Photo gallery: It’s not too late to stop and smell the Southern Utah wildflowers

Written by Alysha Lundgren
June 20, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Spring brought fields of vibrant orange globemallows, iconic poppy blooms and other colorful blossoms to Southern Utah. With summer’s arrival, the time to view many of these species has passed. But locals shouldn’t fret — it’s not too late to stop and smell the wildflowers.

A prickly pear cactus wears a crown of yellow petals in Zion National Park, Utah, June 16, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Cactuses from St. George to New Harmony to Zion National Park bloom in soft pinks and yellows, attracting hungry pollinators and tortoises.

Lupine and fleabane blossom in soft pastels, contrasting more vibrant red ipomopsis, orange butterfly milkweed and straggling mallows.

Yarrow overtakes the edges of trails and the fenceline at Washington County’s New Harmony trailhead. Bees buzz, and butterflies flutter around the small, white flowers. Fuschia sweet peas escape the garden, growing in bunches on the roadside.

Royal penstemon found on Zion’s east side grows in a showy deep purple, heavily contrasted with its pastel counterpart, Palmer’s penstemon, that blooms near a babbling brook and creeky bridge in New Harmony.

Whitestem paper flowers bloom in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, St. George, Utah, June 8, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

Sweet clover dominates the fields and street sides across Southern Utah, blooming yellow on the road to Zion’s east entrance and throughout Cedar Canyon, where white clover and dandelions speckle lush, green fields.

In Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, paper flowers blossom in gentle whites and yellows against stark red stone at the edges of sandy pathways.

As the temperatures rise, many blooming species will go to seed, drying under the summer sun, so Southern Utahns shouldn’t wait to hit the trails.

However, as the seasons change, new wildflowers will blossom in their place, filling the desert air with their sweet scents.

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alysha Lundgren joined the St. George News team in 2022. She began her career as a freelancer, writing resource articles for families of children with disabilities. She's also covered topics such as astronomy, recreation and nature. Originally from Nevada, Alysha fell in love with Utah quickly after moving to Cedar City. In her free time, she enjoys wandering and photographing Utah's gorgeous landscapes or hunkering down in a blanket to play video games or read a good book.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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