Evening primrose grows in a number of unlikely spots in the southwest desert. We find them in dry, sandy or rocky washes or on ledges next to trails that we hike. The oenothera caespitosa (tufted evening primrose) is white, turning pink with age. It flowers in the evening and the blooms wither in the next day’s sun.

Some perennial types of evening primrose are used for landscaping and one variety is harvested and marketed for “cancer treatment”, although there is no scientific research to support that claim.

We have also come upon the yellow evening primrose (oenothera macrocarpa), a perennial trailing variety.

When we toured Canyonlands and Arches in April, there were many white and pink flowers off the sides of the roads amid the blackbrush, Mormon tea, and cactus.