How the Changing Climate is Affecting Wildflowers and Pollinators in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

Wednesday, March 6 | 6PM | Third Street Center, Carbondale
Thursday, March 7 | 6PM | Hallam Lake, Aspen

Snowpack and snowmelt dates strongly influence the timing and abundance of wildflowers in this region. And as climate change influences these variables, wildflower communities are changing. These effects then influence the bumble bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, ants, flies, and other animals that rely on and pollinate wildflowers. Dr. David Inouye has studied these interactions for 45 years, and has many interesting stories to tell about them. Do you know what wildflower can live to be a hundred years old and then flowers once and dies? Or which one depends on ants to defend its flowers from herbivores? What about a wildflower that can cause sheep to birth cyclopic lambs? Come learn about these wildflowers you can see for yourself this summer.

Dr. David Inouye has worked at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, since 1971, where he still oversees one of the longest studies of the timing and abundance of flowering in the world.

Naturalist Nights are made possible through a partnership between Wilderness Workshop, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), and Roaring Fork Audubon. In addition, we thank the following sponsors for their support of the Naturalist Nights program”