Colorado will see super-blooming summer wildflower season

Colorado's hillsides and gardens are poised for a super wildflower summer after a wet start to the year and a slow-melting snowpack.

What they're saying: Predicting the season's blooms is a bit like predicting the weather, Colorado State University's Jennifer Bousselot reports — it's not easy. "But I think we’re going to see a tremendous wildflower season for Colorado standards," she says.

Why it matters: We live in Colorful Colorado, after all. Wildflowers are part of the state's image.

What to know: A good season starts with a good snowpack, not only to add moisture to the soil but insulate plants from cold and air frost.

• The blooms typically start in June in valleys and lower elevations and will continue into August higher up the mountains. This year's bountiful snow means flowers will have enough moisture to bloom longer.

Of note: The mid-July Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, which runs through this weekend, typically coincides with peak bloom, and hundreds of species are visible.

Yes, but: This year's blooms may come later because of slow-melting snow and cold spring temperatures. Some areas of the state are reporting flowers a couple of weeks to a month behind schedule.

The bottom line: What makes Colorado special is the "hundreds of species of flowers that all bloom at different times and for different durations, so you can almost always see something," Taylore Lowry, a spokesperson for the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, tells the Colorado Sun.