It’s springtime and you’re seeing nature come alive. You notice more flowers popping up around you. Each and every one, a gift from nature. Experiencing spring wildflowers blooming in nature provides a fulfilling connection to the natural world.
In this article we will talk about wildflowers and how you can cultivate your own unique experience with springtime blooms.
Wildflowers bring color and joy back after a cold winter. These special plants are essential for pollinators and enhance the beauty of the landscape. Whenever you start noticing them appear – whether it be on your commute while you are driving, or as soon as you step out your door – this is your call to take initiative and indulge in the arrival of Spring. Take the time this year to seek out wildflowers local to your area. This is a fun and rewarding activity you can share with loved ones!
Know Before You Go
If you’re in North America, you can typically enjoy wildflower season from February through May. Each species will differ, but generally you can enjoy them for most of the Spring season.
Each year’s blossoms depend on their location, elevation, and the previous year’s rainfall.
Take note of the laws and regulations based on your location. Many places prohibit picking or collecting wildflowers. Sometimes you may be fined for picking wildflowers without a permit, so always abide by wildflower ethics. The U.S. Forest Service has an informative article about conserving wildflowers.
Be aware and tread carefully along established trails. You don’t want to trample the flowers. We want maintain healthy blooms so that they can disperse their seeds for the following year’s blooms.
Identifying Spring Wildflowers
Which types of wildflowers you experience will vary by region. Many people seek out their wildflower experience during special trips. For example, you could plan a trip specifically to a nearby State Park or National Park during Spring. Stop by the visitors center at these places and connect with the rangers for specific details.
Although rare plants can be found with a little bit of research or word of mouth, we always recommend you to try to identify the beauties you are seeing. Even if you’re not specifically searching for a wildflower, challenge yourself each year to identify one you don’t already know. Over time, you will be able to recognize flowers on your own without the help of a guide. It’s fun to share your knowledge with kids, friends, and family members.
One of our favorite online resources for the southwestern United States is here, it categorizes wildflower species family name and National and State Park!
If you’re completely unsure and don’t know where to start, Mywildflowers.com has an awesome identification tool based on observable characteristics.
The Audobon Society published a comprehensive guidebook on wildflowers of North America.
You can always use your phone in the field to look up what you’re seeing. Personally, we prefer to have a field guide in hand during our Nature Consort activities. You can use a book or pick up a pamphlet for a specific area if they are available.
Where to go to see Spring Wildflowers
As you may already know, we are based in the southwestern United States. This is why most of the photos you see on Nature Consort articles have a gorgeous desert backdrop. There are so many wildflowers to be enjoyed in desert regions.
Wildflowers are found around globe so we want to provide you with some resources that you can explore on your own. Here are some fun, useful, resources you can explore based on individual western states:
If you search online, you will find endless resources from the U.S. Forest Service, National Parks, and individual bloggers to inspire your springtime adventure.
Check in with your local area to see if you can join a nature walk with local park rangers, or catch a guided tour at a National, State, or Regional Park to unlock wildflower secrets specific to your area!
Our Spring Wildflowers Location in Arizona
For the inspiration of our wildflower article, we visited a well known spot near the Phoenix Area. This area is known as the Tonto National Forest Lower Salt River Recreation Area. This area has access points for watersports, fishing, ATV/OHV recreation and if you’re lucky, you may see some wild horses!
To find the wildflowers, however, it is approximately a 30-40 minute drive northeast on the 87 Beeline Highway from Phoenix. If coming from Payson, Arizona, you will travel approximately 40 minutes south along the 87 Beeline Highway to reach the area. You can easily pull up this area on GoogleMaps if you search for Saguaro Lake.
If you’re visiting Arizona we highly encourage you to stop by during springtime to catch the blooms. You will see wildflowers along this stretch of the Bush Highway between the 87 Beeline Highway and Saguaro Lake. You’ll be able to easily pull off alongside the Bush Highway and park safely to experience the beautiful springtime blooms in this area. Depending on which day you head out, you may encounter other wildflower visitors, especially if it’s the weekend.
Keep in mind this is just one of the many beautiful locations in Arizona you can visit to see springtime blooms. Arizona hosts numerous outdoor natural areas to find beautiful wildflowers.
Easy Trip Tips and Basic Photo Tips
We hope you’re inspired to seek out the poppy bloom location described above if you’re in the Arizona area! Keep your trip easy and fun! Pack an simple lunch, bring snacks, and always pack water. This is such a fun daytime outing since the weather is still nice and cool in Arizona during springtime.
We are not professional photographers, but we like to practice our photo skills anytime we are outside! We hope to inspire you to do the same. All of our photos in this article were taken with an iPhone. Always keep in mind, your best natural lighting will be during the hours of sunrise, early morning and sunset. Although our wildflower adventure for this article was mid-morning, we are still happy with how our pictures turned out.
We want to briefly point out that we traveled with our canine companion and always keep him on a leash to keep him safe. The North Bush Highway is less than a 1/4 mile behind him in this photo. There was moderate traffic on the day of our visit, so make sure to take care if you go out there and always be careful with your loved ones.
Spring Wildflowers Captivate Our Spirit
For more inspiration check out these astonishing photos of a superbloom captured at Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve from 2023. Most of us are only able to relish these types of experiences vicariously through a screen. This is why it is so important for us to step outside for ourselves. Find our own adventures, our own wildflowers. Bringing your physical body out into nature will cultivate and heal your soul in more ways than you can imagine. You will forever carry the experience with you and it can become a healing and joyful experience for you to remember.
No matter where you are, make an effort to visit new places and natural spaces. Allow yourself to experience nature and all of her beauty throughout every season. Let yourself notice the plants, wildflowers, and nature all around you within your everyday routine. Together, within these types of practices we will be able to move forward and focus on ensuring the longevity and vitality of nature so that everyone will be able to benefit from her gifts. Appreciating the natural beauty around us will inspire our lives and encourage us to maintain a healthy relationship with nature.
Thank you for visiting us today. We hope you will venture outdoors on your own to experience your own joyful connection to nature and the spring wildflowers.