Bloomipedia
Sky pilot (Polemonium viscosum)
Photo: Michael Stites via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Sky pilot

Polemonium viscosum

Sky pilot (Polemonium viscosum) is a flowering plant in the Polemoniaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–July across the U.S.

Native to Wyoming

Sky pilot is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.

10states where USDA records it
391WY sightings*
2,234U.S. sightings*

*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
  • iNaturalist has 391 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #72 among the 113 flowers on our Wyoming list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month in Wyoming (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (26 records)

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?

For peopleNot well documented

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.

For petsNot well documented

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.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 89 counties across 10 states; the most are in Colorado (25), Utah (16), Montana (15).

Other Polemonium on Bloomipedia (2): Jacob's ladder, Tall jacob's-ladder.

More from the Polemoniaceae family (14 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Blue phlox, Scarlet gilia, Fall phlox, Prairie phlox, Grand collomia, Longleaf phlox, Spiny phlox, Narrow-leaf mountain trumpet.

More Wyoming flowers

Scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata)

Scarlet gilia

Ipomopsis aggregata

Native

🌼 Blooms in WY: June–August
Spiny phlox (Phlox hoodii)

Spiny phlox

Phlox hoodii

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in WY
Flowery phlox (Phlox multiflora)

Flowery phlox

Phlox multiflora

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in WY

Sources