Radiant Cottonwood – Colorado

Radiant Cottonwood – Foothills, Colorado

A shining autumn sun filters through the radiant leaves and twisted boughs of a cottonwood cluster. The cottonwood is a predominately riparian tree whose roots are never far from the water table. This ensemble of trees has made its home at the edge of Colorado’s foothills and within the confines of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. Consisting of more than 45,000 acres of mountains and prairie, the parks receive over 5 million visitors a year, a testament to the motto “Preserve it and they will come.”