Colorado Front Range Area

A Landscape of Remarkable Diversity

Colorado’s Front Range stretches from the Continental Divide eastward to the Plains, and from the Colorado–Wyoming border south along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains to southern Pueblo County. This expansive region includes Larimer, Boulder, Broomfield, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Denver, Douglas, Park, Teller, El Paso, Fremont, and Pueblo counties.

What makes the Front Range especially extraordinary is its range of habitats. Within a relatively compact area, you’ll find five distinct biological life zones—plains, foothills, montane, subalpine, and alpine. This wide ecological variety helps explain why Boulder County, near the heart of the region, has verified records of 203 butterfly species. Across the broader Front Range, approximately 226 species have been reported, based on data from Butterflies and Moths of North America.

Get Involved!

This website currently features information on only a portion of the species found in the Front Range. Our goal is to grow it into a comprehensive, community-supported resource, with photos and species information representing as many Front Range butterflies as possible.

We warmly invite participation from the butterfly and nature community—professional lepidopterists, nature photographers, butterfly watchers, and curious enthusiasts alike. Your observations, images, expertise, and encouragement help build a shared resource that benefits everyone who loves and studies these remarkable insects.

All submitted images that are approved will be credited to the photographer, with full copyright retained by the original creator. Your contributions truly make a difference, and we’re grateful for your involvement.

Copyright Statement
For further information on copyright and/or use of specific images, please contact us.