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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Outdoors -> Mueller
 Mueller State Park
A Laboratory of Trees
Our ancestors have walked on this earth for such a short
time it may be impossible for us to truly appreciate conifers. We take them for
granted until beset by beetles or fire. Once gone, they leave a gaping hole like
missing teeth. Our landscape changes dramatically and suddenly we realize why.
Conifers are ancient so we must look at them as highly
successful: evergreen needles constructed to conserve water, tough cones to
protect seeds, quick seedling germination after fire. They predate any flowering
plant and once coexisted with dinosaurs. We know dinosaurs lost their grip on
the earth. But conifers did not. They continued to live among ferns and
mushrooms, lichens and mosses. No need to change much; they were perfect in
every way.
Perhaps that’s why it’s all the more discomforting that
they are in jeopardy. A beetle or drought, perhaps a combination of both, can
fell our conifers. Gardeners plant
them in city and suburban gardens, but most conifers struggle in our cities.
It’s not a natural garden for them. They prefer the quick drainage of a
mountainside. Often they’ll succumb to a watered lawn or crowding between the
street and house foundation or a failure to water at all. Size alone makes them
a chore to accommodate.
According to botanists, trees command such power that they
alone define an ecosystem. Ponderosa pines dominate much of the West as the
signature tree of our forests. They begin at the foot of the Rockies and move up
into the foothills with a mix of shrubs. There they join Douglas-fir. At montane
elevations lodgepole pine meets Engelmann spruce, blue spruce, Douglas-fir,
aspen and a scattering of ponderosas. By the subalpine altitudes, Engelmann
spruce, subalpine fir and limber pine forests take over. Pinyon pines, which can
be found with their juniper friends, won’t be discovered often north of
Colorado Springs but instead spread south and west. In each of these plant
communities unique collections of wildflowers and shrubs grow under the branches
of particular tree communities.
As if to oppose the longevity of conifers, aspen and
cottonwoods are short-lived. Members of the willow family grow quickly and die
quickly. Like shrub willows, they provide food and shelter for a vast assortment
of wildlife. But the soft wood deteriorates. And rather than depend upon a
firmly protected seed, willows will sucker, rejuvenating themselves even as the
mother plant dies.
None of our mountain trees grow particularly robust on the
plains. True, there are a few exceptions, but those go against the rule. Shrubs
and grasses have dominated Colorado’s plains and they continue to flourish
from the foothills to the east as the eye can see.
That’s why non-native trees that appear to fit well with
our demanding conditions have taken hold. Hawthorns and crabapple trees—both
from the rose family—hold a charm that suits our landscape. True, most are not
natives, although we do have native hawthorns, but many dig in and survive not
asking for much. They bloom for pollinating insects and provide shade and homes
for birds.
Trees define a network of other plants and animals that
find shelter. Ponderosa pines promote light-filled, dry slopes where shrubs
flourish. Boulder raspberry, gambel oak and sagebrush join larkspur, creeping
mahonia, pasque flowers, pussytoes, wallflowers and one-sided penstemons. These
wildflowers are as common as Abert’s squirrels and Steller’s jays. On the
northern, or wetter side of a mountain, Douglas-firs may take over. There
you’ll find heartleaf arnica, as well as fairy slipper orchids and bog
wintergreen—two of the most delicate wildflowers. Look for a shrub with glossy
leaves, kinnikinnik, and, with some luck, the great horned owl.
Aspen forests, with dappled shade, support Colorado
columbine, wild roses, chiming bells, the broad-tailed hummingbird and
Weidemeyer’s admiral butterfly, whose caterpillar feeds on aspen. The adult
velvety-black-with-white butterfly blends perfectly with the black-and-white
aspen bark. Unlike conifers, aspen forests collect the decaying leaves of the
aspen trees, turning the forest floor into rich humus promoting the perfect
germination for a roster of wildflowers.
A lodgepole pine forest, with its dense shade is home to
remarkable mushrooms, chanterelles and morels. Here, you’ll find pinedrops, a
parasitic alien-looking plant. It needs no sunlight on the dark forest floor
since it contains no chlorophyll.
Bristlecone pines, which can live 2,000 years or more and
limber pines grow at high altitude under harsh conditions among shrubby
cinquefoil, alpine clover, Whipple’s penstemon, purple fringe and alpine
thistles. Engelmann Spruce and
subalpine fir hug the topmost snowfields, often turning into flag trees—with
all the branches pointing in one direction. The forest is dark but at the edge
where light penetrates, you’ll see Jacobs ladder, globeflower, marsh-marigold,
Parry primrose. On the forest floor, look for the tiny orchids: heart-leaved
twayblade and lady’s tresses.
No tree is more striking than the Colorado blue spruce.
Found in high, cold mountain meadows where water is plentiful, unlike all other
conifers, this tree doesn’t dominate its surroundings. The blue spruce prefers
a solitary space or a small collection gathered apart from other conifers. One
of the best places to enjoy them is Mueller State Park, west of Colorado
Springs, where they line up along old, abandoned forest roads that now double as
hiking trails. And, like so many conifers, 800 years is not too long a life for
these fine trees--providing the environment caters to their needs.
Mueller State Park is an astonishing laboratory of Colorado
trees on 5,000 acres. With over 50 miles of trails, you can hike into zones of
ponderosa, Douglas-fir, aspen, bristlecone pine, limber pine and Engelmann
spruce. Each of these distinct forests opens onto high meadows. The park
personnel list shrubby cinquefoil, Rocky mountain maple, red elderberry,
baneberry, Colorado blue columbine, monkshood, bluebells, golden banner, yarrow
and harebell as growing under the aspen. High mountain meadows a bit drier
include Arizona fescue, needlegrass, blue grama, prairie Junegrass, squirreltail,
milkvetch, locoweed, penstemon, pussytoes and stonecrop.
Natural springs provide wetlands.
In such a varied mountain landscape, birds flourish,
too—about 115 recorded species. Among the most common are the raptors: golden
eagle, red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk goshawk, American kestrel, great horned
owl, turkey vulture. Others include the broad-tailed hummingbird, common
flicker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, hairy woodpecker, Stellar’s jay, Clark’s
nutcracker, mountain chickadee and mountain bluebird.
With its large paved loop for campers, Mueller is a
favorite destination on weekends and holidays. But don’t let that deter you.
Like the blue spruce, you, too, can find a solitary space among the many hiking
trails. As you hike from one forest to another, it’s a perfect opportunity to
take note of the changes from one to the next. Any hiker could spend an entire
summer in this state park.
Trail Information
Mueller State Park
Directions: From Woodland Park (west of Colorado Springs),
take US-24 west for 7 miles to the town of Divide. Turn south on Colorado 67 and
proceed for 3.8 miles to Mueller State Park. The entrance is at 38.8854N,
105.1581W.
Features: The Park has 5,000 acres of dense forests,
rolling meadows, and over 35 trails. This is a stunning landscape, perfect for
watching wildlife and enjoying the trails. Pick up a trail map at the Visitors
Center. I particularly enjoy the trails with an abundance of wildflowers such as
these:
- Preacher’s
Hollow: This is a moderate 1.8-mile loop that circles the Never Never Pond.
- School
Pond: This is an easy 1.6-mile loop around the meadow next to School Pool.
- Elk
Meadow: The moderate, 2.2-mile loop around Peak View Pond with wildlife
views across broad meadows.
More Info: Mueller State Park, PO Box 39, Divide, CO 80814,
719-687-6867, http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/Mueller.
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