considered mildly toxic. The nectar can cause mild skin irritation for some, but not everyone. This may be the reason deer and rabbits tend to avoid it.
That may change in the future, considering the species easily cross-pollinates creating hybrids and is a hermaphrodite. The Colorado Blue itself is usually more violet than blue, but can be fully white with pink accents to blue,pink, crimson or yellow with white petals. All of those I came across were bright blue and are a natural hybrid, I believe.
While bees are a common pollinator for this flower, they cannot reach the nectar directly. The petals have deep pockets that house the nectar, which flows into deep spurs or talons below the sepals and shoot out behind it like a tail of a shooting star. For this reason birds, butterflies and moths with long probiscus' like humming birds, butterflies and hawk moths enjoy this hydrating, sweet snack.
Columbines are members of the family Ranunculaceae, which is commonly known as the Buttercup Family. This family includes over 2000 varieties and is among the most ancient of all the Flowering Families we live with today. Within this is the genera Ranunculus, meaning little frog and is the largest group of flowering plants.
Basic Identification
The Columbine has three basic elements-The base foliage, flower stem and flower.
The base foliage is dense and grows to about 1-2 foot tall with the same diameter and is light green to a bluish green. The texture is fern-like with the leaves being clustered in 3's, each leaf has three lobes and each lobe has lesser irregular clefts to no clefts.
The stem can reach heights of up to 3 feet with one flower per stem.
The flowers are quite complex in appearance having five petals that extend at the bottom like a spur or claw. The spurs are typically the color of the sepals.
There are five sepals between the petals and spurs(which are actually one) that are normally *two-toned white(petals) with a splash of pink or brown, rarely blue but are usually white.
The pistil filaments are long
, extending well beyond the petals and are light yellow. The anthers are a bright yellow, furthering the beauty of this magnificent flower.
Habitat and Cultivation
All Columbines are easy to grow just about anywhere except in thick clay soils that don't drain well. For this reason along with their beautifully shaped flowers, they are quite popular in gardens and also do quite well in containers. The PH of the soil matters little as well.
They are naturally found in mountainous regions thriving at altitudes up to 11,000 ft. above sea level, but do well most anywhere. They prefer to be sheltered with full sun, but grow a bit bigger in shaded areas and smaller when fully exposed.
For this reason they can be considered invasive, especially since they release a chemical into the soil that stunts the growth of surrounding foliage, especially legumes. They only live on average between 2-5 years, but propagate easily from the many seeds they drop, so will return year after year.
Columbines typically bloom from April through July, but if you trim the stems as the flowers fade you can extend the blooms throughout the summer. Since they cross-breed easily, you'll want to stick to just one variety. Of course, if you like surprises and variety, plant a mix. Just be sure to keep them separated from the other plants in your garden. Sectioned off areas of landscaping is best.
Edible and Medicinal Uses
Though I state above that most varieties of Columbines are considered mildly toxic, there is little evidence the flower is an issue. Because they produce an abundance of nector the flowers tend to be quite sweet adding both a sweet flavor and ornamental value to salads. This also makes them quite hydrating and can be dried to use as a tea. Like with many plants and fungi, the toxin is neutralized with heat.
In the past and even some current Indigenous Cultures use the leaves*, seed, bark, **flowers and even the root as a diuretic, astringent, anti-inflammatory and antiparasitic. Because of the toxic nature it's not recommended that you use these internally or on open wounds.
Some do use the Columbine for internal conditions, but in very low doses. If you choose to do so, make sure it is done under the supervision of an herbal specialist. Even as a topical solution, timing is key. Used for short periods of time is fine, but if left on too long, you can 'burn' the skin. Dosage is key, as with any powerful medicine. I would not mess with this one as a beginner.
Disclaimer
I am not a professional and you should never use a single source for identifying plants, trees or mushrooms for consumption. Nature provides many powerful medicines AND poisons, so always be sure of what you have before consuming anything you find in the wild, especially in the raw form.
References
Every new experience adds to the respect, wonder and awe I feel when bonding with this living entity we call 🌎.
Please make sure to take the time to get outside and bond with your environment. Your health will thank you at every level of your being and please share your experiences with the world. Personal communal knowledge is beneficial to us all, because this interaction is essential to our evolution.
Thank you and I hope your day unfolds on your terms.
All image's and text are property of the author- All Right's Reserved
Join The Best Natural Health Community on Hive
Creating Abundance for all on Hive
Oh, I've heard of columbines, but I've never seen them. Like a flower within a flower! How beautiful.
I don't doubt that one day you will achieve your dream of living amongst all the elements in blissful union. xx Until then, hiking it is!
I know there are a couple varieties that grow in Sweden, but I think only in gardens for the UK and possibly Australia too.
I'm content to just hike for now. 😀
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and reblogged by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
@c-squared runs a community witness. Please consider using one of your witness votes on us here
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know every user has their own profile map?
And so does every post as well!
Want to have your post on the map too?
Were you inspired too by the edible flowers post @sunscape shared to @naturalmedicine this week? There's so much to learn, and how lovely that you found it in such a gorgeous place. Thai people often serve deep fried flowers - pumpkin and sweet pea flower being popular.
I'm guessing columbines would be easy to grow in a container?
Your images are lovely - I have a 'thing' for blue flowers. 😍
I am unaware of sunscapes article. I simply showcase plants, mushrooms and flowers I come across and take a shot of. After I take the time to research them, I share them.
Deep fried flowers? Hmm, I'll have to try that. I didn't think they'd survive enough to be more than batter.
Thanks for the compliment. I actually shot this one two years ago when I first bought my Canon T7i. I had to crop them to get the close-ups. Now I know to take more pictures, especially Macro's.
https://peakd.com/hive-120078/@sunscape/growing-edible-flowers-by-sunscape
It was in the #naturalmedicine community a few days ago. ;)
Oh wow, she actually did a longform article. I followed her a while back, but because she mostly just posted images with little text, I usually just skip past them now.
Oh, and Columbines grow great in containers, as long as you don't over water them.
For a long time steem ENCOURAGED only a pic and felt long-wordy-cerebral content was a barrier to many for using the platform. @sunscape has some lovely images and has been on the platform for eons. The platform changes, as is the nature of cutting edge, out-front, new stuff - always good to see content creators trying new strategies and finding their feet. Her post was good and deserved curation.
They are really pretty! I love columbines. :))
Stunning is the right word ( even if they don't sting and are just mildly toxic )
Same here. I would love to one day have a house with windows and doors on four sides ( each one of them looking out on a different vista: the mountains, the sea, a forest or jungle and possible even a city haha
From November 2016 to 2017, living on El Hierro, Canary islands, I had both mountains ( inactive volcanoes ) and the sea around me. It was a 15 minute walk to the sea and about half an hour to the mountains. It was pretty amazing and came at a time when I most needed it ( I was burnt out from years of teaching and trying to fit in the system )
Big hug,
Vincent
A big hug back, my friend. You described my dream house as well.😀
If I find this place, you're more than welcome to visit ;<)