Wildflower Search

State:

Arizona California Colorado Idaho Kansas Montana Nebraska Nevada New Mexico North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon South Dakota Utah Texas Washington Wyoming

Family:

Acanthaceae Adoxaceae Aizoaceae Alismataceae Amaranthaceae Amaryllidaceae Anacardiaceae Apiaceae Apocynaceae Asparagaceae Asteraceae Berberidaceae Bignoniaceae Boraginaceae Brassicaceae Cactaceae Campanulaceae Caprifoliaceae Caryophyllaceae Celastraceae Cleomaceae Commelinaceae Convolvulaceae Cornaceae Crassulaceae Crossosomataceae Cucurbitaceae Elaeagnaceae Ephedraceae Ericaceae Escalloniaceae Euphorbiaceae Fabaceae Fagaceae Fouquieriaceae Gentianaceae Geraniaceae Hydrangeaceae Hypericaceae Iridaceae Krameriaceae Lamiaceae Liliaceae Linaceae Loasaceae Malpighiaceae Malvaceae Martyniaceae Melanthiaceae Montiaceae Myrsinaceae Nyctaginaceae Nymphaeaceae Oleaceae Onagraceae Orchidaceae Orobanchaceae Oxalidaceae Papaveraceae Phrymaceae Plantaginaceae Plumbaginaceae Polemoniaceae Polygalaceae Polygonaceae Primulaceae Ranunculaceae Rhamnaceae Rosaceae Rubiaceae Rutaceae Salicaceae Santalaceae Sapindaceae Saururaceae Saxifragaceae Scrophulariaceae Simmondsiaceae Solanaceae Strelitziaceae Tropaeolaceae Typhaceae Valerianaceae Verbenaceae Violaceae Vitaceae Zygophyllaceae

Park:

ARIZONA Agua Fria NM Chiricahua NM Grand Canyon NP Kofa NWR Organ Pipe Cactus NM Petrified Forest NP Saguaro NP Sedona CALIFORNIA Anza-Borrego Desert SP Cabrillo NM Death Valley NP Joshua Tree NP Lake Tahoe Lassen Volcanic NP Mojave NP Point Reyes NS Redwood NP Yosemite NP COLORADO Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP Colorado NM Great Sand Dunes NP Mesa Verde NP Rocky Mountain NP NEVADA Great Basin NP Red Rock Canyon NCA Valley of Fire SP NEW MEXICO Bandelier NM Chaco Culture NHP OREGON Crater Lake NP TEXAS Big Bend NP Guadalupe Mountains NP UTAH Arches NP Bryce Canyon NP Canyonlands NP Capitol Reef NP Cedar Breaks NM Dinosaur NM Natural Bridges NM Timpanogos Cave NM Zion NP WYOMING Yellowstone NP

Flower Color:

Blue Brown Green Orange Pink Purple Red White Yellow

Name:

This search is for wildflowers featured on the website

There are thousands of species of wildflowers and flowering shrubs in western USA, divided into several hundred genera; many look similar and others exist as subspecies and varieties, so identification can often be problematic.

Color is the most recognizable characteristic, together with location and habitat; other factors include flower symmetry, cluster shape, leaf shape, leaf edges, leaf arrangement, and the shape/texture of the bracts (the supporting structures between flower head and flower stem). Although less easy to detect, the shape and color of the seeds are also important for identification.

The wide range of habitats, from the low deserts and the Pacific coastline up to the tundra zone of the high mountain ranges, is the main reason for the great diversity, and ensures that flowers are in bloom all through the year, though peak times range from early spring in the hottest deserts to late summer in the mountains.

Descriptions of a selection of the more common Western wildflowers are given below, arranged by plant family and flower color. 1745 species are currently included, concentrated in the Great Basin, other desert regions and the Four Corners states, but extending to California, Oregon, Wyoming and Texas.

List by Family

List by Flower Color

Updates

17 May 2025 - 246 new photos for existing species
10 Nov 2024 - 32 new species
30 Oct 2024 - 244 new photos for existing species
24 May 2024 - 30 new species
13 May 2024 - 354 new photos for existing species
6 September 2022 - 32 new species
31 August 2022 - 378 new photos for existing species
22 March 2022 - 57 new species
4 March 2022 - 205 new photos for existing species
2 December 2021 - 17 new species
1 December 2021 - 81 new photos for existing species
27 November 2019 - 175 new species
25 September 2019 - 529 new photos for existing species
22 May 2018 - 25 new species
27 April 2018 - 136 new photos for existing species
25 July 2017 - 120 new species
29 May 2017 - 413 new photos for existing species
4 November 2016 - 172 new species
6 September 2016 - 579 new photos for existing species
5 July 2016 - 17 new species
13 June 2016 - 42 new species