|
 This
spectacular waterfall descends forty feet over large granite boulders
and under three massive log bridges into a pool that represents
the many beautiful sub-alpine pools fed by snowmelt and springs
in the Rocky Mountains and other mountain regions throughout the
world. The patio offers dramatic views of the Alpine Rock Garden
and its signature waterfall and is home to more than twenty beautiful
weddings each season.
back
to map
 Although
called the bog garden, this garden actually represents a Colorado
fen; a wetland that accumulates partially decayed plant matter or
peat. Fens are the only type of peatland in Colorado; they have
constant movement of water unlike bogs, which have no inflow or
outflow and which support acid loving plants such as sphagnum moss.
This wetland garden is made up of plants that tolerate
year round saturation and are adapted to these anaerobic (low oxygen)
conditions. 'Grasslike' plants such as sedges and rushes dominate
this ecosytem. Many of the common Colorado sedges grow in the garden,
like Carex nebraskensis, C. uticulata and C. microptera
and the common rushes Juncus tenuis and J. arcticus.
The cottony heads of the rare Eriophorum altaicum, the pink
flowers of Mimulus lewisii and the blue starlike flowers
of Sisyrichium angustifolium add color to this green meadow.
A "wetland" is the transitional land between terrestrial
(uplands) and aquatic (open water) systems where the water table
is usually at or near the surface. Or put more simply; a land area
that tends to be wet or is regularly flooded and has a water table
that is at or above the surface for at least part of the year.
Wetlands play very important
ecological roles in the landscape. They provide wildlife habitat,
improve water quality, control floodwater and recharge groundwater.
 In
the United States alone we are losing between 70,000 to 90,000 acres
of wetlands annually. Some of the causes are; drainage for agricultural
purposes, development, dredging and stream channelization, logging
and mining and releasing toxic chemicals, just to name a few. The
diminishing wetlands have a critical impact to the life of animals
and plants. More attention is usually given to the animals in a
wetland, but the role of the plants is a vital one. Not only are
plants a fundamental link in the food webs of a wetland, but also
provide critical shelter for young organisms, for structural stabilization
and for water retention in the system.
Did you know?
There are an estimated 1 million acres of wetlands remaining in
the state of Colorado and 170 rare species depend on the wetlands.
back to
map
| 
