20 Great American Wildflowers and Where to Find Them

This favorite of the monarch butterfly is actually fighting an evolutionary war. Butterfly milkweed is full of toxins, which monarch larvae ingest and absorb in order to become poisonous themselves. But the milkweed doesn’t want to be eaten — so it secretes a thick latex that gums up the mouthparts of the larvae. Not to be outdone, the larvae cut notches in the leaves to slow the flow of latex while they eat. The result? A delicate balance that allows both to survive. (Thanks to Andrea DeLong-Amaya/Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Kris Light/East Tennessee Wildflowers, for their help.)

Trilliums, also called “wake-robins” because of their spring bloom time, are the subjects of eager treasure hunts by wildflower enthusiasts who consider its perfect three-part form a sight to behold. But if you happen across one of these beauties in the woods, don’t pick it; its survival is threatened in some areas.

Take a closer look at the intricate, alien-looking eryngo and then guess which plant family it belongs to. Did you guess thistle? Nope. Eryngo is actually a cousin of parsley and carrots, believe it or not, and the roots of certain varieties were once candied and eaten as an aphrodisiac. This purple-blue wildflower is a gorgeous addition to cut-flower arrangements.

This flower is named for its heavenly cocoa-licious scent. “Get downwind of a stand of them on a warm breezy day and it’s pretty nice indeed,” says Andrea DeLong-Amaya, director of horticulture at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas. “They’re also great for attracting pollinators.” Like many plants that grow in warm climates, chocolate daisy sports hairy silver foliage that reflects heat.