Groundsel

Butterweed or Groundsel
(Senecio spp.)

This genus has many species, difficult for an amateur to tell apart. Some are quite attractive, and others are rather weedy. Some grow in alpine areas, and others on dry rocky hillsides or along roadsides.

The ones I see in the mountains usually seem to be fairly tall, having a straight stalk with a bunch of flower heads at the top. The species growing in the lower and drier areas look like rounded mounds of flowers.

See some roadside senecios

Some of the Senecios likely to be growing in the alpine areas of Utah are:

S. canus   (Woolly Butterweed)
S. fremontii   (Mountain Butterweed)
S. hydrophilus   (Alkali Marsh Butterweed)
S. integerrimus   (Groundsel)
S. serra   (Tall Butterweed)