A Guide to See Spring and Summer Wildflowers
Wildflowers are as elusive as they are beautiful. You can’t schedule a Google Meet with a cluster of columbines or plan a picnic in a lily-dotted meadow months ahead. (That would be cool, though, and immensely helpful when planning a romantic camping date night.) Unfortunately, timing a wildflower bloom is not that cut and dry, and much like leaf-peeping in the fall, chasing wildflowers requires some flexibility.
Why? Well, first off, bloom windows vary from species to species. Not only that, but blooming timelines depend on factors like snowmelt, rainfall, weather, you name it. The peak of a wildflower bloom can subsequently shift from year to year.
No doubt, chasing wildflowers can be tricky. However, it’s also a rewarding and fun pastime that adds immense color and joy to your camping life. Most importantly, if you do your research and plan accordingly, you can improve your chances of catching wildflowers in their full splendor on your next adventure. Below, we’ll share seven tips for chasing wildflowers to help you do just that. Cue the Tom Petty, and study up before the snow melts!
1. Researching Wildflowers: How to Find the Best Blooms
This first tip is purposefully broad, but it always pays to do your research before you go chasing wildflowers. Fly blind, and there’s a chance you’ll get skunked.
As we mentioned earlier, bloom windows can vary from species to species, and the exact timing of a bloom can change from year to year. However, if you do your research, it’s easy to get a general idea of a potential bloom timeframe.
For example, lupines usually pop in Crested Butte, Colorado, from June to August, with the peak bloom falling in July. This isn’t a guarantee, and the peak of the bloom could fall earlier or later depending on factors like snowmelt and weather (more on that below). However, this basic knowledge gives you a decent launch point for trip planning.
The Best Tools for Wildflower Spotting: Field Guides, Maps & Online Resources
How might you learn this essential information? Our go-to research tool is usually a paperback wildflower field guide (these options come recommended by the Forest Service).
We’ll buy these fact-packed books from a local bookstore, check them out from our local library, or order them online ahead of time if we’re planning a longer-distance road trip.
Field guides are fantastic because you can read up before your trip and also bring them on your adventure without worrying about your phone’s battery life or cell service.
Google It!
Another option? Google, Gemini, ChatGPT - there are tons of online resources for wildflower enthusiasts, ranging from blogs and forums to non-profits and online databases. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Wildflower Links: A massive list of wildflower organizations, botanical gardens, and other resources for the wildflower enthusiast, all compiled by the Forest Service. If you’re not sure where to start, this one’s for you.
- Wildflowers of The Pacific Northwest: An admittedly clunky, old-school site with a hefty repository of photographed flowers and relevant info. When we’re planning a trip in our PNW backyard, we keep this tab up!
- The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center from the University of Texas at Austin: A database of flowers and native plants from all over North America.
Our Favorite Places to Camp and See Wildflowers:
- California Superblooms: Anza-Borrego or Carrizo Plain
- Pacific Northwest: Columbia River Gorge or Mount Rainier
- Rocky Mountains: Crested Butte or Glacier National Park
2. Wildflower Bloom Timing: How Climate, Elevation & Latitude Affect Peak Blooms
As a general rule, wildflowers tend to bloom earlier in southern or lower-elevation locales than in higher-elevation or northern regions. This makes sense, as these areas warm up more quickly in the spring. Not to mention, they are less likely to be buried in a deep snowpack.
While these rough rules aren’t helpful for pinpointing the exact bloom timeframe for a specific species, they can help point you in the right direction based on your trip timing.
For instance, if we’re looking for wildflowers in March or April, we’re probably heading to the desert, maybe somewhere in the Southwest or California. In May and June, we’re happily exploring lower-elevation zones in our backyard here in the Pacific Northwest. In July and August, we’re heading higher, whether that’s here in the PNW, in the Rocky Mountains, or further afield.
3. Use A Localized, Targeted Approach
A localized approach is a must when researching wildflowers. If our last tip helped you get a feel for the bigger picture, this one is all about busting out the microscope.
What do we mean by this? Let’s say you’re planning a trip to Yosemite. A book on the wildflowers of North America isn’t going to be all that helpful—you might find a page or two of relevant information. A wildflower guide to California would be much more useful and detailed—you might even score an entire chapter on Yosemite. But a field guide to the wildflowers of Yosemite National Park? Now we’re talking!
If you’re researching wildflowers online, take a similarly targeted approach. Don’t search “wildflower bloom times,” as the results won’t be specific enough for informed trip planning. Instead, search for something more specific, like “tiger lily bloom times in the Cascades” or “lupine bloom Crested Butte.”
4. How Weather & Rainfall Impact Wildflower Blooms (And How to Track It)
Weather, precipitation, and snowpack are huge drivers of wildflower bloom timing.
An unseasonably warm spell or cold snap can respectively speed up or slow down the bloom process. Similarly, if the snow melts early, the bloom might be early, too. Vice versa, if there’s snow on the ground, the bloom will have to wait. You can track snowpack on this National Water and Climate Center map.
Additionally, rainfall in the spring and summer can lead to explosions of wildflower colors, especially in dry climates and desolate deserts. In fact, rain is often the catalyst for those striking “super blooms” that you’ll hear about on the news. Timing a desert trip after significant rainfall can be a smart move!
5. Utilize Recently Posted Content on Social Media
In addition to keeping an eye on the weather and the state of the snowpack, it doesn’t hurt to peruse social media. Fellow hikers and wildflower enthusiasts will often post photos of flowers on social media, and by using Instagram’s location feature and looking at recent posts, you might just be able to determine if and when a bloom is occurring.
📌 Pro Tip:
Use Instagram’s location tags or check recent trail reports for real-time wildflower updates!
6. Get Out And Get After It - You Never Know Until You Go
While you can try to predict when wildflowers will bloom, the only way to know for sure is to go.
After you do your research and make a plan, get outside and get after it! Even if you miss the peak bloom, you’ll still get to spend time in nature doing what you love.
On that note, don’t forget to bring a field guide. Even if you miss one bloom, chances are you’ll get to marvel at another, and it’s fun to identify whatever wildflowers are popping up!
7. Wildflower Viewing Etiquette and How to Leave No Trace
It’s easy to forget Leave No Trace principles when you’re chasing wildflowers, so we’re going to emphasize them here.
First off, as much as we’d all love to take home a bouquet, please avoid picking and plucking wildflowers. Enjoy them from a distance, look but don’t touch, and take only photographs.
Additionally, avoid trekking off-trail. If you do venture off-trail, make sure to stick to durable surfaces like rock and gravel. The last thing you want to do is trample delicate soil and undergrowth to get a closer look at wildflowers.
For more Leave No Trace principles, check out our article on the subject here.
You Belong Among The Wildflowers
As the great Tom Petty once crooned, “You belong among the wildflowers.” We hope this article helps you plan a petal-peeping trip and incorporate flora identification into your camping life.
With the right pre-trip planning—and the right field book in your backpack—adventures in wildflower country are nothing short of magic.
Thanks for reading, and as always, we’ll see you on the road.
–The Luno Crew
