1. The state flower of Colorado, the Columbine, is actually a wildflower! It was named the official state flower in 1899 - voted by school kids! The blue petals represent the sky, the white ones stand for snow, and the yellow center is a symbol of Colorado's gold mining days!
2. There are 3 wildflowers seasons in Colorado. April - June is the spring show. June-August is PEAK season! Aug - Oct is the fall display.
3. There are more than 750 types of wildflowers found in Colorado. There are many apps you can load to your phone so when you are hiking or biking, you can look them up as you go. Some are free, some are not. Here is a good start, especially if you travel: https://www.wildflowersearch.org
4. It's actually illegal to pick wildflowers!
5. Some are toxic to humans AND 4-leggeds! Best not to eat any unless you know which ones to avoid. Larkspur, Death Camas, Water Hemlock are a few.
6. Colorado has a wildflower capitol! And they host a wildflower festival each year. It's Crested Butte!

Many pine trees along the front range have had a tough time of it this year!  If you are seeing brown needles and trees that appear dead, read more below to understand what has happened, and what you can do about it!

And what about my other plants?  Lilacs, and Boxwoods, and Ash trees?  Read the below article from our friends at the Denver Post.

Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an insect native to Asia. It was introduced into North America sometime during the 1990s.
EAB attacks and kills all true native North American ash trees, including green, white, black and blue ash, and their cultivars, including “autumn purple ash,” a popular white ash variety in Colorado. Although rare in Colorado, white fringetree  also has been documented as susceptible to EAB.
This pest kills stressed and healthy trees and is so aggressive that ash trees may die within two years after they become infested. It is possible for EAB to infest an ash tree for up to four years before visible signs of decline in the tree occur.
EAB now poses a serious threat to Colorado’s urban and community forests, where ash trees comprise an estimated 15 percent or more of all trees. The Metro Denver area alone has approximately 1.45 million ash trees, which provide an estimated $82 million annually in services including stormwater mitigation, energy savings and increased property values.
For communities on Colorado’s Front Range and northeast plains, it’s only a matter of time before this pest will arrive. Without ongoing treatment, any infested tree will die.
The above information is taken from the Colorado State Forest Service website.  For the most current and comprehensive information, please click below to READ MORE.

​The annual event put on by the Snow & Ice Association SIMA will be held in Providence, Rhode Island from June 22 - 25. 

Every year the Building Owners & Managers Association BOMA brings volunteers together to work at Denver Children’s Home and Mount Saint Vincent’s Home.  On Friday June 10th JLS crew members top dressed all of the shrub beds with new recycled wood mulch, planted annuals, shaped shrubbery & removed several dead trees.  While other BOMA volunteers provided spring cleaning and painting of interior areas of the building.