Mother Nature's Garden
Submitted May 15, 2019 at 12:00 PM
While the cultivated gardens are showing off their palette of colors, so are the plants growing in our Natural Area. As you hike on the Natural Area's five miles of trails, take time to appreciate Mother Nature's garden of flowers all around.
Low Cryptantha Cryptantha humilis
You'll find this beautiful white flower growing in the really rocky areas on the tops of hills.
Longleaf Phlox Phlox longifolia
These five-petaled pink flowers dot the hillside for several weeks every spring.
Arrowleaf Balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata
This native in the aster family (Asteraceae), is a sign that spring has definitely arrived. When you come across this beauty, be sure to smell its sunflower-like inflorescence. It smells just like chocolate!
Fernleaf Biscuitroot Lomatium dissectum
Reaching several feet tall, this perennial attracts a variety of pollinators including wasps, bees, beetles, and butterflies.
Bitterbrush Purshia tridentata
Soft yellow flowers cover this important foothill shrub. It is a major food source for Mule Deer.
Mules-ear Wyethia amplexicaulis
Often confused with Arrowleaf Balsamroot, you can tell it apart from its cousin by looking at the leaves. Mules-ear leaves are almost elliptical, while Arrowleaf Balsamroot leaves are arrow-shaped.
Foothill Death Camas Zigadenus paniculatus
From its poisonous bulb, this spring beauty sends up stiff green leaves, followed by delicate white flowers.
After your hike through the Natural Area, don't forget to meander through our cultivated gardens to take in the beauty our Red Butte horticulturists work so hard to make happen.
