Schnurr Columbine — 'link'

By J. Peterson

They had found the Schnurr Columbine, alive and thriving, in a micro-habitat less than 200 square feet. The rediscovery was kept secret for five years to prevent poaching. Eventually, the Fennimores worked with the U.S. Forest Service to protect the site. Today, the exact location remains undisclosed to the public, though a small interpretive sign at the Pikes Peak Highway overlook mentions the flower's story. schnurr columbine

"I didn't scream," Eleanor recalled in a 1995 interview. "I just whispered, 'David, come look at this.' He crawled on his hands and knees for ten minutes before he spoke. Then he cried." Eventually, the Fennimores worked with the U

"We thought Dad was crazy," recalls Margaret Fennimore-Torres, now 72. "We’d spend our Fourth of July holidays looking at rocks. My brother called it 'the wildflower that ate our childhood.'" "I didn't scream," Eleanor recalled in a 1995 interview

But in —the same month Apollo 11 landed on the moon—the Fennimores made their own small discovery. High on the northwest flank of Mount Rosa , Eleanor sat down to rest on a boulder. Looking down between her boots, she saw it: a cluster of six pale yellow blooms, each with impossibly long, straight spurs.