Wildflower Hunting in the American Southwest - Utah

Utah Wildflowers

Utah Wildflowers

Utah is yet another state with diverse environments. There are mountains and deserts. Depending on the elevation wildflower season may be Spring or Summer.

Zion National Park - Although Fall is my favorite season for visiting Zion, the park, with adequate rain, can erupt in wildflowers. Watch the Zion website for announcements. Zion is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a place of refuge or sanctuary. Protected within the park's 229 square miles is a dramatic landscape of sculptured canyons and soaring cliffs. Zion is located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert provinces. This unique geography and the variety of life zones within the park make Zion significant as a place of unusual plant and animal diversity.

Salt Lake City - Here is an article listing more places for wildflowers near Salt Lake City. Albion Basin is notorious. The parking lot is very small, so in order to get a spot during prime time (usually late July to early August), you have to get there by around 6:00am or go later in the day.

Bryce Canyon - June is the best time for Bryce Canyon since it is a little higher in elevation.

Official Wildflowers

Utah's State flower is the Sego Lily. In 1992 when the wildflower series of U.S. stamps was issued, the Sego Lily was featured for Utah. According to the American Meadows website, The Sego Lily has been in favor since the days of the early Mormon pioneers. They found, from the Ute Indians, the bulblike roots of the plant were a satisfactory addition to their dwindling food supply. The Sego Lily grows from a short bulblike fleshy stem called a corm, which grows underground. The plant’s few bluish-green leaves are long and narrow. The flowers are about two inches across, and two or three of them may be borne on the stiff slender stem. Its lovely hues and markings have earned this lily the name mariposa, a Spanish word meaning butterfly.

Arizona Wildflowers
New Mexico Wildflowers
Utah Wildflowers
Colorado Wildflowers