10 Kinds of PINK Wildflowers in Utah (w/Pics)
Did you find a PINK wildflower in Utah?
If so, I’m sure you’re wondering what type of wildflower you found! Luckily, you can use this guide to help you identify it. 🙂
Please be aware that today I’m ONLY listing and focusing on the most COMMON pink wildflowers. There are so many species, varieties, and subspecies that it would be impossible to name them all. But if you want to dive deeper into all the pink wildflowers in Utah, check out this field guide!
Today, we will look at 10 different PINK wildflowers found in Utah.
#1. Swamp Milkweed
- Asclepias incarnata
Also known as: Pink Milkweed
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-11
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-72 in (61-183 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Swamp Milkweed is a native pink wildflower in Utah.
It grows in wet meadows and along lakeshores. Look for its clusters of deep pink flowers to identify it.
If you want a variety of pollinators to visit your garden, Swamp Milkweed is the ideal wildflower to plant. Its clusters of fragrant flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. The leaves are an incredibly important food source for Monarch caterpillars.
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RELATED: 13 Types of BUTTERFLIES in Utah! (ID Guide)
#2. Spreading Dogbane
- Apocynum androsaemifolium
Also known as: Fly-trap Dogbane, Bitterroot
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-9
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-60 in (61-152 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Full Shade
As you might have guessed from its name, Spreading Dogbane is a prolific grower, which is why you’ll find it widespread across both North America and Europe. It’s called “dogbane” because it is highly poisonous to dogs (and humans too).
Spreading Dogbane has small, pink bell-shaped flowers and a scent similar to lilac. Look for this pink wildflower in Utah in the sandy soil of streambanks.
#3. Crown Vetch
- Securigera varia
Also known as: Purple Crownvetch, Crownvetch
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-72 in (30-183 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Even though the large, pink clover-like blooms of Crown Vetch are beautiful, this plant is invasive in North America. Native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, Crown Vetch was introduced locally to be used as a groundcover in controlling soil erosion.
This pink wildflower grows in Utah on sunny, sandy banks where it can push out less hardy plants.
If you plant Crown Vetch on your property, choose an isolated location far away from flower gardens. Don’t forget to control its growth so it doesn’t spread to other areas and invade native species and ecosystems.
#4. Wild Mint
- Mentha arvensis
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-8
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 3.9-39 in (10-99 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Light Shade
Wild Mint is a native wildflower with dense clusters of lavender, pink, or white bell-shaped flowers. Like other species of mint, the fragrance is most potent when the leaves are damaged.
Look for this pink wildflower in Utah in wetlands with partial sunlight. It grows best on stream and river banks.
#5. Fireweed
- Chamerion angustifolium
Also known as: Willow Herb
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-8
- Life Cycle: Annual or Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 18-120 in (46-305 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring and Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
True to its name, Fireweed is a resilient plant that will be the first to grow in clearings recently devastated by forest fires. In fact, Fireweed was seen growing throughout Washington State one year after Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.
To find Fireweed, look for striking spikes of purplish-pink flowers covering a landscape. Hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies like to feed on this pink wildflower in Utah.
#6. Deptford Pink
- Dianthus armeria
Also known as: Grass Pink
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8a
- Life Cycle: Annual or Biennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-30 in (30-76 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The blooms of the Deptford Pink may be tiny, but they make up for their small size with their gorgeous coloring. A closer look at the petals will reveal an intricately dotted pattern of pink, white, and purple.
Deptford Pink is native to Europe, but this pink wildflower is a naturalized species in Utah. It grows so well that it can take over roadsides, ditches, and fields.
Although the nectar is attractive to butterflies, skippers, and bees, Deptford Pink is a self-pollinating plant that doesn’t rely much on these insects.
#7. Trailing Phlox
- Phlox nivalis
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 4-12 in (10-30 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
In the wild, look for this pink wildflower in Utah in sandy pine and oak barrens.
Trailing Phlox envelops the ground with mounds of pink, purple, and white flowers in spring. You can use it as a hardy groundcover and a food source for early pollinators emerging from their winter hibernation.
This plant will beautifully trail down from hanging baskets and attract hummingbirds to your garden. Trailing Phlox practically thrives on neglect, making it the ideal ornamental plant if you are a beginner or you don’t have a green thumb.
#8. Showy Evening-Primrose
- Oenothera speciosa
Also known as: Showy Primrose
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-9
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 10-24 in (25-61 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The Showy Evening-Primrose is one of the most striking pink wildflowers in Utah. It can paint entire landscapes pink and white, and its fragrant blooms open in the evening, as its name suggests.
You can raise Showy Evening-Primrose as an ornamental in your garden, but you might want to contain it in pots because it grows fast and can quickly become invasive. In addition, the flowers are a favorite of moths, while finches eat the seeds.
#9. Everlasting Pea
- Lathyrus latifolius
Also known as: Perennial Pea, Perennial Peavine
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-9
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 60-120 in (152-305 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The Everlasting Pea is a frost-hardy vine that requires little care and grows like a weed when not controlled. It is native to Europe but has been naturalized in North America since the 1700s. Look for this pink wildflower in Utah on sunny banks with clay-rich soil.
The long tendrils and purplish-pink flowers of the Everlasting Pea look beautiful when climbing trellises or fences in your garden. You can also use it as a sprawling groundcover for banks and slopes.
Butterflies and bees find the pea-shaped blooms attractive. The vibrant colors will fade to white as the Everlasting Pea matures.
#10. Obedient Plant
- Physostegia virginiana
Also known as: Obedience, False Dragonhead, Virginia Lions-heart
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-10
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-48 in (61-122 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The Obedient Plant is named for the flowers that will stay in position if you push or bend them to one side. Look for the blushing pink or lilac flowers clustered along stiff stems, which grow to about four feet high.
This pink wildflower in Utah grows in prairies, meadows, and unused fields. Plant it in your garden beds and borders to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. As its species name Virginiana hints, the Obedient plant is native to Virginia and other nearby states.
Which of these pink wildflowers have you seen before in Utah?
Leave a comment below!
