The Land Provides

Geoheritage Highlight!

This geologic landscape has provided for the livelihood of the people who lived here beginning with the earliest human inhabitants. Archaeological evidence at Florissant shows that people were living in this valley at least 6,000 to 8,000 years ago. They lived on what the land provided and used the rocks in this valley to make stone tools. Native tribes still feel a strong connection to this area today.

 

A land of plenty if one knows where to look!

NPS/SIP: Mariah Slovacek

A Ute Perspective on the Florissant Valley

"This is such a rich valley—the whole area is. Coming here into this valley—it's so green and lush and who wouldn't want to be here? This is a great area, kind of like a cultural grocery store. It is a very unique place, very special. Ancestral Utes knew the territory way better than I do. They knew the seasonal rounds and how to survive as they moved through these areas, the safest way and when to move, and at what time. We knew how and when to harvest certain plants and hunt animals in specific areas."

Betsy Chapoose, 2017
Northern Ute Cultural Rights and Protection Director

 

A close up of a common juniper.

Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org

Common Juniper

Juniperus communis
Ute Name: wahup

General use(s): Food.

A small shrub that grows close to the ground in the monument, it has needles and grows waxy berry-like cones that turn dark as they ripen.

 

A dandelion seed head and yellow flower heads.

Charles T. Bryson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Dandelion

Taraxum officianale
Ute Name: mo-mûn ti-ad-qsûp

General Use(s): Food

Usually considered a weed in lawns and gardens.

 

Dock with seeds.

Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org

Dock

Rumex spp.

General Use(s): Food

Often considered a weed, but with edible leaves when eaten in moderation due to the presence of oxalic acid.

 

Close up of the fringed sage's foliage.

Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, Bugwood.org

Fringed Sage

Artemisia frigida

General Use(s): Medicinal

Aromatic plant that is not actually a true sage and more closely related to asters and dasies.

 

Blooming flower of the Indian paintbrush.

Sean O'Meara

Indian Paintbrush

Castilleja integra
Ute Name: Uka-si-ti; changon-nuhu-nup

A common wildflower that blooms during the summer.

 

Flowering miner's candle plant.

Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org

Miner's Candle

Cryptantha spp.
Ute Name: yú-bi-shad-ûmp

Common Use(s): Medicinal

A flowering herb with a common name that derives from it's resemblance to the candles once used in mines.

 

Trunk of a ponderosa pine.

NPS*

Ponderosa Pine

Pinus ponderosa
Ute Name: uu-vweep

General Use(s): Food; Medicinal; Utilitarian

Common conifer in the monument and a favorite of the Abert's squirrel.

 

Wax Currant

Ribes cereum
Ute Name: poogwep; poo gweep changon-nuhu-nup

General Use(s): Food

The fruits are pectin-rich (a type of fiber that when heated makes gel), making them good for pies and jellies.

 

Close up of a wheatgrass stalk showing individual seeds.

Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org

Wheatgrass

Elymus spp.
Ute Name: o-do-rûm-bîv

General Use(s): Food

Some forms of wheatgrass are still eaten today as they are a popular addition to healthy smoothies.

 

Close up of a blooming wild mint.

Rob Boutledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org

Wild Mint

Mentha arvensis
Ute Name: domount-up; kouerau-nap

Common Use(s): Ceremonial

Aromatic herb that is still often used in teas.

 

Blooming woodland strawberry.

Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service (retired), Bugwood.org

Woodland Strawberry

Fragaria spp.
Ute Name: toovwees; twes; tuwisi

Common Use(s): Food

A variety of wild strawberry that grows red fruits with seeds that project outward rather than being embedded in the surface.