Wildflower Ethics: To pick or not to pick? Reasons to resist

By Kelly Bandoch
Special to the Turnagain Times

Wild Iris

Wild Rose

At the beginning of the spring season the winds change, the trees bud, and the plants begin poking out of the rubble left from the fall.
As the days pass, the leaves spread, the plants bloom, and the smiles grow. Those smiles come from the children and adults alike drawn to the beauty of nature. The sight of new growth is welcomed after the white of winter. The local flora begins their escape from the earth, including the wildflowers.
We find wildflowers in a variety of places within our community such as along roadsides, trails, in our yards, and along undisturbed hillsides. The sight of these beauties can be more that just a pick-me-up for some folks, it can be the most uncontrollable urge to pluck them from the ground, to take them home and put them in pretty vases. This temptation has been embedded in our memories since childhood. See a pretty flower and take it home for Mom, your sweetheart, or yourself. This is a seemingly harmless act, one that will bring smiles and joy to others. In actuality the act of wildflower picking is the first tiny trigger to a chain of growing tragedies.
All living organisms need to reproduce. Digging up wildflowers, picking wildflowers, or collecting their seed will reduce a plant’s ability to reproduce and will unfavorably affect its long-term survival in that location. Picking or removing wildflowers from the wild can negatively affect pollinators and other animals that depend on that species for food and cover. Removing wildflowers from our local areas prevents other visitors from enjoying our natural beauties.
Most wildflowers when dug from their natural habitat do not survive being transplanted. Almost all wildflowers are fragile and many wilt and perish soon after being picked. Over the years, the repercussions of wildflower picking by unknowing people go far beyond the loss of the flowers themselves. A critical chain of events is triggered for years to come once wildflowers are lost. We don’t often realize it, but wildflowers support entire ecosystems for pollinators, birds, and small animals on a micro scale. Butterflies and other insects, small birds, and animals depend on seeds, nectar, and pollen for their food supply and life support system.
So the next time you are faced with a field of the most beautiful of temptations, resist. Respect and protect wildflowers and their habitats, leave only footprints, and take only memories and photos so that other travelers and future generations may enjoy our natural wonders.

Kelly Bandoch is currently working for the Forest Service on the Ecology Crew.