Wildflower Report: Devil's Thumb Lake

August 27, 2020

Peak wildflower season in Colorado is mid to late July, so we scheduled a big hike to see the beauty of Devil's Thumb Lake at the perfect moment this summer. We cataloged all the wildflowers we saw (using this handy Colorado wildflower guide) and came up with a grand total of 35 specimens! We've documented & photographed them for you in this blog post. Hope you enjoy!

Indian Peaks Wilderness is the region you'll be hiking in to reach Devil's Thumb Lake, and this trail happens to rank as one of Colorado's best wildflower hikes (check out the full list here). This area is known for pristine forests interspersed with lush grassy meadows and tiny braided streams. The perfect environment for wildflower bounty, and a great spot to visit... especially if you're not able to make it all the way to Crested Butte, which is widely regarded as the wildflower capital of Colorado.

Wildflowers Sighted at Devil's Thumb:

Pictured above, left to right: 1. Marsh Marigold, 2. Showy Jacob's Ladder, 3. Avalanche Lily, 4. Giant Red Indian paintbrush, 5. Mariposa Lily, 6. Wild Rose, 7. Larkspur, 8. Geyer Onion, 9. Elephant's Head

Pictured above, left to right: 1. Mountain Death Camas, 2. Kings' Crown, 3. Globeflower, 4. Pygmy Bitterroot, 5. Showy Locoweed, 6. Mountain Blue Violet, 7. Small Flowered Penstemon, 8. Western Wallflower, 9. Black Sedge

Complete list of Colorado Wildflowers sighted:

Alpine Clover Alpine Buttercup Bistort  Sedum Bluebells Globeflower Giant Red Western Indian Paintbrush White Indian paintbrush Aster (purple) Fleabane Whiskbroom Parsley Arnica

Mountain Blue Violet Marsh Marigold Elephant Head Black Sedge Cow parsnip Rosy Pussytoes Avalanche Lily Rocky Mountain Iris Small Flowered Penstemon Columbine Jacob's Ladder

Mariposa Lily King's Crown (stonecrop) Mountain Thistle Pea Flowers Showy Locoweed Potentilla Fire Weed Wild Rose Pearly Everlasting Bracted Lousewart Pygmy Bitterroot Western Wallflower

 

Here's the Wildflower field guide we used. And an excellent online wildflower identification resource is this website: Colorado's Wildflower 

We finally reached Devil's Thumb Lake at 11,500 ft and were greeted by lush green meadows filled with wildflowers of all types. Heaven!

If you need more wildflowers in your life, check out our roundup of our Top 8 Colorado Wildflower hikes here.

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