Zion
National Park Flora
It’s no wonder that Zion National Park has been called a botanic marvel. From the cactus found on the dry desert floor to the mossy gardens growing from the springs leaking down the sand stone cliffs, Zion National Park offers an amazing cross section of plant life.
Many types of trees can be found growing along the Virgin River and out of the cracks in the sandstone cliffs located in Zion National Park. The river offers a damp and welcome place for box elder, willow, cottonwood and ash trees. These wonderful groves of trees give the park a full array of seasonal colors. The happy pastels of springs blossoms and budding new leaves can be found throughout the park from mid-March until mid-May. Summer brings dark green leaves to the canyon. Autumn fills the park with vibrant orange, gold, yellow and red. Fall colors can be seen in the park as late as November each year. Winter colors at Zion National Park are more muted, but just as beautiful. The wonderful grays and tans seen during the final season of the year give the landscape of the park a dramatic feel.
Flowers are abundant in the park during the spring and summer seasons. Spring brings a pallet of color to Zion Canyon. Pastel colored blooms burst from the trees along the river. Wildflowers are scattered throughout the meadows of the park and entice insects with the reds, yellows, purples, oranges and whites of their flower.
Flower types found in Zion National Park include:
- Sand buttercup
- Indian paintbrush
- Chorispora
- Orchid
- Sego lily
- Columbine
- Monkey flower
- And many, many more.
It’s juniper, pinion pine, oak and Manzanita trees that can be seen clinging to life on the steep sandstone cliffs. Many a person has wondered why they choose to grow in such a precarious spot; and how they can survive with so little water. These questions may just remain forever unanswered.
Cactus also blooms in the spring and several types of cactus, yucca and sagebrush thrive in Zion Canyon.
Summer brings heat and wild sunflowers can still be seen smiling through the heat of the day, the blooms of most plants either fade or only open in the cool of the evening. Primrose, four o'clock, spiderwort and sacred datura are a few just a few of the flowers found blooming in the midnight sun.
A wide variety of ferns and mosses can be found growing in and around the springs that leak from the sandstone walls of the canyon. To find see these unlikely desert plants visitors should hike the Emerald Pools, Narrows or Weeping Rock trails. Marshes have emerged from the Virgin River giving life to wild grasses and cattails. These fantastic plants can be seen from the road and along several walking trails in Zion National Park.
This is but a few of the more than 800 native plant species that can be found throughout Zion National Park. Visitors to the park are encouraged to take time to see the plant life that adds so much to this scenic wonderland called Zion.
