Western Red Columbines

Western Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa) has many names. Names include Crimson Columbine, Western Columbine or (ambiguously) "Red Columbine". It is a common and attractive wildflower native to the northern Rocky Mountain states, Nevada, Colorado and California. Its primary habitat is seasonally moist thickets and open groves, although it can be found in alpine areas near treeline. It can be found growing among aspen, fir, and mixed forbs and grass over a wide elevation range of 4,000 to 10,000 feet.

Its cousin, Aquilegia caerulea , commonly called Rocky Mountain columbine, is a bushy, clump-forming perennial which occurs in the U.S. Rocky Mountains at elevations of 6000 to 12000' from Montana south to New Mexico