Skip to Content

Bluebells, lilies, poppies, and more: These are the native wildflowers blooming near you


Jason Busa // Shutterstock

Bluebells, lilies, poppies, and more: These are the native wildflowers blooming near you

A mountainside filled with orange poppies.

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.



trinityfoto // Shutterstock

Melampodium leucanthum

White daisies with orange centers.

Common name: Blackfoot Daisy

Native region: Central Texas, Southwestern Desert



Canva

Gaillardia pulchella

Bright orange and yellow firewheel flowers.

Common name: Firewheel

Native region: Central Texas, Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Asclepias asperula

Round ball-shaped flowers in light green.

Common name: Antelope-horns

Native region: Central Texas



Canva

Calylophus berlandieri

Delicate, bright yellow flowers.

Common name: Sundrops

Native region: Central Texas



Canva

Commelina erecta

A dayflower with two light blue petals on top and a yellow center.

Common name: Dayflower

Native region: Central Texas



Owen Suen // Shutterstock

Cooperia pedunculata

A field of white flowers.

Common name: Rain Lily

Native region: Central Texas



Johanna Veldstra // Shutterstock

Eustoma exaltatum

Delicate purple flowers with yellow centers.

Common name: Bluebell Gentian

Native region: Central Texas



Canva

Glandularia bipinnatifida

Light purple flowers.

Common name: Prairie Verbena

Native region: Central Texas



Canva

Lobelia cardinalis

Bright red tall flowers.

Common name: Cardinal Flower

Native region: Central Texas



Canva

Ratibida columnifera

Orange and yellow coneflowers.

Common name: Prairie Coneflower

Native region: Central Texas



agatchen // Shutterstock

Cornus canadensis

A low green plant blooming with white flowers.

Common name: Bunchberry Dogwood

Native region: Eastern Woodlands



Agnieszka Bacal // Shutterstock

Cypripedium parviflorum

Yellow Lady’s Slipper Orchid.

Common name: Yellow Lady’s-slipper Orchid

Native region: Eastern Woodlands



Canva

Cypripedium reginae

Pink and white orchid flowers.

Common name: Showy Lady’s Slipper

Native region: Eastern Woodlands



Canva

Linnaea borealis

Light pink funnel-shaped flowers hanging down.

Common name: Twinflower

Native region: Eastern Woodlands



Agnieszka Bacal // Shutterstock

Silene virginica

Bright red star-shaped flowers.

Common name: Scarlet Catchfly

Native region: Eastern Woodlands



Canva

Aquilegia formosa

Different color combinations of Western Columbine flowers, including purple, yellow and red.

Common name: Western Columbine

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Toshio Umekawa // Shutterstock

Chimaphila umbellata

Small pink flowers with green centers.

Common name: Pipsissewa

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Canva

Clarkia amoena

Bright pink flowers.

Common name: Farewell To Spring

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Canva

Eriophyllum lanatum

Bright orange flowers with a blurred out mountain background.

Common name: Oregon Sunshine

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Canva

Erythronium montanum

Large white star-shaped flowers with yellow centers.

Common name: White Avalanche-lily

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Canva

Eschscholzia californica

Shades of orange funnel-shaped blooms.

Common name: California Poppy

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Canva

Eurybia integrifolia

Light purple flowers with yellow centers.

Common name: Thickstem Aster

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Canva

Lilium columbianum

Bright orange Lily with dark orange spots.

Common name: Wild Tiger Lily

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Canva

Penstemon newberryi

Bright pink bell-shaped flowers bloom on a rocky mountainside.

Common name: Mountain Pride

Native region: Pacific Northwest



Canva

Chamerion angustifolium

A field full of blooming purple fireweed in front of snow-capped mountains.

Common name: Fireweed

Native region: Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest



Canva

Aquilegia coerulea

Pale purple and white flowers with yellow centers in the foothills of the mountains.

Common name: Rocky Mountain Columbine

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Canva

Arnica cordifolia

Yellow Arnica flowers near a small stream in a rocky valley.

Common name: Heartleaf Arnica

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Canva

Calochortus nuttallii

A pink Sego Lily cup growing on a rocky mountainside.

Common name: Sego Lily

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Canva

Caltha leptosepala

Large white flowers with yellow centers in the marsh.

Common name: White Marsh-marigold

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Canva

Campanula rotundifolia

Blue bell-shaped flowers.

Common name: Bluebell

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Kristi Blokhin // Shutterstock

Cardamine cordifolia

Closeup view of dainty white flowers in front of a lake on a mountain summit with snow on top.

Common name: Heartleaf Bittercress

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Canva

Castilleja rhexiifolia

Fire-red flowers growing down a mountainside with the sun setting in the background.

Common name: Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Canva

Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda

Small yellow flowers.

Common name: Shrubby Cinquefoil

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Canva

Delphinium barbeyi

Dark purple flowers growing on a green mountainside.

Common name: Subalpine Larkspur

Native region: Rocky Mountains



Canva

Baileya multiradiata

Tiny bright yellow flowers in a dry landscape.

Common name: Desert Marigold

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Sundry Photography // Shutterstock

Enceliopsis nudicaulis

Bright yellow leggy flowers growing in a valley.

Common name: Sunray

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Canva

Fallugia paradoxa

Pale pink wispy flowers against a dark blue sky.

Common name: Apache Plume

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Charles T. Peden // Shutterstock

Hibiscus coulteri

A yellow funnel shaped flower in front of a desert background.

Common name: Desert Rosemallow

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Canva

Kallstroemia grandiflora

Orange Poppies in a green meadow in front of a mountain.

Common name: Desert Poppy

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Canva

Mentzelia pumila

Bright yellow flower with bees in the center.

Common name: Dwarf Mentzelia

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Canva

Phlox tenuifolia

Field of small white flowers in the middle and pink and purple flowers on the outsides

Common name: Santa Catalina Mountain Phlox

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Canva

Psilostrophe cooperi

Yellow flower bush in a desert landscape.

Common name: Whitestem Paperflower

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Canva

Scabrethia scabra ssp. scabra

Yellow flower bush in a desert landscape.

Common name: Badlands Mule-ears

Native region: Southwestern Desert



Canva

Anaphalis margaritacea

White flowers with yellow centers.

Common name: Western Pearly Everlasting

Native region: Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Asclepias tuberosa

Two orange butterflies on an orange milkweed flower.

Common name: Butterfly Milkweed

Native region: Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Coreopsis palmata

Bright orange flowers.

Common name: Finger Coreopsis

Native region: Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Eryngium yuccifolium

Circular prickly looking flowers with stiff stems.

Common name: Beargrass

Native region: Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Euphorbia marginata

White and green leaves blooming.

Common name: Snow On The Mountain

Native region: Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum

Bright blue flower with orange center.

Common name: Texas Bluebell

Native region: Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Glandularia canadensis

Bright violet flowers with tiny petals.

Common name: Sweet William

Native region: Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Helianthus maximiliani

Yellow Maximilian Sunflower with dark orange center.

Common name: Maximilian Sunflower

Native region: Tallgrass Prairie



Canva

Iris versicolor

Large blue irises with yellow centers in a garden.

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.


Article Topic Follows: stacker-Science

Jump to comments ↓

Author Profile Photo

Stacker

Stacker is a news organization committed to telling engaging, research-driven stories. For more information, click here.

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

News Channel 3-12 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content