Bluebells, lilies, poppies, and more: These are the native wildflowers blooming near you
Published 4:00 pm Friday, August 12, 2022
Jason Busa // Shutterstock
Bluebells, lilies, poppies, and more: These are the native wildflowers blooming near you
The perfect yard with a green lawn and manicured garden is as American as baseball and apple pie—but that doesn’t mean it’s good for the land.
Lawns and gardens featuring non-native plants, flowers, and grasses require a great deal of water and fertilizer for maintenance. In drier areas of the country, lawn maintenance can drink up three-quarters of a household’s annual water usage, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that as much as half of all water used outdoors for activities like lawn care is wasted due to evaporation and runoff. Meanwhile, fertilizers and weed killers used to maintain non-native turf may contain harmful chemicals that run off into larger bodies of water and contaminate local ecosystems and drinking water.
Many gardeners have turned to native gardening, a technique incorporating plant species that occur naturally within an ecosystem, for a more eco-friendly take on the American lawn and garden. These plants then provide food for local wildlife, including butterflies, birds, and other animals native to a region. Pollinating insects, bees, and butterflies help the plants we eat bear fruit and vegetables, further providing a benefit to humans.
Native gardening reduces the need for fertilizer and pesticides, requires less water, and promotes biodiversity. For states that regularly experience moderate to severe drought, in particular, reining in water by gardening with native plants can more easily promote a healthier environment. Native gardening requires less maintenance, too: Homeowners don’t have to spend as much time or money on mowing, weeding, fertilizing, watering, and maintaining lawn equipment.
For those interested in incorporating native grasses and plants into their yards, Texas Real Estate Source compiled a list of wildflowers native to various U.S. regions from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin. All flowers on this list have bloom times between August and December and are native to one of these six regions of the U.S.: Central Texas, Eastern Woodland, Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Southwestern Desert, and Tallgrass Prairie. The flowers are grouped together by region, and the regions are shown in alphabetical order.
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Melampodium leucanthum
Common name: Blackfoot Daisy
Native region: Central Texas, Southwestern Desert
Canva
Gaillardia pulchella
Common name: Firewheel
Native region: Central Texas, Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Asclepias asperula
Common name: Antelope-horns
Native region: Central Texas
Canva
Calylophus berlandieri
Common name: Sundrops
Native region: Central Texas
Canva
Commelina erecta
Common name: Dayflower
Native region: Central Texas
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Cooperia pedunculata
Common name: Rain Lily
Native region: Central Texas
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Eustoma exaltatum
Common name: Bluebell Gentian
Native region: Central Texas
Canva
Glandularia bipinnatifida
Common name: Prairie Verbena
Native region: Central Texas
Canva
Lobelia cardinalis
Common name: Cardinal Flower
Native region: Central Texas
Canva
Ratibida columnifera
Common name: Prairie Coneflower
Native region: Central Texas
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Cornus canadensis
Common name: Bunchberry Dogwood
Native region: Eastern Woodlands
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Cypripedium parviflorum
Common name: Yellow Lady’s-slipper Orchid
Native region: Eastern Woodlands
Canva
Cypripedium reginae
Common name: Showy Lady’s Slipper
Native region: Eastern Woodlands
Canva
Linnaea borealis
Common name: Twinflower
Native region: Eastern Woodlands
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Silene virginica
Common name: Scarlet Catchfly
Native region: Eastern Woodlands
Canva
Aquilegia formosa
Common name: Western Columbine
Native region: Pacific Northwest
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Chimaphila umbellata
Common name: Pipsissewa
Native region: Pacific Northwest
Canva
Clarkia amoena
Common name: Farewell To Spring
Native region: Pacific Northwest
Canva
Eriophyllum lanatum
Common name: Oregon Sunshine
Native region: Pacific Northwest
Canva
Erythronium montanum
Common name: White Avalanche-lily
Native region: Pacific Northwest
Canva
Eschscholzia californica
Common name: California Poppy
Native region: Pacific Northwest
Canva
Eurybia integrifolia
Common name: Thickstem Aster
Native region: Pacific Northwest
Canva
Lilium columbianum
Common name: Wild Tiger Lily
Native region: Pacific Northwest
Canva
Penstemon newberryi
Common name: Mountain Pride
Native region: Pacific Northwest
Canva
Chamerion angustifolium
Common name: Fireweed
Native region: Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest
Canva
Aquilegia coerulea
Common name: Rocky Mountain Columbine
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Canva
Arnica cordifolia
Common name: Heartleaf Arnica
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Canva
Calochortus nuttallii
Common name: Sego Lily
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Canva
Caltha leptosepala
Common name: White Marsh-marigold
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Canva
Campanula rotundifolia
Common name: Bluebell
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Kristi Blokhin // Shutterstock
Cardamine cordifolia
Common name: Heartleaf Bittercress
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Canva
Castilleja rhexiifolia
Common name: Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Canva
Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda
Common name: Shrubby Cinquefoil
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Canva
Delphinium barbeyi
Common name: Subalpine Larkspur
Native region: Rocky Mountains
Canva
Baileya multiradiata
Common name: Desert Marigold
Native region: Southwestern Desert
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Enceliopsis nudicaulis
Common name: Sunray
Native region: Southwestern Desert
Canva
Fallugia paradoxa
Common name: Apache Plume
Native region: Southwestern Desert
Charles T. Peden // Shutterstock
Hibiscus coulteri
Common name: Desert Rosemallow
Native region: Southwestern Desert
Canva
Kallstroemia grandiflora
Common name: Desert Poppy
Native region: Southwestern Desert
Canva
Mentzelia pumila
Common name: Dwarf Mentzelia
Native region: Southwestern Desert
Canva
Phlox tenuifolia
Common name: Santa Catalina Mountain Phlox
Native region: Southwestern Desert
Canva
Psilostrophe cooperi
Common name: Whitestem Paperflower
Native region: Southwestern Desert
Canva
Scabrethia scabra ssp. scabra
Common name: Badlands Mule-ears
Native region: Southwestern Desert
Canva
Anaphalis margaritacea
Common name: Western Pearly Everlasting
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Asclepias tuberosa
Common name: Butterfly Milkweed
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Coreopsis palmata
Common name: Finger Coreopsis
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Eryngium yuccifolium
Common name: Beargrass
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Euphorbia marginata
Common name: Snow On The Mountain
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum
Common name: Texas Bluebell
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Glandularia canadensis
Common name: Sweet William
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Helianthus maximiliani
Common name: Maximilian Sunflower
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
Canva
Iris versicolor
Common name: Large Blue Iris
Native region: Tallgrass Prairie
This story originally appeared on Texas Real Estate Source and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.