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.