Overview
Florida's warm climate means wildflowers somewhere in the state almost every month, with big shows along roadsides and in pine flatwoods and prairies from spring through fall. The state has adopted tickseed (Coreopsis) as its official wildflower.
This guide covers common and iconic Florida wildflowers — how to recognize them and when they bloom. Photograph the flower and leaves and use the app to confirm any bloom you find.
Key Species to Know
Tickseed
Coreopsis leavenworthii
Florida's state wildflower — a cheerful daisy with golden-yellow rays around a dark center, blooming in bright roadside sweeps for much of the year.
Blanketflower
Gaillardia pulchella
A daisy with red rays tipped in yellow, forming warm bands of color on dunes and roadsides. Tough and drought-hardy along the coast.
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
A familiar daisy with golden-yellow rays around a dark brown dome, common in meadows and along roads. Bristly stems and leaves.
Spanish Needles
Bidens alba
A weedy but valuable wildflower with small white-rayed, yellow-centered daisies that bloom year-round and feed countless pollinators.
Blazing Star
Liatris gracilis
Tall wands of fluffy rose-purple flowers that open from the top down in late summer and fall, glowing in the pine flatwoods.
Purple Passionflower
Passiflora incarnata
An intricate lavender flower with a fringed crown over three-lobed leaves, climbing on vines. Also called maypop; a host plant for fritillary butterflies.
Seasonal Guide
- Spring: roadsides fill with tickseed, blanketflower, and phlox.
- Late summer–fall: blazing stars and asters color the pine flatwoods.
- Florida's Wildflower license plate funds native plantings you'll see blooming along many highways.
Safety Reminder
Enjoy and photograph wildflowers but leave them in place — picking on public land is discouraged and prohibited in parks and preserves. This guide is for identification and enjoyment, not foraging.
Identify it instantly
Found something and not sure what it is? Point your camera with Spotter and get a species identification in seconds — with detailed reference info and species notes.