Wildflower Wednesday: Thimbleberry blooms line high Wasatch trails

Velvety thimbleberry leaves crowd both sides of a shaded single-track, forming a lush green corridor on a high-elevation trail near Park City. Photo: Rebecca Brenner

PARK CITY, Utah — The shady, high-elevation draws above town are lighting up this week with the large white blossoms of thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), a thorn-free raspberry relative that earns the spotlight in Wildflower Wednesday even though it is technically a woody shrub.

According to the U.S. Forest Service’s Fire Effects Information System (FEIS), thimbleberry’s maple-shaped leaves can reach eight inches across, and its five-petaled flowers stretch nearly two inches—among the largest in the Rubus genus.

The FEIS lists the plant’s Utah range at roughly 4,700 to 9,000 feet, favoring cool, moist sites such as north-facing aspen stands, riparian corridors and forest margins along Wasatch trails.

The agency notes that thimbleberry flowers produce “large quantities of nectar,” making the shrub a dependable stop for native bees and other pollinators during its brief June–early-July bloom window in the Intermountain West.

Wildlife quickly cashes in on the soft red fruits that follow. FEIS research shows American robins, Swainson’s thrushes and other birds remove ripe berries within two days, spreading seeds across the landscape; mammals from chipmunks to black bears also browse the patch.

For hikers, the tart berries are edible raw but so delicate they seldom reach markets. Indigenous communities traditionally dried them into fruit leather or cooked them into jam—a reminder to sample lightly and leave plenty for the animals that rely on this midsummer staple.

Wildflower Wednesday is a weekly TownLift feature highlighting native plants at their peak. Spot the giant, velvety leaves and thimble-shaped berries over the next few weeks, but tread carefully: each stem takes two years to bear fruit, and healthy patches can persist for decades.

Have photos/videos of wildflowers from the trail? Share with tips@townlift.com for a chance to be featured!