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Planning a Wildflower Walk

It's bloomin' all over and a walk amongst the flowers is a great way to drop a little botany and ecology knowledge on your kids while having fun with your family. Walks can be done as close as your backyard or a nearby park or a short drive away to an arboretum or botanical garden. In my hometown our zoo doubles as a botanical garden and in my new town, the local branch of the state college maintains an arboretum and an experimental garden.

Depending on where you live, wildflowers start popping up anytime from early spring through late summer. Chances are, you’ll be able to see some flowers as well as a variety of plants (and maybe even some wildlife) anywhere in North America between May and August.

Planning your walk

A little planning goes a long way. As with any venture into the great outdoors, it’s a good idea to wear the right clothes for the job. Comfort is key, of course, but there are other considerations depending on how “wild” you plan to go. Long pants and sleeves are a good idea to protect against contact with poison ivy or oak. Sunscreen and a hat to block out the sun are also a good idea. Most folks bring a backpack or satchel with bottles of water and a few snacks and this gives you a place to keep your most important tool—your field guide to wildflowers.

There are several books on the market, each with their own method of identification. Most are regional guides but one of the best national guides is the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers. For local flora, also check with your local nature club or botanical society—they often have very localized guides by members.

On the web there are numerous sites devoted to regional wildflower and plant identification. Most have a search function where you input information on the characteristics of the plant to search for possible matches. A good example of this is mywildflowers.com, a site devoted to flowers in the western Pennsylvania region. Almost every state or region has such a site.

Bring along pen or pencil and paper to record information about the flowers you find. A digital camera also is an excellent tool. Note the number of petals, whether the petals grow across from each other evenly or seem to be random, the color of the flower, height of the stem and shape of the leaves.

Once you’ve identified your flower and want to know more about it the USDA plants database is a good resource.

To pick or not to pick?

When in doubt don't. Like many of our native animal species, many wildflowers that were once abundant are endangered. In most states and federal parks it's illegal to pick certain wildflowers. There are certain species that are abundant and if you want to pick some of these (I'm thinking of the violets that now cover my backyard), leave enough flowers for the plants to reseed. Check with your local botanical garden or wildlife preservation society for more information. Stay on trails and try to disturb as little as you can if you chose to photograph.

So, what can we do?

Here’s a few ideas of what you CAN do during or after a wildflower hike:

• Do take your camera. Digital cameras are getting cheaper all the time. Traditional cameras, too, have come way down in price. While the color is what draws most people to wildflowers, black-and-white images can reveal beauty of form and line.

• Do take a sketchbook with you. Children love to draw and it’s relaxing for adults and kids alike. You could use pencil, colored pencil, charcoal, crayon or pen or set up your easel in the field and paint ala Monet.

• Do save your images as memories. Try a digital photo collage or a springtime scrapbook. Kids can cut out copies of photos to apply to photo frames or notebooks or to make their own flower-themed greeting cards.

• If you do pick common flowers, a flower press is a great investment, although we used heavy books when I was little. Dried and pressed flowers are great framed or used to decorate cards or notepaper. Some of you more crafty types will also find flowers added into homemade candles or paper adds a nice touch.

• Do nothing. Not every activity has to have a purpose. It may be as rewarding to you and your kids to just look and admire the beauty and the quiet of the woods.

• Do take the opportunity to discuss with your children the idea of respect for the natural world, the cycle of life and their place in it.

Go wild with these wildflower sites:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

USDA Forest Service Nature Watch Celebrating Wildflowers page

National Park Service Wildflower links page