Top 6+ surprising facts about wildflowers
This Pollinator Plant Grows Extra Tall
Joe Pye weed
Plant Joe Pye weed — a favorite of backyard pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds — to add some height and drama to your backyard garden. This wildflower grows up to 10 feet tall!
Texas Has Multiple State Flowers
Bluebonnets in Texas
Like a gardener at the greenhouse after a long, cold winter, Texas just couldn’t pick one flower. The state recognizes all five native bluebonnet species as its state flower. These include Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis), Sandyland bluebonnet (Lupinus subcarnosus), Big Bend bluebonnet (Lupinus havardii), Bajada lupine (Lupinus concinnus), and Dune bluebonnet (Lupinus plattensis).
Visit Great Smoky Mountains for Brilliant Wildflowers
Spring in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Nicknamed “Wildflower National Park,” the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to more than 1,500 different blooms. According to the National Park Service, this is more than any other North American national park. Springtime wildflower blooming peaks in mid- to late April at lower elevations.
The Best-Known Wildflowers in North America
Black-eyed Susans
When it comes to the most well-known North American wildflower, two are worthy contenders. The black-eyed Susan and common sunflower are both beloved across the country for their cheery, sunshiny colors and for their beauty. Even better, pollinators and birds love both — if the dried seed heads are left up, birds will eat the seeds when food becomes difficult to find in cold months.
Wildflowers Are Incredibly Resilient
Wildflowers at Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument
After the Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980, resilient fireweed was one of the first wildflowers to sprout through the surrounding ash. At the time, some scientists hypothesized that nothing could’ve survived: to their surprise, fireweed grew just weeks after the eruption.
Celebrate Poppies in the Spring
California poppies
Take in hundreds of acres of springtime orange blooms from 8 miles of trails at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve near Lancaster, California. If you don’t feel like taking a trip, you can plant California poppies in your own backyard, too.
