Birds
American avocet
An upturned bill, blue-gray legs and a sweeping feeding motion make this wetland shorebird especially distinctive.
Utah wildlife and plants
The animals and plants of Utah's mountain forests, red-rock desert, sagebrush valleys and Great Salt Lake wetlands.
Get to know Utah through the animals and plants that live here. Browse the 63 profiles by habitat or region, compare a species' seasonal habits, and follow the linked agency and university sources when you want to learn more. Start with the landscape you expect to visit, then narrow the list to wildlife or plants.
This is an introduction, not a complete inventory or a field-identification key. A region label describes the range or location a profile's sources support; it does not promise a sighting. Seasonal notes describe general patterns, and we don't publish exact sites for nests, roosts, colonies or rare plants. Check the land manager's current access information separately before a trip.
Choose a way in
- I saw something and want to learn about it.Search a common or scientific name below. If you don't know the name, start with a broad group and habitat, then compare the profile's details rather than relying on color alone.
- I'm planning a nature walk.Choose a region and habitat, and read a few profiles before you leave. Keep expectations flexible: a quiet walk is still a chance to notice plants, tracks and the way habitats connect.
- I'm looking for wildflowers.Start with the wildflower planning guide, then use the plant profiles. Flowering windows are broad patterns, not a bloom forecast.
- I'm visiting with children or a new observer.Pick one plant and one animal to learn about. Make the goal careful observation, not finding every species on a checklist.
Learn the landscape
A seasonal comparison makes a familiar landscape easier to read. At Arches, rainfall strongly shapes the wildflower display; at Cedar Breaks, high meadows bloom through a short summer. Those are local examples of why one statewide "best week" would mislead. Try the mountain and desert habitats, then the spring and summer pages.
Each profile answers three separate questions: what the organism is, what habitat or range its sources support, and what a visitor can responsibly observe. Conservation labels are shown with their category, scope and date, because a federal listing, a state priority list and a native-or-introduced label answer different questions.
New: guides to 7 habitats, four seasons and watching well, with the profiles that belong together.
Wildlife
Birds
Tundra swan
A large white migrant whose family groups link Utah's wetlands with Arctic nesting country.
File photo: A bull moose among rocks and low vegetation at Cecret Lake (2012-07-25). Photo: BBernardicius · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mammals
Moose
The largest member of the deer family in Utah, at home where northern mountain forest meets water.
File photo: American beaver in Zion National Park, July 2012. Photo: Zion National Park / National Park Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Mammals
American beaver
A paddle-tailed rodent whose feeding and construction can transform a stream into a complex wetland.
File photo: Townsend’s big-eared bat in Utah, BLM archive. One of the bat species found in the state. Photo: John Larson / BLM Utah · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Mammals
Bats
Insect-eating flying mammals whose lives depend on suitable roosts, water and a safe seasonal cycle.
File photo: Gopher snake, Arches National Park archive, May 2017. One of Utah’s nonvenomous snake species. Photo: Marty Tow / National Park Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Reptiles
Snakes
A diverse group of native predators best appreciated without handling or close-range identification attempts.
File photo: American avocets with raised wings at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Birds
Bear River refuge birds
Read the refuge as a changing set of habitats, from shallow feeding flats to marsh cover and deeper water.
File photo: Bonneville cutthroat trout, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service archive. Photo: Clint Wirick / USFWS · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Fish
Cutthroat trout
Utah's native trout, with distinct drainage histories and restoration needs that a familiar throat mark cannot tell on its own.
Black-necked stilt at Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Utah (June 15, 2021). Photo: Sandra Uecker / USFWS Mountain Prairie · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Birds
Black-necked stilt
Pink legs and a straight, needlelike bill distinguish this black-and-white wader from its avocet neighbors.
Birds
Eared grebe
A small diving bird whose long autumn stopovers reveal the importance of Great Salt Lake's invertebrate food supply.
Amphibians
Western (boreal) toad
A warty mountain amphibian whose breeding waters and disease risks require a light touch from visitors.
Amphibians
Northern leopard frog
A spotted frog that needs a connected mix of breeding water, moist feeding ground and overwintering habitat.
Fish
June sucker
A Utah Lake native whose recovery depends on both adult spawning access and safe nursery habitat for young fish.
Invertebrates
Monarch butterfly
An orange-and-black migrant whose caterpillars need milkweed and whose adults need flowers through the season.
Plants
File photo: A green Fremont cottonwood tree beside red sandstone — Johnson Lakes Canyon, Kane County, May 2016. Photo: Andrey Zharkikh from Salt Lake City, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Trees
Fremont cottonwood
A broad-crowned river tree whose new generations depend on the right combination of flowing water, exposed sediment, and moisture.
Wildflowers
Alcove columbine
A small-flowered columbine of seeps and hanging gardens, where groundwater creates a cool refuge within the desert.
File photo: Pale pink tamarisk flowers and slender green foliage — Jordan River, August 2015. Photo: Andrey Zharkikh from Salt Lake City, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Shrubs
Tamarisk
A non-native, water-loving shrub along southwestern rivers, and a target of restoration work.
Wildflowers
Showy milkweed
A broad-leaved native perennial whose clustered flowers support pollinators and whose leaves can host monarch caterpillars.
Wildflowers
Ute ladies'-tresses
A rare wetland orchid with a spiral of pale flowers, dependent on moist, relatively open habitat.