As summer’s greenery begins to fade, but before the leaves don their fall colors, Virginia’s highways and byways host a pre-game performance that’s worth attending. Sporting shades of yellow, purple, and white, fall’s wildflowers are the stars of the show from late August until well into the fall foliage season.
Why are roadsides such a good place to see the flowers of fall? It’s because these plants tend to be sun-loving, open-country species. They find these growing conditions at the edge of the woods, on unmowed ditch banks, or alongside crop fields and pastures.
Where to Spot Wildflowers in Virginia
If you prefer to view wildflowers during an incredible fall hike, here are a few places where you’ll find them:
- State Parks, such as Sky Meadows, Powhatan, and Grayson Highlands
- Shenandoah National Park, especially around the Big Meadows area
- Local parks and preserves such as Pleasant Grove Park in Fluvanna County and Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax
- Larger State Forests, such as Cumberland and Charlotte
- Wildlife Management Areas, such as G.R. Thompson, Princess Anne, and Hidden Valley
- Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge
- Cole Mountain area of George Washington National Forest
- Many of the historic battlefields in Virginia
- Varina LandLab at Deep Bottom
- Rail trails, such as the Washington and Old Dominion, High Bridge, and Virginia Creeper Trail
Identifying Virginia’s Fall Wildflowers
Yellow is a prominent color in the autumn flower-scape. Tickseed and various sunflowers turn their bright faces to the sky, while goldenrod’s stems arc outward like elegant fireworks. By the way, don’t believe that myth about goldenrod causing allergies. The real culprit is ragweed, whose tiny greenish flowers bloom at the same time. Goldenrod has heavy yellow pollen that is collected and moved on the bodies of insects, not the wind.
