Today is Endangered Species Days and the Division of Wildlife Resource is sharing a few conservation success stories, including an orchid plant called the ‘Ute Ladies’-Tresses’. The plant features a long spike of small white flowers arranged in a gradual spiral and was only known to occur in Utah and Colorado. Due to habitat loss, Ute ladies’-tresses were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1992. Thanks to targeted mitigation and recovery efforts, the plant is now known to occur in eight Western states (including Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Washington and Wyoming) and southern British Columbia, Canada. The plant was proposed for delisting from the Endangered Species Act in January 2025. To learn more, visit wildlife.utah.gov.
