Interesting facts about wildflowers

wildflowers

A wildflower also spelled wild flower, is a flower that grows in the wild.

Generally the term applies to plants growing without intentional human aid.

Most wild flowers are beautiful, fragrant and colorful.

Wildflowers can be found alongside streams, rivers, in deep forests, on meadows or hillsides, and even in deserts.

wildflowers-2

Although most wildflowers are native to the region in which they occur, some are the descendants of flowering plants introduced from other lands.

The Common dandelion is a most familiar wildflower. It is well known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits that disperse in the wind. These balls are called “blowballs” or “clocks” in both British and American English.

dandelions

The daisy is also one of the most familiar wildflowers. There are approximately 4000 species of daisies that differ in size, shape, color and type of habitat. In Christianity, the daisy is a sacred symbol of Virgin Mary signifying her chastity, grace and purity.

daisies

Snowdrops are one of the first bulbs to flower and signal the start of spring. They are one of the few flowers that only come in one color – white. This is probably why the snowdrop symbolizes purity, the traditional color meaning of white flowers.

snowdrops

Crested Butte is so renowned for its abundance of wildflowers that it’s often referred to as “Colorado’s Wildflower Capital.”

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to more than 1,500 varieties of wildflowers, more than any other national park in North America — earning it the nickname “Wildflower National Park”.

When spring arrives at the western tip of the Mojave Desert in California, Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve becomes an ocean of vibrant orange poppies. Within the reserve, there are 11 kilometers (7 miles) of trails, including a paved section for wheelchair access, which traverse the poppy fields.

antelope valley poppy reserve

The longest wildflower trail is 295.1 km (183.4 mi) achieved by Incorporated Forest Road and P&G Downy (both Republic of Korea) at Mount Jiri, in Hadong, Republic of Korea, verified on 8 October 2019.

A superbloom is a rare desert botanical phenomenon in which an unusually high proportion of wildflowers whose seeds have lain dormant in desert soil germinate and blossom at roughly the same time. The phenomenon is associated with an unusually wet rainy season. The term may have developed as a label in the 1990s.

superbloom

The distinction of weeds from wildflowers depends upon the purpose of the classification. A weed is a plant that, from a human perspective, is out of place; that is, one growing where it is unwanted. The bright flowers characteristic of the Hawaiian Islands, for example, are nearly all native to other parts of the tropics and subtropics. Most were taken purposely to the islands for cultivation but spread rapidly into the fertile lowlands, displacing the less-colourful native species and leaving only the steep mountainsides to the original flora.

Disturbance of the native flora by humans began in prehistoric times. For example, fires that escaped from the control of their human makers are thought to have burned off native vegetation and made way for aggressive species from the same or other areas.