[Advanced] Wildflowers (1)

Wildflowers have become a travel destination

By Jill Schensul

Nowhere is nature’s “Yay!” more apparent than a good display of wildflowers. Seeds are splitting, shoots are shooting, buds are unfolding to show the colorful petals they’ve concealed.

Some destinations and stretches of land bloom with such awesome endlessness and ferocity of color that they’ve created a tourist industry of their own.

Over the years, as habitat has dwindled and pollinating species have declined in numbers, groups across the  world have formed to protect and propagate species.

You can find wildflowers anywhere, really: pushing through a crack in a parking lot or clinging to a wind-whipped mountaintop. Still, there are places where wildflowers bloom more showily in habitats around the world.

We’ve gathered some of the top wildflower destinations from a variety of sources.

MOUNT RAINIER, WASHINGTON

Why:  Ranier is the tallest mountain in the Cascade Range. The national park encompasses 235,625 acres on the west side of the range, and because of its elevation, offers a variety of habitats.

In single-day hike, you can see the very best of the flowers of the forest, subalpine and alpine zones.

The Paradise section of the park is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. Skyline Trail to Myrtle Falls also offers a wealth of wildflowers, and Spray Park Trail has as many flowers as Paradise, but far fewer visitors.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, NORTH CAROLINA AND TENNESSEE 

Why: With more than 1,600 flowering species, it’s earned the nickname Wildflower National Park. Variations in elevation, rainfall, temperature and geology contribute to that diversity of flowering plants - more than in any other North American national park.

The show begins in February, with the “ephemerals” such as trillium, iris, little brown jugs and violets making brief appearances through mid-May; followed by extravagant displays of mountain laurel, rhododendron, azalea, and other heath family shrubs flowering en masse through July with aster, goldenrod and Joe-Pye weed up to 10 feet tall lasting through the fall.

Notes and Vocabulary
conceal v.
to hide something carefully

ferocity n.
/fəˈrɑ:səti/
the state of being extremely violent and severe

pollinate v.
/ˈpɑ:ləˌneɪt/
to give a flower or plant pollen so that it can produce seeds

propagate v.
/ˈprɑ:pəˌgeɪt/
if you propagate plants, or if they propagate, they start to grow from a parent plant to produce new plants

cling v.
to hold onto something or someone very tightly

showily adv.
something that is showy is very colourful, big, expensive etc, especially in a way that attracts people's attention

meadow n.
a usually flat area of land that is covered with tall grass

geology n.
a science that studies rocks, layers of soil, etc., in order to learn about the history of the Earth and its life

ephemeral
/ɪˈfɛmərəl/


Discussion Questions
- What makes wildflowers such a special type of flower?
- In your region, where can you find wildflowers? Describe them.


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