Anyone who has walked about in the low hills this spring has probably come across profuse clusters of yellow wildflowers in an abundance never noticed before. I first saw them on the side hills to Fort Canyon, north of Alpine, but they have been exploding all along the Wasatch mountains, and from what I have learned, throughout the entire West.
I contacted Pam Poulson, manager of environmental education at Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, and she told me that there are two yellow wildflowers that are the cause of it all. They are very similar and people often mistake them for one another. She then went on to explain the differences. After her description, I went back up Fort Canyon to draw, and then it was easy to tell them apart.The first to appear in the spring is the arrowleaf balsamroot. It began blossoming toward the latter part of April and has been in full bloom throughout the month of May. By the first part of June, it will have faded.
Its nearly leafless stalks rise from 8 to 24 inches in height and are capped with yellow flowers resembling sunflowers, only a little smaller. It receives its name from the arrowhead shape of its leaves. Its scientific name is Balsamorhiza saggitata. (Balsamorhiza is the genus or plant group name, which means balsam root, basically. Saggitata is the species name for this specific flower. It means "arrow-leafed." To anyone born between Nov. 22 and Dec. 21 this name may ring a bell because it comes from the astrological sign of Sagittarius - "The Archer").
Its leaves rise on naked stems from a thick taproot. They can be quite large, are sage green and fuzzy. This is the best way to distinguish them from the second flower, whose common name is mules ears. The mules ears' leaves (shaped like mules ears or, to some people, rabbit's ears) are rich green and very glossy. There will often be several flowers on a single stalk, and the leaves, which are attached to the stalk, often rise higher than the flowers.
All of this descriptive information is helpful, since the two species intermingle on the slopes. They thrive at an altitude of about 5,500 to 7,500 feet. An easy way to think of it is that they grow between the mountains and the valleys. Once you get above the highest homes you will start to run across them.
Poulson also informed me that the reason we seldom noticed them before is because they typically do not bloom nearly as profusely as they are doing this year. Since both are perennials, they are always present at the parent root and will generally blossom lightly, with only a timid flower or two, so they are not very noticeable. But this year's heavy rainfall, probably in a perfect window of time, has caused them to explode in a reign of color, with several flowers emerging on every plant.
The arrowleaf balsamroot is subsiding now, but the mules ears are just coming into full flower. Last year they bloomed into the third week in June, so the next couple of weeks should be gang-busters.
Plants have Latin names simply as a point of reference. By describing the plant in a dead language, which will not change, scientists all over the world can communicate clearly without confusion.
The scientific name for mules ears is Wyethia amplexicaulis. Wyethia is named after Capt. Nathaniel J. Wyeth, an early fur trader who established the first American fort and fur trading post in the Northwest near Pocatello. Amplexicaulis is easy to decipher after a peek in the dictionary: "Amplexus" comes from "entwine" and "caulis" means "stem." In other words, the leaves embrace the stem.
Both flowers belong to the sunflower-daisy-aster family.
Another little tidbit: Poulson says both flowers are from a grouping known as "increaser plants." They increase under the influence of sheep grazing. Because the sheep don't eat it, it soon takes over and there is little bio-diversity, which is bad. If you see a lot of increaser plants in an area, you can bet the area had a lot of sheep grazing at one time.
Sego lilies, for example (our state flower), which thrive in the same area as the other two and is not an increaser plant, suffered badly from early grazing practices and only now are making a gradual comeback.
With all the moisture we have received, this year is bound to be a wildflower bonanza. If you have any questions about the flowers you see on Utah slopes, call the Wildflower Hotline: 581-IRIS.
Dennis Smith is an artist and writer living in Highland, Utah County.