From Tennessee to Texas, from Colorado to California, from the mind's eye on a winter day to full view at the peak of spring, these gentle messengers of hope are always appreciated. Dedicated enthusiasts nationwide look forward to hitting the trails, field guides and cameras in hand, to immerse themselves in the pure and simple beauty of wildflowers. Here we offer an overview of some favorite wildflower destinations, with contact information on how to learn more.
Tennessee
Each spring since 1950, wildflower-lovers have been trekking to the Great Smoky Mountains for the Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage. The event draws people of all ages, many of whom have been returning for 30 and 40 years to witness the beauty of more than 1,500 varieties of flowering plants coming into bloom in the park.
New England
A hundred years ago, New England wildflower fields were being picked clean by flower vendors anxious to make a sale. Thanks to a small group of women who became advocates for the preservation of wildflowers, however, visitors can fully enjoy the colors of spring in New England. Today, the New England Wildflower Society battles modern threats--such as land development and pollution--which endanger nearly 20 percent of the region's native plants. Fortunately, through education and the help of amateur botanists who help maintain seven separate preserves, the society has saved a number of native wildflowers from extinction.
Texas
As they say about most things in Texas, wildflowers are big! But it's their popularity--not their size--that makes wildflowers Texas-sized treasures. They are so popular, in fact, that many Texas homeowners are converting conventional gardens and lawns to colorful fields of flowers. The trend is bringing to the forefront many beautiful native plants--such as echinacea, evening primrose, liatris and horsemint--that are naturally adapted to the region and therefore require less water and maintenance than "imports."
Texas is also the home state of Lady Bird Johnson, who started a highway beautification program in 1940 that eventually spread nationwide when she became First Lady many years later. The idea, explains Lady Bird, was to have Texas look like Texas, Missouri look like Missouri, and Florida look like Florida. What better way to achieve that than to plant native wildflowers along the nation's roadways.
California
Like New England, California was once blanketed with wildflowers. Today the state manages special protected areas that focus on nurturing native plants such as tidytips (Layia platyglossa) and California poppies (Eschscholzia californica).
Through the educational efforts of groups such as the American Land Conservancy and through the awareness of California land owners and ranchers, wildflower habitats have been able to thrive. In fact, keeping areas as working ranchland helps promote wildflower growth because the cattle gobble up grasses that compete for space with the flowers.
Virginia
Admittedly, the strip of Interstate 95 between Richmond and Washington, D.C., is not your typical garden site. But through the efforts of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the area will soon become a sea of pink mixed cosmos, producing an awesome sight for the thousands of motorists who pass through this interchange daily. Like other tough wildflowers, cosmos will adapt well to hot, rocky road conditions and make a good choice for this highway beautification project.
Colorado
Crested Butte, the wildflower capital of Colorado, hosts a wildflower festival every summer that features butterfly hikes, photography and gardening workshops and other educational activities. The area has an elevation of 8,000 to 14,000 feet, which creates eight distinct plant habitats that harbor a wide range of wildflower diversity, including dwarfed alpine varieties found in the higher altitudes.
Resources Wildflower Information
American Land Conservancy
250 Montgomery Street, Suite 210
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: 415-912-3660
URL:
www.alcnet.org/alc-home.php
Guests Chris Mattrick
Wildflower Expert, New England Wildflower Society
180 North Hemenway Rd.
North Framingham, MA 01701-2699
Phone: 508-877-7630
Barbara Pryor
Wildflower Expert, New England Wildflower Society
180 Hemenway Rd.
North Framingham, MA 01701-2699
Phone: 508-877-7630
Suzanne Hesley
Wildflower Expert, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Ave.
Austin, TX 78739-1702
Phone: 512-292-4200
Bill Brumbeck
Conservation Director, New England Wildflower Society
180 Hemenway Rd.
North Framingham, MA 01701-2699
Phone: 508-877-7630
Larry Morris
Highway Beautification Coordinator, Virginia Department of Transportation
87 Deacon Rd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
Phone: 540-899-4125
Sarah Schwaegler
Amateur Botanist
PO Box A
Orford, NH 03777
Jim Weber
Highway Beautification Coordinator, Virginia Department of Transportation
87 Deacon Rd.
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
Phone: 540-899-4125
Robert Breunig
Wildflower Expert, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Ave.
Austin, TX 78739-1702
Phone: 512-292-4200
Jim Keegan
Rancher
2626 Bear Valley Rd.
Williams, CA 95987
Nicole Dooskin
American Land Conservancy
250 Montgomery Street, Suite 210
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: 415-912-3660
Michele Simpson
Wildflower Festival Director
PO Box 216
Crested Butte, CO 81224
Paul Gallaher
Photography Teacher
PO Box 1344
Crested Butte, CO 81224
John Thomas
Wildflower Seed Expert, Wildseed Farms
PO Box 3000
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
Phone: 830-990-8080
Betsy Clebsch
Gardener / Author,Timber Press
133 SW 2nd Ave. Ste. 450
Portland, OR 97204
Toll Free Phone: 800-327-5680
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