Wildflowers look awesome in the spring with their vibrant colors. They bring a fragrant smell. They’re also part of crucial places where bees, insects and wildlife live. They’re already in bloom, making this a good time for people to go out and see them.

One of the earliest bloomers was harbinger of spring, which can be seen in heavily wooded areas. When it bloomed, it was a sign that spring was on its way. Harbinger of spring is a member of the carrot family that can be eaten but shouldn’t be, as it has a threatened status in PA.

Snow trillium, spring beauty, the round-lobed and sharp-lobed hepatica, blue-eyed Mary, yellow trout lily and twinleaf are among a long list of flowers that can be seen blooming across southwestern PA in the spring.

Wildflowers can provide seeds, insects, and other food for wildlife

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

• People can see wildflowers at Mingo Creek County Park, especially along the complete Orange Trail. The trail is 5½ miles long, and provides moderate exercise and activities.
• More than thirty acres of Cross Creek County Park were restored with wildflowers and clover. Along with wildflowers, people can see beautiful greenery, nearly 200 species of birds and wildlife.
• In the spring, the crimson-eyed rose-mallow and prairie coneflower can be seen along the Panhandle Trail, especially at access points, which can be seen on the map at the Panhandle Trail article.
• Blue cohosh, butterfly weed, chicory, snow trillium, trumpet creeper and wild bergamot are among the flowers that can be seen along the Montour Trail. A photo of chicory in bloom can be seen at MyWildflowers.com.
• Wildflowers can turn a hike through Hillman State Park into a nature trip. The Figure 8 Trail and Pitch Pine Trail provide an easy, 1-hour hiking loop where wildflowers can be seen. The wildflowers at Wetlands Trail and Old Mare Trail are beautiful. Wildflowers and birds have been spotted along the Meadow Trail.
• Enlow Fork Natural Area is set up to protect rare wildflowers. It’s an undeveloped that straddles the border of Washington and Greene Counties. “Access is limited in most areas to walking the streambanks,” the Audubon Society writes. The Audubon Society is a non-profit organization that counts birds, organizes bird watching trips, and works on conserving birds and their habitats.

Squirrel-corn, Dutchman’s Breeches and Dwarf larkspur bloom from mid April through mid May and can be seen at Enlow Fork, according to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Picking wildflowers is discouraged. It keeps other people from enjoying them, it denies food and cover to bees and wildlife that depend on them, and the flowering plant that lost its flowers may not reproduce. This can lead to fewer flowers in the future, damaging the habitat.

Flowers will continue to bloom all summer. Not all varieties of blooming flowers will outlast the spring. The sooner people put on their jackets and go see them, the more variety they’ll enjoy.

Places to see wildflowers in Washington County