River Currents Blog

By Julie Trevelyan

People often think of deserts as barren wastelands. Nothing could be farther from the truth in Utah. Whether you take a river rafting vacation down an awesome canyon like Cataract or do some mountain biking on the White Rim Trail, the spring months tend toward an explosion of unexpected yet very colorful desert wildflowers. Here are some of the fabulous, delicate, showy, beautiful blooms you might see on a Holiday Expeditions trip this spring.

Tall, lush, and providing welcome shade on those warm days, cottonwood trees seem incongruous in the desert. They love lots of water so are found along streambeds, even ones that seem dry.

Indian Paintbrush

This lovely dusty-red plant pops up all over the desert. Since it is root parasitic, you’ll often see it nestled right beside another plant, such as sagebrush, from which it takes nutrients.

Claret Cup Cactus

Vivid and stunning in their display, these flowers cluster to this tightly-packed cactus and are sure to catch your eye. Usually found on sage-dotted plains and scattered through pinyon-juniper forests.

Globemallow

Very commonly found alongside highways, this gently bobbing flower also lends its soft color to washes and canyon bottoms.

Sunflower

These cheerful sun worshippers often plant themselves in the rocky soil on hillsides.

Yellow Beeplant and Scorpionweed

As indicated, Beeplant attract bees! The purple Scorpionweed curls just slightly at its ends like the tail of a scorpion. Found in sandy to clay soils, they both offer a carefree, happy color to any landscape.

Columbine

This stunning, delicate flower bursts out in colorful display near water sources, such as those rare streams in the desert.

Buckwheat

Specifically called Cushion Buckwheat, these flowers seem soft as cottonballs. You’ll find this plant from pinyon-juniper areas all the way up to mountainous alpine regions.

Prince’s Plume

Stately and regal, this perennial dots hillsides amongst desert scrub and pinyon-juniper areas.

Yucca

This distinctive plant stretches up to the sky in little pockets all over. Historically, yucca was often used to make soap.

Fremont Barberry

Growing up to seven feet tall and often just as wide, this pretty shrub has spines, so beware. You can see its blooms April through July in canyons or desert hillsides.

Fishhook Cactus

Aptly-named for its hooked spines, this cactus also sports flowers that range from palest lemon to deep lilac. Often seen on benches clinging to sandy soil.

Evening Primrose

These Lavenderleaf Sundrops are part of the evening primrose family. They pop up from sandy soil and like to make small but glorious carpets of color on the desert sands.

Juniper Tree

Junipers are ubiquitous in the desert Southwest. Always found growing near pinyon trees, the juniper is a hardy shrub that is often miscalled as a “cedar” tree.

Sego Lily

Utah’s state flower, this gorgeous, delicate bloom prefers a sandy soil, such as in desert grasslands, or ponderosa forests in higher elevations.

Milkvetch

Many different types of milkvetch call the canyonlands home. This type somehow survives in what seems a very barren soil, and gracefully displays its color.

Utah Daisy

A member of the sunflower family, this pretty purple flower likes sandstone ledges, desert scrub, and just lounging around the desert adding nice color.

Milkweed

This eye-catching plant enjoys rooting into bottomlands and near riparian areas. Considered poisonous, it’s a lovely one to look at but not touch.

Fireweed

Part of the evening primrose family, fireweed enjoys sinking its roots into recently burned or cleared areas. Growing up to nine feet tall, it also likes to pop up by streambeds.