Utah milkvetch in flower

Description:

On of the earlier native plant species to flower in the area is Utah milkvetch, Astragalus utahensis (Torr.) Torr. & Gray. Sometimes it is also referred to as Utah ladyslipper. As Dr. Stan Welsh has indicated, it would have been equally a good choice for Utah's state flower. Note some of last year's now mostly decayed hairy/woolly fruits at the far left.April 13, 2009, Salt Lake County foothills, Olympus Hills park, approx. 4860 ft. elev.The leaves do not ordinarily exceed the height of the inflorescence in this species (although in this picture they do, but that might be due how early in the year this was, and also the rock is helping to prop them up as well); the naked peduncles arise separately from near the base of the plant.