Best Wildflower

North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve is a California Department of Fish and Wildlife reserve on an elevated basalt mesa north of Oroville in Butte County. Ancient lava flows created seasonal streams, waterfalls, and rare Northern Basalt Flow Vernal Pools, a habitat that supports specialized plant...

The Venus flytrap is a unique wildflower native to coastal bogs of eastern North Carolina. It’s notable for its specialized trapping mechanism – leaves that rapidly close around insects and small animals. This carnivorous plant relies on nutrients from its prey. The species faces endangerment due to...

Fringed gentian, commonly identified as Gentianopsis crinita, is a biennial wildflower native to eastern North America. It produces upright, deep blue to violet flowers whose four petal lobes have finely fringed margins, a feature that distinguishes it from many related gentians. The plant typically...

The Showy Lady’s Slipper (*Cypripedium reginae*) is a distinctive wetland wildflower recognized across North America. It's notable as Minnesota’s state flower and prized for its large size and unusual pink-white spathe, which houses the delicate flowers. This orchid thrives in moist environments and...

The round-leaved sundew, Drosera rotundifolia, is a small carnivorous perennial found in nutrient-poor bogs, fens, and wet heaths across much of the Northern Hemisphere. Its rounded leaves bear reddish glandular hairs tipped with adhesive mucilage that traps small invertebrates, allowing the plant t...

Tom McCall Preserve is a protected natural area in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge, near the community of Rowena. It is named for Tom McCall, who served as governor of Oregon, and is known for its native grasslands, bunchgrass slopes, and seasonal displays of wildflowers. The preserve provides habitat...

The Pink Lady’s Slipper (*Cypripedium acaule*) is a distinctive wildflower found in moist, acidic woodland environments of eastern North America. It's notable for its unusual slipper-shaped flower and the critical symbiotic relationship with a fungus that aids seed germination. This orchid relies e...

The cardinal flower (*Lobelia cardinalis*) is a wetland wildflower known for its prominent, bright red blooms. These spikes attract hummingbirds and other pollinators vital to summer ecosystems. Native to North America, it’s particularly valued by botanists, conservationists, and those interested in...

Painted trillium, Trillium undulatum, is a perennial woodland wildflower native to eastern North America. It bears three white, wavy-edged petals marked near their bases with red or maroon pigmentation, positioned above a whorl of three leaves. The species typically grows in cool, moist, acidic soil...

The ram's-head lady's-slipper, Cypripedium arietinum, is a small terrestrial orchid native to northern North America. Its distinctive pouch-shaped flower resembles a ram's head and is marked with white, pink, and purplish coloring beneath narrow twisted sepals and petals. The plant grows in speciali...

Common camas, Camassia quamash, is a bulb-forming perennial wildflower native to western North America. It produces clusters of blue to violet, star-shaped flowers in spring and commonly grows in seasonally moist meadows and open grasslands. Its cooked bulbs were an important food and trade resource...

The American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) is a perennial wildflower found in shallow, slow-moving waters across eastern North America. Its prominent feature is its exceptionally large, circular leaves—the largest of any North American native plant—and showy pale yellow flowers. The plant’s seeds and young...

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is a distinctive evergreen shrub found throughout the northeastern United States. It’s recognized by its showy clusters of pink to white flowers that emerge in spring. This plant is notable for its unique anther mechanism which rapidly recoils after pollen release,...

Virginia bluebells are woodland wildflowers belonging to the *Mertensia virginica* species. These plants produce striking tubular blooms that shift in color from pink to vibrant blue during spring. They are notable for their ephemeral nature—existing briefly before leaves wither. Primarily found in...

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve is a protected natural area in Riverside County, California, on the Santa Rosa Plateau near Murrieta. Its habitats include Engelmann oak woodland, native grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and seasonal vernal pools. The reserve protects a landscape that...

The Arethusa Orchid, *Arethusa bulbosa*, is a distinctive wildflower found in acidic bog habitats of eastern North America. It’s notable for flowering early in the spring with a solitary pink bloom preceding leaf development. This rare orchid is primarily observed by botanists, naturalists, and thos...

The round-leaf sundew is a fascinating wildflower found in northern bog habitats. This carnivorous plant uses specialized leaves covered in sticky mucilage to trap and digest insects for nutrients. It’s notable for its unique feeding mechanism and offers an intriguing glimpse into natural insectivor...

The swamp rose mallow (*Hibiscus moscheutos*) is a wetland perennial wildflower found throughout eastern North America. It’s recognized by its substantial size, featuring large, pink flowers that can reach saucer-like dimensions. This plant thrives in saturated soils and provides habitat for insects...

The Texas bluebonnet, *Lupinus subcarnosus*, is a native wildflower species found throughout Texas. It’s notable as the state flower, adopted in 1901 for its distinctive blue blossoms resembling legumes and lupines. This annual plant provides crucial habitat for pollinators and is particularly appre...

Dense blazing star, Liatris spicata, is a herbaceous perennial in the aster family native to moist prairies, meadows, and similar open habitats in eastern North America. In summer it produces upright spikes densely packed with purple to rose-colored flower heads, which unusually begin opening near t...

Yellow fringed orchid, Platanthera ciliaris, is a terrestrial orchid native to eastern North America. It grows in acidic bogs, wet meadows, pine barrens, savannas, and other open, moist habitats, producing a summer spike of vivid yellow-orange flowers with deeply fringed lips. The flowers are pollin...

Yellow trillium, Trillium luteum, is a perennial wildflower native to the southeastern United States, especially the southern Appalachian region. It produces three upright yellow or yellow-green petals above a whorl of broad leaves that are commonly mottled with lighter and darker green. The flower...

Rose pogonia, Pogonia ophioglossoides, is a small terrestrial orchid native to eastern North America. It inhabits sunny, acidic wetlands such as sphagnum bogs, fens, wet meadows, and the margins of peatlands, where it usually produces a single pink flower with a fringed and crested lip. Like other o...

The Prairie Blazing Star, *Liatris pycnostachya*, is a striking wildflower native to central prairies. This composite plant produces tall spikes of vibrant purple blooms that emerge from the top and cascade downwards. Its unique flowering structure supports pollinators like bees and butterflies and...

The Purple Pitcher Plant is a unique wildflower found in northern North American bogs. It’s notable for its carnivorous nature, trapping insects with specialized pitcher-shaped leaves. This plant, displaying vibrant red and green hues, provides an insectivorous habitat and serves as the floral emble...

The White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata) is a flowering aquatic plant found throughout eastern North America. Its notable feature is its large, fragrant white flowers which float on ponds and lakes during summer months. These plants are valued for their beauty and contribution to wetland ecosystems....

The Purple Fringed Orchid is a wildflower species native to meadows across North America. It’s recognized by its distinctive deep purple petals heavily fringed along their edges, a characteristic crucial for attracting butterflies and facilitating pollination. These orchids are primarily found in op...

The Yellow Lady’s Slipper (*Cypripedium parviflorum*) is a rare wildflower native to eastern North America. This orchid features a distinctive, pouch-like flower structure that attracts insects for pollination. Its unique form and dependence on specific woodland habitats make it significant for bota...

Red trillium, Trillium erectum, is a perennial spring wildflower native to deciduous forests of eastern North America. It produces a single three-petaled flower, usually dark red or maroon, above a whorl of three broad leaves. The flower can emit a carrion-like odor that attracts flies and beetles a...