Chapin Mesa Wildflowers in Early May

On May 2, I hiked several of the short trails on Chapin Mesa in Mesa Verde National Park, looking for the early spring wildflowers. The Chapin Mesa bookstore has a small field guide available, “Wildflowers of Mesa Verde”, for $11.95.

Some of the major trees and shrubs and a few wildflowers are identified by small signs along the paved trail leading down to Spruce Tree House. The printed trail guide for the Petroglyph Trail identifies many Mesa Verde plants using the numbered stops.

In early May, the most conspicuous flower is the white five petaled blossom of the Utah Serviceberry, the most common shrub in Mesa Verde. This member of the Rose Family was particularly abundant in the Far View area and on the Far View Sites Trail. A plant that Serviceberry resembles in size and shape is Mountain Mahogany, also in the Rose Family. The Mountain Mahogany has small inconspicuous flowers but has distinctive corkscrew fruits.

Closer to the Chapin Mesa Visitor Center area, the more eye catching flowering shrub is the Bitterbrush in the Rose Family displaying small yellow flowers. There are many of these around the Visitor Center and a few on the upper part paved trail leading to Spruce Tree House.

Despite how abundant it is, I didn't see a small sign identifying it. Bitterbrush can be confused with Cliff Rose. I have seen Cliff Rose in dry canyons such as Sand Canyon, west of Cortez, CO, but I don’t think I have seen it at Mesa Verde.

Fendlerbush has large four petaled white flowers and is a member of the Hydrangea Family. I saw several of these on the Farming Terrace Trail near the series of check dams. The blooms seemed to be just starting on the day I hiked.

Squaw Apple in the Rose Family has five white petals and from a distance could be confused with the Serviceberry. The leaves of Squaw Apples are long and slender compared to the more oval leaves of Serviceberry. I saw many Squaw Apples in the rim area and short trail to the Square Tower Overlook on the Mesa Top Pithouse to Pueblo Tour.

Arrowleaf Balsamroots in the Sunflower Family were visible along the main park road from the Park Point area and south toward Far View. I saw several bunches of these on the Far View Sites Trail. There is a similar looking plant called Mule’s Ears that blooms later and has slightly different leaves.

One of the eye catching flowers on the Spruce Tree House paved trail is Firecracker Penstemon in the Snapdragon Family. I also saw these growing in a kiva at Square Tower House and on the Soda Canyon Trail.

Oregon Grape in the Barberry Family is abundant and conspicuous at the canyon bottom below Spruce Tree House. It is one of the ones that is identified with a small sign. Many of these plants produce small fruits that are good wildlife food.

I saw Chokecherry in the Rose Family in a small patch on the exit path of the Spruce Tree House Trail, past the ruins site but before the canyon bottom where the Oregon Grape was visible.

The printed guide to wildflowers says that there at least 13 species of Milkvetch at Mesa Verde. I saw this example on the Soda Canyon Trail that leads to the overlook of Balcony House.

The Soda Canyon Trail also had some good patches of Phlox. This is another plant where there are several species but the flowers tend to look the same.

My total wildflower hike included the Far View, Farming Terrace, Spruce Tree House, Square Tower Overlook, and Soda Canyon Trails. These are short trails that seem to vary in habitat enough to produce a variety of early spring wildflowers.

Knife Edge Trail and Spring Wildflowers

The Knife Edge Trail at Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado is one of two or three interpretive trails in the park that emphasize the plants found in the area, and their use by the Ancestral Pueblo people that lived here.

The Trail Head is in the Morefield campground area near the part entrance and the hike is a 2.0 mile round trip. There are three hiking trails starting in the Morefield campground area, but none of them pass by any of the famous ruins sites.

There are 32 stops on the self guided trail. In spring, not all of the plants mentioned in the trail guide are in flower, but some are. The first stops on the trail are Gambel Oak and Pinon Pine, two of the most common trees, and also sources of acorns and pine nuts that were edible. Also mentioned are Black Sagebrush and Big Sagebrush, two common shrubs. Big Sagebrush is an indicator of good soil for farming.

In the vicinity of the marker that discussed the blue Spurred Lupine there was a blue flower in bloom, but I think in late May is was Larkspur.

There are some wildflowers along the trail that aren't mentioned in the trail guide. I think this is Clematis in the buttercup family. Clematis is one of the plants identified on the paved trail leading down to Spruce Tree House on Chapin Mesa.

Another flower that was conspicuous in May but not mentioned in the trail guide was this showy white flower that I think is Cliff Fendler Bush. The views from the Knife Edge Trail are from the North Rim of Mesa Verde toward the Montezuma Valley.

Snowberry is a low growing bush with pale pink bell shaped flowers. The Trail Guide says that there was no known Ancestral Pueblo use for Snowberry. Another berry on the trail is Utah Serviceberry, the most common bush in Mesa Verde and probably a source of food. There is also an Elderberry Bush on the trail, the only one that has been found in the park.

The Trail Guide mentions that this bush was so striking that the Knife Edge road was detoured slightly to preserve it. The Knife Edge Road was built in 1914 and served as an entrance to the park until the tunnel between Prater and Morefield canyons was built in 1957.

The Wild Rose has bright pink flowers and red oval shaped berries called "hips." These hips are rich in vitamin C and some have been found in Ancestral Pueblo remains. These roses grow in moist side canyons in dense patches.

A few small Douglas Firs are found along the trail and there are large ones high above against the north facing cliffs. Douglas Firs are also found in the moist canyons such as near Spruce Tree House. The Trail Guide mentions that the most colorful flower along the trail is the bright red Indian Paint Brush, but in late may none were in bloom yet.