Colorado has gotten quite a bit of moisture over the last couple weeks and with big snowpack lingering, it’s likely to mean a great wildflower bloom this season. That being said, think twice before you go picking a bouquet to bring home.

If you’ve been following along with OutThere Colorado for long, you should already know that picking wildflowers is a big no-no per the ‘Leave No Trace‘ best practices. Not only can picking wildflowers mean that there are fewer flowers for others to enjoy on the trail, it can also have an impact on the local ecosystem. At their core, the Leave No Trace principles seek to keep natural areas as natural as possible, and this includes leaving the flowers where they sprout.

While there might not be formal legal repercussions for ignoring on the ‘Leave No Trace’ principles in some cases, picking some wildflowers in Colorado can result in a criminal charge and related penalties.

In case you didn’t know, Colorado’s state flower is the Colorado Blue Columbine, also called the Aquilegia caerulea. While this species is referred to as ‘blue,’ they’re really more of a purplish hue, featuring distinct white petals in the center with yellow stamen.

Originally documented by Edwin James, who encountered the flower on Pikes Peak in 1820, this has been the state flower for more than 100 years.

Per LegiSource, the first move to make the Colorado Blue Columbine the state flower took place in 1881, when 14,472 of 22,316 local school children voted in support of the designation. Unfortunately, the related paperwork was never filed at this time and this decision wouldn’t become official until 1899.

Twenty-six years later, in 1925, the flower got formal protection.

Here’s a look at the text (Colo. Rev. Stat. 24-80-907) that was passed during a Colorado Legislative Session that protects the plant:

“It is hereby declared to be the duty of all citizens of this state to protect the white and lavender Columbine Aquilegia, Caerulea, the state flower, from needless destruction or waste.”

Another statue added more specifications related to the protection of this flower (Colo. Rev. Stat. 24-80-907).

“It is unlawful for any person to tear the state flower up by the roots when grown or growing upon any state, school, or other public lands or in any public highway or other public place or to pick or gather upon any such public lands or in any such public highway or place more than twenty-five stems, buds, or blossoms of such flower in any one day; and it is also unlawful for any person to pick or gather such flower upon private lands without the consent of the owner thereof first had or obtained.”

So, there you have it – a law in the books that forbids the picking of the Colorado Blue Columbine in most scenarios. The act can result in a misdemeanor offense and a fine of up to $50.

Long story short, you should never pick wildflowers while in Colorado’s public spaces. And picking the Colorado Blue Columbine can be punishable by a criminal charge and a fine. Instead of picking the flowers to bring home, simply enjoy their seasonal presence and look forward to spotting more next summer.

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