How many wildflowers can you spot on your next spring hike?
/Find out when and where can you find the most beautiful flowers along the Potomac River
Purple passionflower being pollinated by an eastern carpenter bee. photo by matthew Beziat/Flickr.
The snow on the Potomac’s banks may still be melting, but the snowdrops are about to start blooming! Mother Nature is telling us to prepare for a change in the seasons, so - like any nerdy naturalist - we’re doing our homework.
What wildflowers can you spot around the river, and when? Well, the answer isn’t so simple.
There are hundreds of types of wildflowers native to our area, but the rapidly warming climate is complicating their growing cycles making it difficult to know when flowers are in bloom. A 2014 study shows that climbing temperatures cause many species to bloom earlier and longer, and that “the combinations of flower species that bloom together are changing too, with potential impacts on insects and birds.” (Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Apr 2014, 111 (13) 4916-4921).
The study, while disconcerting, reminds us just how vital these delicate, free-spirited flowers are to our ecosystem, and why it’s more important than ever to keep an eye on them.
Get to know the rainbow bounty that’s about to explode beside the Potomac and amaze your hiking buddies with your expert wildflower trivia!
Click through the photos below to see our favorite local flowers - and find out when they’ll start popping up! 🌷☘🌱
Potomac River Wildflower Calendar:
Source: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Plant Database. Photos courtesy of Matthew Beziat via Flickr.
Now that you know a snowdrop from a spatterdrock,
it’s time to show us your favorite wildflower finds!
As you head outside for spring hikes, snap the coolest flowers
you spot and tag us in your photos with:
🌼We can’t wait to see your best blooms!🌻
(P.S. Spot a flower not on this list? Use the iNaturalist app
to help identify it and contribute to community science!)
