Boulder, Colorado, Scenes

We live in Boulder, Colorado, a college town in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Because our town encompasses both foothills and high plains, it offers varied landscapes to entice the photographer.

About this portfolio

Our Boulder portfolio is divided into multiple collections. These collections include photographs of the Flatirons, the iconic Boulder view. Plus, we have a collections of flowers, wildlife, and expansive vistas found in and around our town.

The iconic Flatirons of Boulder

The Flatirons form the town’s western border. As a result they are visible from about anywhere in the city and surrounding areas. And, they are the symbol for the city, appearing on the municipal seal.

A southeast view of the Boulder, Colorado, Flatirons taken from the South Mesa Trail near NCAR.

A gnarly pine tree bows over to perfectly frame a Flatiron in the foorhills of Boulder, Colorado.

This non-traditional view of the Boulder, Colorado, Flatirons was taken from the southeast.

This is a view of the rock formation called the Devils thumb that is located in the foothills on the west side of Boulder, Colorado.

This panoramic view of the Flatirons on the western edge of Boulder, Colorado, was taken from US 36.

This is a view of the Flatirons on the west side of Boulder, Colorado, during a light snowstorm.

The First Flatiron on the west side of Boulder, Colorado, is barely visible through the snow and clouds.

Snow dusts the Flatirons on a cold morning in Boulder, Colorado.

Winter clouds drape over the Flatirons west of Boulder, Colorado.

The Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado, are barely visible in the early spring snow storm.

The morning sun lights up the Flatirons of Boulder, Colorado, dispersing the morning fog.

The rise of the Rocky Mountains created the Flatirons we see today. Sixty-five million years ago the present-day Rocky Mountains forced their way up through the many layers of overlying rock. As a result, these layers went from horizontal to tilting upward, resting against the new Rockies. Over the eons, the younger, softer rock eroded away, leaving the harder, more resilient sandstone formation we call the Flatirons.

Flowers and plants of Boulder

Even though the town is on the high western plains, nestled among the mountain foothills, it has diverse flora: both wild and domestic.

Some Western Wallflowers waving in the wind on a summer morning in Betasso Preserve just outside Boulder, Colorado.

This yellow and peach-colored Dutch tulip catched the early morning spring light in Boulder, Colorado.

This portrait of a yellow tulip highlights the faint red edge of its petals.

A double yellow tulip pokes up through a bed of white-flowered ground cover.

These apple blossoms are pretty in pink along a sidewalk in Boulder, Colorado.

Spring crab apple blossoms vie with apple blossoms to fill the neighborhood with a profusion of color in Boulder, Colorado.

This pink and yellow tulip is open and awaiting some honey bees.

This hornet's nest eas in a Cottonwood tree along a trail at Twin Lake in Boulder, Colorado.

Fall sunlight highlights thistles along the trail at Twin Lakes

These dahlias were growing along the sidewalk in the Mapleton Hill Neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado.

These late summer sweet peas add color to a fence row in Boulder, Colorado.

A honey bee is dusted with pollen from a sunflower.

A Honey Bee lifts off from a Trumpet Vine blossom with a full load of pollen.

This blooming Swamp Milkweed, or Asclepias Incarnata, grows in a wet area on Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, Colorado.

Sumac leaves turn orange and red in the autumn in Boulder, Colorado.

Water dripsfrom the needles of a pine bough in the mountains above Boulder, Colorado.

A mild spring ensures that the crabapple trees have abundant blooms.

This hairy Pasque Flower is the first up in our garden in the spring.

A honey bee gathers pollen in the venter of a cornflower that is growing in a garden in Boulder, Colorado.

A lone cornflower is slowly fading in a garn in Boulder, Colorado.

Two volunteer sunflowers grow along the sidewalk in the Mapleton Hill Neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado.

A yellow and red tulip nods its head on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado.

Portrait of a tulip in the Mapleton Hill neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado.

A lovely clump of Purple Fringe with abandoned mining equipment in the background.

The pink flowering crabapples are at their height in late April in Boulder, Colorado.

This is a portrait of a purple-fringed tulip growing in a bed on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado.

Close-up of Crab Apple Blossoms in Boulder Colorado

Maple trees and Virginia Creeper turn brilliant red in the fall in Mapleton Hill Neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado.

These are links to more Colorado flora:

Animal life around the area

Here are some photos we took of dogs, foxes, various fish species, and insects from our walks around town.

An urban red fox poses on a green lawn among yellow fall leaves.

A beautiful red fox lives around a home in the Mapleton Hills neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado.

These bison are grazing in a field near Rabbit Mountain just outside the city of Boulder, Colorado.

A gray squirrel pokes his head around a maple tree in the Mapleton Hill Neighborhood of Boulder, Colorado.

Three Pelicans Swim in Formation in Walden Pond in Boulder, Colorado.

This hornet's nest is in a Cottonwood tree along a trail at Twin Lake in Boulder, Colorado.

A tattered hornet's nest testifies to the hard winter in Boulder, Colorado.

Butterfly Pavillion in Broomfield, Colorado.

A Golden Retriever sits in a chair by a window looking out for its owner to return.

The end of summer is celebrated in Boulder, Colorado, by allowing dogs to take over Scott Carpenter pool in early September.

An orange Hibiscus bloom hangs over a goldfish pond at the Butterfly Pavillion in Broomfield, Colorado.

Several trout swim around in a pool in Boulder, Colorado.

Here are some additional photographs of Colorado fauna from the San Juan Mountains.

Expansive vistas around the area

Boulder is picturesque. Here are some of our favorite landscapes from within town, as well as from the many of the surrounding parks.

This old barn with solos and elevator is located on Niwot Road off the Diagonal Highway in Boulder, Colorado.

Golden reflections mark the fall season around Twin Lakes in Boulder, Colorado.

Trees cast a shadow on the icy surface of Coot Lake in Boulder, Colorado.

Hikers and dogs enjoy the trail around Coot Lake in Boulder, Colorado.

Golden reflections mark the fall season along Boulder Creek in Boulder, Colorado.

Rays from the setting sun break through heavy clouds in Walden Ponds Wildlife Preserve near Boulder, Colorado.

Trees along Boulder Creek are reflected in one of the fish ponds

Setting sun with crepuscular rays over Eldorado Canyon in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains near Boulder, Colorado.

The setting sun over Eldorado Canyon in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains off the Boulder Turnpike, near Boulder, Colorado.

Storm clouds loom over Longs Peak as seen from east of Boulder, Colorado.

As the sun sets along the Front Range of Colorado, clouds and grasses are reflected in the still waters of one of the ponds at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat in Boulder Colorado.

A log is reflected in some ice-free water at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat in Boulder, Colorado.

Purchasing our photographs

All of our scenic photographs are available as fine art prints. Use the contact form to the right to get more information. Or, go to our Fine Art Print page to learn about various pricing options.