Foothills, montane, subalpine. Woodlands, shrublands, streamsides. Spring.
Near Yellowjacket Canyon, June 8, 2004.

Rosa woodsii has a beautiful, delicate, fragrant, large, and showy flower.  It can be almost startling to come upon a lone rose bush, covered in pink flowers, ten feet off the trail in the green under-story of a white-trunked Aspen forest.  Rosa woodsii also forms deep, spreading thickets in open areas, especially along drainages.

Several of the most common Wild Rose species hybridize and are thus difficult to precisely identify. 

Foothills, montane, subalpine. Woodlands, shrublands, streamsides. Spring.
Weminuche Wilderness Trail, June 23, 2007.

The 2-4 inch flowers range from pale pink to deep, vibrant pink.  They last just a day.

Linnaeus named this genus in 1753.   "Rosa" is the classical Latin name, and means "red".  Interestingly, the species name, "woodsii", does not refer to "growing in the woods" but to Joseph Woods, architect, botanist, and rose scholar. (More biographical information.)

Foothills, montane, subalpine. Woodlands, shrublands, streamsides. Spring.
Near Yellowjacket Canyon, August 28, 2005.

Lovely flowers are replaced by dark red fruits ("rose hips") that range from mealy to sweet depending on the amount of rain and sun the plant receives and the time they are picked. The fruits are usually best after several frosts.

Foothills, montane, subalpine. Woodlands, shrublands, streamsides. Spring.
Near Yellowjacket Canyon, November 1, 2005.

Rose thickets are a blurring blend of reds, maroons, yellows, and greens in the fall.