Yellow Cinquefoil in Rocky Mountain National Park

Close-up of a yellow Cinquefoil flower

It is wildflower season in the mountains of Colorado.  Flowers of every color imagineable are scattered in meadows, on mountain slopes, beside streams, and along hiking trails.  I spotted this pretty yellow Cinquefoil (Potentilla sp.) at an elevation of nearly 8,700 feet, beside a trail  near Sprague Lake  in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Cinquefoils belong to the Rose family (Rosaceae).  The Cinquefoil in these photos -- exact species uncertain -- grows low to the ground.  Other species have stems that may be more than a foot tall.  In some areas Cinquefoils are considered to be noxious weeds, invading gardens and agricultural fields.  To hikers in the high Rockies, these Cinquefoils are seen simply as delightful yellow wildflowers.

Yellow Cinquefoil growing in Rocky Mountain National Park