A sure sign of spring are wildflowers blooming, and these seasonal ephemerals bring out some eye-catching colors to their habitats. Here’s where to see them across the United States.
Texas
Home to some 2,700 wildflower species, including the bluebonnet, Indian paintbrush and evening primrose, Texas’ springtime is covered in floral splendor from mid-March to mid-April.
One way to take in their beauty is while on the road. Noted as the “Official Texas Bluebonnet Trail,” Ennis has “Bluebonnet Trails” that are over 40 miles of mapped driving routes providing glimpses of this bluish flower. This year, it’s best to cruise along this small Texas town’s routes in April, with its website displaying a map or picking up one from Ennis’ visitor’s center.
This floral season in Ennis gets celebrated further with the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival, happening in early April.
Texas Hill Country is a big wildflower destination, too. Start in Fredericksburg, where this visitor’s guide lists places linked to wildflowers in different ways. Among them, Wildseed Farms is the largest working wildflower farm in the United States. It is open to the public.
Similar to Ennis, a scenic drive within this Central and South Texas region is complete with rolling fields of flowers along your route. In addition to Fredericksburg, roads between destinations including Marble Falls, Burnet, Lampasas, San Saba, Mason, Llano and Johnson City also are adorned with wildflowers. Besides bluebonnets, varieties include daisies, winecups, prairie verbena and goldeneye phlox.
In Austin, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center keeps the public informed about blooming via a Texas Wildflower Watch handle on Instagram. At this center named for the Presidential First Lady, you can purchase a wildflower guide and take in labeled displays amid various wildflower gardens.
Colorado
Colorado’s time for wildflowers is typically July through August.
The season is big in Crested Butte, which is referred to as the “Wildflower Capital of Colorado.” This Rocky Mountain town celebrates this species during their annual Crested Butte Wildflower Festival. It happens throughout July. The festival’s guide provides an overview of typical bloom times of specific types of wildflowers, as well as trails for both novice and experienced hikers.
Breckenridge is another wildflower destination. Every summer, this fellow Rocky Mountains destination sees its fields and meadows dotted with so many colorful blossoms that they’ve earned a wildflower guide on the town’s tourism board’s website.
Oregon
Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory is also a destination for taking in wildflowers, especially with hiking. Among some viewing sites, the Camassia Nature Preserve is a 22.5-acre park located in West Linn, which across from the Willamette River from Oregon City. It’s managed and maintained by The Nature Conservancy.
The preserve gets its name from the common camas that blooms here in April and early May plus it hosts more than 300 plant species. During those months, the preserve is considered to be most beautiful wildflower walks in Oregon, with blooming shades of. Wildflowers in the park typically bloom between late April and early May, covering the hills in purples and pinks. The white rock larkspur is one of the rarer species of flower found in the park as well.
Arizona
Flowering season in Arizona started in late February and lasts until May.
First, Scottsdale's McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a desert habitat with more than 200 miles of hiking trails that are perfect for catching spring blossoms.
From the preserve’s Gateway Trailhead, it’s suggested that visitors can see them by trying the barrier-free Bajada Nature Trail or a more challenging Gateway Loop. Other hotspots for seeing wildflowers in the preserve include Ringtail, Taliesin Overlook trail, Marcus Landslide Trail, and Granite Mountain Loop.
Seventy-five miles southeast of Scottsdale, Picacho Peak State Park is home to 1,500-foot-high Picacho Peak, known for its abundance of spring poppies. Usually, the park has a color palette of yellow, orange, purple, and red wildflowers, but check the Arizona Parks’ website for information on this state park and others.
In Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden, the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail is considered to be the spot to see wildflowers. The trail encompasses nearly two acres of wildflower exhibits planted with year-round displays.
Minnesota
Wildflowers can be found all over the North Star State. The southern prairie lands offer pale purple pasqueflowers, pink plumes of prairie smoke and prickly pear cactus. Central Minnesota usually hits full bloom by midsummer with blazing star, purple prairie clover to wood lily, swamp milkweed and prairie onion.
In the northwest, Minnesota’s Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area contains varieties of flowers like rose twisted stalks, pink lady’s slipper (the state flower) and wild sarsaparilla. State parks along the North Shore are a wealth of wildflowers. Trek along Gooseberry Falls State Park’s wooded trails and you’ll become a wildflower sleuth. Keep your eyes out for varieties including Bunchberry and Canada mayflower. Among the rocks, along the Lake Superior shore, you might spot the small but hardy bird’s-eye primrose and harebell.
Open three seasons of the year, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary in Minneapolis is a 15-acre native plant reserve and the oldest public wildflower garden in the United States.
California
Various parts of the Golden State are bright with wildflowers.
In the far northeast corner of Los Angeles County, the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in Lancaster welcomes orange California poppies usually in March and April. To celebrate California's iconic flower, Lancaster hosts the California Poppy Festival from April 22 through 24.
Outside of San Diego, The Flower Fields in Carlsbad open from March to early May, showcasing fields of ranunculus in every color. Enjoy not only 50-acres of colorful flowers but activities including guided tours, wagon rides, food trucks, a variety of artistic workshops and wine tasting experiences
For Visalia, in California’s Tulare County, the fields surrounding the city become awash with color in the springtime as the fruit and nut trees begin to blossom. Visit Visalia offers a free Blossom and Orchard Trail Map that can be downloaded off of their website.
The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch boasts over 70 million flowers across 50 acres, in which the blooms usually come to life from early March 1 through early to mid-May.
