Flower profile
Sky pilot
Polemonium viscosum
Sky pilot is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Wyoming it's most often seen in bloom in June–September.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Wyoming
Quick look
Polemonium viscosum, known as sky pilot, skunkweed, sticky Jacobs-ladder, and sticky polemonium, is a flowering plant in the genus Polemonium native to western North America from southern British Columbia east to Montana and south to Arizona and New Mexico, where it grows at high altitudes on dry, rocky sites.
- It belongs to the Polemoniaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 10 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Wyoming. NatureServe
- In Wyoming, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 391 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #72 among the 107 flowers on our Wyoming list. iNaturalist
Sky pilot gift ideas
Handmade sky pilot gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Sky pilot art print
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Sky pilot greeting card
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Sky pilot mug
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Sky pilot earrings
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Sky pilot embroidery pattern
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Sky pilot sticker
When does it bloom?
In Wyoming, most flowering sightings come in June–September.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Wyoming
- No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Wyoming.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AZ (S1), NV (S2), WA (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records sky pilot in 10 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
Wyoming counties with USDA records: Albany, Big Horn, Fremont, Hot Springs, Lincoln, Park, Sheridan, Sublette, Teton.
More Wyoming flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile POVI.
- iNaturalist, Polemonium viscosum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Polemonium viscosum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Polemonium viscosum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Michael Stites via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.