The Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is in the southwest corner of Colorado, west of Mesa Verde National Park. The 170,000 acre Monument, established by President Clinton, is comprised of numerous canyons and mesas ranging in elevation from 5,000 to 7,000 feet. It is a scenic and botanic treasure, but it was actually set aside to protect the innumerable Anasazi archaeological sites -- room blocks, entire pueblos, midden mounds, scattered tools, irrigation check dams, etc.
The slide show below provides photographs of a few of the numerous high desert plants that flower in the Monument. Most plants shown bloom from late March to early June, but several of the many plants that bloom in the summer are also shown.
More photographs and descriptive details about each plant will be found on other pages of this website.
