Columbine is one of the most beautiful wildflowers.
The plants are found growing in thin soil in limestone outcroppings, sometimes from a crack in the rocks.
The white and lavender Columbine, Aquilegia caerules, was adopted as the official state flower of Colorado on April 4, 1899.
In 1925, the General Assembly made it the duty of all citizens to protect this rare species from needless destruction or waste.
To further protect this fragile flower, the law prohibits digging or uprooting the flower on public lands and limits the gathering of buds, blossoms and stems to 25 in one day.
It is unlawful to pick the columbine on private land without consent of the land owner.
The spurred flowers resembled the tiny doves and came to represent the Holy Spirit.
They were said to have sprung up where Mary's feet touched the earth when she was on her way to visit Elizabeth.
Fallen spurs of the columbine looked like the Virgin Mary's Shoes and received that name.
The flower also symbolized the innocence of Mary.
The petals of the Columbine symbolize the seven gifts of the Spirit.
The wild columbine has only five petals.
Columbine is the symbol of foolishness, based on the flower's resemblance to a jester's cap and bells.
It was considered bad luck to give this flower to a woman.
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