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

By Stacker

Published August 13, 2022 2:19 AM

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.

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Melampodium leucanthum

White daisies with orange centers.

Common name: Blackfoot Daisy

Native region: Central Texas, Southwestern Desert

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Gaillardia pulchella

Bright orange and yellow firewheel flowers.

Common name: Firewheel

Native region: Central Texas, Tallgrass Prairie

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Asclepias asperula

Round ball-shaped flowers in light green.

Common name: Antelope-horns

Native region: Central Texas

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Calylophus berlandieri

Delicate, bright yellow flowers.

Common name: Sundrops

Native region: Central Texas

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Commelina erecta

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

Common name: Dayflower

Native region: Central Texas

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Cooperia pedunculata

A field of white flowers.

Common name: Rain Lily

Native region: Central Texas

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Eustoma exaltatum

Delicate purple flowers with yellow centers.

Common name: Bluebell Gentian

Native region: Central Texas

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Glandularia bipinnatifida

Light purple flowers.

Common name: Prairie Verbena

Native region: Central Texas

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Lobelia cardinalis

Bright red tall flowers.

Common name: Cardinal Flower

Native region: Central Texas

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Ratibida columnifera

Orange and yellow coneflowers.

Common name: Prairie Coneflower

Native region: Central Texas

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Cornus canadensis

A low green plant blooming with white flowers.

Common name: Bunchberry Dogwood

Native region: Eastern Woodlands

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Cypripedium parviflorum

Yellow Lady’s Slipper Orchid.

Common name: Yellow Lady’s-slipper Orchid

Native region: Eastern Woodlands

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Cypripedium reginae

Pink and white orchid flowers.

Common name: Showy Lady’s Slipper

Native region: Eastern Woodlands

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Linnaea borealis

Light pink funnel-shaped flowers hanging down.

Common name: Twinflower

Native region: Eastern Woodlands

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Silene virginica

Bright red star-shaped flowers.

Common name: Scarlet Catchfly

Native region: Eastern Woodlands

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