Searching for the remnants of wildflowers during the winter can be an interesting and fun thing to do, as well as an incentive to get outdoors. So many people think the wildflower season is over when the last Gentian blooms, however, the fields and woodlands will reward you if you will just explore during the winter. The winter months are less colorful but searching for “winter wildflowers” can provide an opportunity to learn winter botany identification and maybe something about the life history of wildflowers. Challenge yourself soon by trying to identify our wildflowers by the remnants.

The visible parts of the winter wildflowers usually offer some simple beauty in shape and form, i.e. Common Milkweed, Angelica or Evening Primrose. The dried stems, or “skeletons”, can look very attractive in winter bouquets and arrangements. Just remember to dust the seeds out for the birds and for reseeding.

Common Mullein is fairly easy to spot in winter months with its downy green leaves shaped in a lovely rosette. You might also find the evergreen leaves of Spotted Wintergreen, Galax, Heartleaf Ginger, Trailing Arbutus or Rattlesnake Plantain (a native orchid). Or, the single leaf of the Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) which sports two colors: green upper leaf with burgundy or purple underside.

Your winter outing, especially if done in the snow, may provide you with some amazing animal tracks to identify, as well as some bird sightings. Have fun!