Ladybugs cover a tree on Green Mountain in Boulder, by Deb Stanley
Ladybug fans need to find time quickly to hike Green Mountain in Boulder. Several rocks and trees on the summit of the peak are covered in ladybugs. (see Slideshow.)
Naturalists with Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks say this is an annual event, although this year the peak seems to have the most ladybugs experts have seen in a long time.
Green Mountain sits above the flatirons in Boulder. There are several trails that lead to the summit, but the shortest is the Green Mountain West Ridge trail. Take Baseline Road through Boulder. Just past Chautauqua, Baseline becomes Flagstaff Road. Zero your odometer and watch for a pull-off on the side of the road 4.5 miles up Flagstaff Road. You should see a sign that talks about a $3 parking fee on the other side of the road. Park outside the parking fee area sign. Take the trail a hundred feet or so to the trailhead sign that says "Welcome to Green Mountain." This is the Green Mountain West Ridge trail.
The West Ridge trail goes up and down as it winds through the trees 1.2 miles to a trail split. Stay on the West Ridge trail another 0.2 miles to the summit. That last 0.2 of a mile is steep, with a lot of stairs.
At the summit, enjoy the view of Boulder. Then turn directly around and look at the rocks and trees. Look carefully at the red smears that look almost like moss, you should see thousands of ladybugs.
Green Mountain is at 8,144 feet. From the summit, look for Bear and South Boulder Peaks to the south.
The ladybug show is only expected to last a few more days.
Details: 2.8 miles roundtrip. Click here for a trail map.
Other Boulder trails: Bear Peak, Doudy Draw, Boulder Flatirons, Hall Ranch, Royal Arch, South Mesa Trail, Chautauqua, NCAR, Eldorado Canyon State Park, Marshall Mesa, North foothills trailhead, Flatirons Vista
Want more trails? Here's an extensive list.
If you have any questions, visit my home page and click on "bio" to email me. To get notified when I publish a new article, click on the "subscribe" button at the top of this article or follow me "HikingDebbie" on Twitter.
Comments
Great Article & Photo! New blog on Hx. of the Ladybug go to eblogger dot com and search using historyoftheladybug
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