Flower profile

Blue columbine

Aquilegia coerulea

Blue columbine (Aquilegia coerulea) is a flowering plant in the Ranunculaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.

★ Official state flower of Colorado (1899)Native in the lower 48

Blue columbine is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.

9states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

13,499U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Colorado, Utah, Wyoming

🏅

Colorado's official state flower since 1899. Visit the Colorado page → ^{C.R.S. § 24-80-905} Colorado law (C.R.S. § 24-80-907) makes it illegal to uproot it on public land, to pick more than 25 stems, buds or blossoms there in one day, or to pick it on private land without the owner's permission.

Quick look

Aquilegia coerulea, commonly called the Colorado columbine, Rocky Mountain columbine, or blue columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family, native to the Rocky Mountains in the western United States. It is a moderate sized wildflower that grows in mountainous areas from the foothills to above timberline. The flowers are mainly pollinated by bumblebees and several species of hawkmoths.
From Wikipedia's article Aquilegia coerulea, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 9 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. ^NatureServe
In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as blue. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 10,355 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #2 among the 160 flowers on our Colorado list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,479 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #26 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 915 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #17 among the 113 flowers on our Wyoming list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (6,365 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Colorado	Native	June–August	10,355
Utah	Native	June–July	1,479
Wyoming	Native	June–August	915

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Colorado.
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
Wyoming: No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Wyoming.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AZ (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records blue columbine in 9 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming.

Colorado counties with USDA records: Alamosa, Boulder, Chaffee, Clear Creek, Conejos, Custer, Delta, Douglas, Eagle, El Paso, Fremont, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Mesa, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Otero, Ouray, Park, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Teller.

Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.

Wyoming counties with USDA records: Albany, Big Horn, Carbon, Fremont, Hot Springs, Lincoln, Park, Sublette, Sweetwater, Teton, Uinta.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Blue columbine a low shade tolerance, low drought tolerance and medium moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 6.2 to 8.4 and winter lows down to -28 °F.

Shade tolerance: Low
Drought tolerance: Low
Moisture use: Medium
Soil textures it is adapted to: coarse, medium
Soil pH range: 6.2 to 8.4
Minimum temperature tolerated: -28 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 130
Annual precipitation range: 12 to 40 inches
Minimum root depth: 10 inches
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: Short
Active growth period: Spring and Summer
Fruit or seed: Brown · Spring to Summer
Can be propagated by: seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for AQCO. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Aquilegia caerulea.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 94 counties across 7 states; the most are in Colorado (37), Utah (29), Wyoming (11).

Other Aquilegia on Bloomipedia (5): Red columbine, Western columbine, Golden columbine, Yellow columbine, Western red columbine.

More from the Ranunculaceae family (48 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lesser celandine, Rue anemone, Wood anemone, Marsh marigold, White baneberry, Round-lobed hepatica, Red baneberry, Sharp-lobed hepatica.

More Colorado flowers

Prairie pasqueflower

Pulsatilla nuttalliana

★ SD state floral emblemNative

🌼 Blooms in CO: April–June

Rocky mountain marsh-marigold

Caltha chionophila

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–July

Upland larkspur

Delphinium nuttallianum

Native

🌼 Blooms in CO: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile AQCO.
iNaturalist, Aquilegia coerulea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Aquilegia coerulea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
C.R.S. § 24-80-905: Colorado state flower.
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Aquilegia coerulea (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Timon T. K. via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.