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September Wildflowers in the Gila
Last updated on Thursday, July 17, 2003
Apache Plum. Photo by the Author. 
"Another glorious day, the air as delicious to the lungs as nectar to the tongue." John Muir wrote this in another time, another place, but his words beautifully describe New Mexico's Gila Forest country in September.
Faster than you can say "Summer is over," the region seems to be rushing into fall ahead of schedule, even though the season does not officially begin until later this month. Red, yellow and orange foliage is beginning to appear - a vibrant indicator of the glorious canvas nature will be painting in the weeks to come.
This pre-Autumn color scheme blends superbly with a landscape still loaded with flowers. Generous monsoon rains have replenished nature’s wild garden. It matters not where you wander; fragrance and color will follow until frost on the pumpkin patch turns thoughts to firesides and pleasant holiday distractions.
Yellow flowers are prolific this time of year in the Gila. Some, but by no means all of these September bloomers, include meadow goldenrod, at least three kinds of sunflowers, Psilostrophe cooperi ("paper-daisies"), Engleman daisies, baileya (commonly called desert marigold), sweet smelling small alyssum, and pastel yellow slenderbush buckwheat.
At 7000 - 9000 ft. elevations, Western St. John's-wort is easily identifiable by distinctive bright yellow petals marked by black dots. Hartweg and Hooker evening primroses can be seen at 4500 - 8000 ft. High, low and every locale in-between . . . the versatile dandelion is blooming.
Castilleja Hispeda. Photo by the Author. 
Though ordinary dandelions are listed as weeds by botanists, and most people consider them a lawn and garden pest, I admit to a fondness for them. The cheery yellow flowers resemble a "mum" in miniature, and have a faint, but pleasing scent. The entire plant can be used to make salads, wine, and assorted herbal remedies, including a mild tonic to relieve intestinal distress. (The seeds are also edible.) What more can you ask from a flower?
Two kinds of the mallow genus are blooming profusely. Bright orange globe mallow of the Sphaeralcea species, and white prairie mallow, the latter being most evident along river banks such as the Mimbres and Gila. (Hollyhocks, rose-of-Sharon, okra, cotton and hibiscus are all domesticated representatives of this mallow family.)
Castilleja hispida, or Indian paintbrush, is one of the showiest of all wildflowers in this area of the southern Rockies. Brilliant red to scarlet bracts that catch the eye surround inconspicuous flowers, which are sweet with nectar, attracting scores of hummingbirds and butterflies.
Here and there, golden-beard penstemon (Penstemon barbatus), another butterfly and hummer favorite, is also in bloom. From the extensive figwort family, the petals (corollas) of this exquisite wildflower are actually bright scarlet, hanging in long graceful clusters above sparse leafy stems. The name golden-beard comes from the yellow "hairs" near the opening of the petals.
Red cinquefoil, a starring member of the Gila rose family, is a rich, deep crimson charmer. Blooms grow in loose clusters on long stalks, and the dark, intensely red centers seem to have a velvety glow. In good monsoon years, such as this one, they are easily found in the coniferous forests, damp meadows and along rivers, streams and creeks.
Globe-mallow. Photo by the Author. 
Lilium umbellatum (Rocky Mountain wood lilies), have large, red or orange-red flowers with purplish-black spots at the base. Because they are strikingly beautiful, the plant is slowly becoming endangered by too much picking. It was once common but is now confined to isolated areas. If you are fortunate enough to encounter wood lilies, please do not pick!
Purple, lavender, pink and blue flowers are so numerous it would be impossible to list them all. Some of the more outstanding in this spectrum are: New Mexico vervain (verbena family), sand-verbena, Wright- verbena, Gooding-verbena, and silky lupine.
One of the prettiest wildflowers in this group at the middle to high elevations of the Gila is the late August-October blooming sticky aster, with bright reddish-lavender or purple "rays" surrounding a lemony yellow disc. In some spots, the asters may cover an entire bank or roadside. In the afternoon, as the heads become shaded, the rays fold upward in the "sleep position."
Mirabilis longiflora, or wild four-o’clocks, are always worth a look. They are first, smaller cousins to the summer blooming showy-four-o’clocks, and display purplish white petals with deep purple stamens.
Purple, lavender and pink New Mexico thistle is visible just about everywhere, and in moist meadows and secluded glades at the higher elevations, purplish-blue morning glories and Rocky Mountain iris add the perfect touch to panoramic scenes beyond mere superlatives.
A beguiling contrast amidst all the vivid colors of the season throughout the Gila is an abundance of white flowers. Acres of prickle-poppies, plains-blackfoot (a deceptive name for a wildflower that is so noticably white), pleasant smelling, pink tinged funnel-shaped bindweed heliotrope, and the ethereal balls of white fluffy Mesquitilla, better known as "fairy duster."
Prickle Poppy. Photo by the Author. 
And, in a grand finale of spring-to-fall elegance, fallugia paradoxa (Apache plume) is a fantastical sight along highways, byways and in canyons at every elevation. When the large white blossoms go to seed, they are replaced with feathery purplish plumes that are the fruit of the seeds, and every bit as lovely as the flowers.
September is a splendid month in the Gila, particularly in the beautiful, flower rich Sapillo Valley where I live. Soon, most of the wildflowers will be gone, the butterflies will disappear, and the last captivating, iridescent hummingbird will move on to warmer southern climes.
For now though it's enough to know that one day of September wildflower watching in the Gila is better than 365 days spent anywhere else!
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