Greenland Open Space 4/7/13

First pasque flowers

We're always on the lookout for the first pasque of spring and these are them, in abundance, in the Greenland Open Space just north of Monument Hill.

Why pasque flowers appear in profusion here, just north of the Palmer Divide, long before they show up in Garden Garden of the Gods is a mystery, though these are soon to be buried in more spring snow.

The open space is bounded by I-25 on the east and railroad tracks with mesas to the west.  The trail is 8 miles round trip.

By far the most prominent marker in an old, Palmer Lake cemetery, incorporated into the open space.  Not  sure this of guy's history but he's been here for over 100 years.

And, so we did.