These Parry’s Gentian flowers can be found in some spots, from 7,500 to 13,200 feet in elevation, in August and September where the forest meets open meadows. Here in Ouray County, the Sutton Mine Trail is a good place to see them. They’re also sometimes called Mountain Gentian or Bottle Gentian. Photo by Jim Pisarowicz
Feature
Parry’s Gentian: A bed and breakfast for pollinators
Wildflowers provide nectar and pollen for insects, and many also provide a safe place for them to rest overnight or during a rainstorm. Parry’s’ Gentian (Gentiana parryi) is one of those flowers in which early morning hikers can find a sleeping bumblebee or short-tongued fly exhausted by the previous day’s feeding frenzy.
