Front Range Map

What is the Colorado Front Range? 

What Area Does It Include? 

The Colorado Front Range extends from the Colorado-Wyoming border south to Pueblo and from the Continental Divide east to the plains. It includes Larimer, Boulder, Broomfield, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Denver, Douglas, Park, Teller, El Paso, Fremont, and Pueblo counties.  

Life Zones of the Colorado Front Range 

As you travel from the plains into the mountains, the landscape changes dramatically. Temperature, precipitation, and vegetation change with elevation, creating different life zones—areas with their own characteristic plants and wildlife.

These changes are important to butterflies because caterpillars depend on particular host plants for food. As the vegetation changes from the plains to the alpine, so do the butterflies that live there.

The Colorado Front Range includes five major life zones:

Plains / Grassland (3,500–5,500 feet)

The plains are generally warm, dry, and open, with grasslands, prairie plants, and agricultural areas. Common plants include blue grama grass and prickly pear cactus. Butterflies you may see: Viceroy, Black Swallowtail, and Checkered White.

Foothills (5,500–8,000 feet)

The foothills are a transition between the plains and mountains. Rocky slopes, open areas, and forests of scrub oak, mountain mahogany, piñon pine, and ponderosa pine provide a variety of butterfly habitats. Butterflies you may see: Colorado Hairstreak, Anise Swallowtail, and Hoary Elfin.

Montane (8,000–10,000 feet)

Cooler and wetter conditions support forests of ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, and aspen. Open meadows, streams, and forest clearings provide habitat for many butterflies. Butterflies you may see: Western Tiger Swallowtail, Weidemeyer's Admiral, and Green Comma.

Subalpine (10,000–11,500 feet)

Long, cold winters and short summers create a shorter growing season. Spruce and fir forests surround open mountain meadows where hardy plants and butterflies thrive. Butterflies you may see: Ruddy Copper, Mormon Fritillary, and Common Alpine.

Alpine / Tundra (Above 11,500 feet)

Above the tree line, conditions are cold, windy, and challenging. Trees cannot grow here. Instead, low-growing wildflowers, sedges, and lichens cover the ground. Butterflies you may see: Rocky Mountain Parnassian, Mead's Sulphur, and Grizzled Skipper.