LOOK, BUT DON'T TOUCH: BEAUTIFUL WILDFLOWERS MAY BE ILLEGAL TO PICK

The Erigeron Philadelphicos is sometimes called a small daisy but is also known as Philladelphia Fleabane.

The Hydrangea Arborescens, also known as the wild hydrangea.

Pink Honeysuckle grew along a fence row on Highway 177 north of Cape Girardeau. The family of Honeysuckles called Caprifolianceae, have trumpet-shaped flowers which drop off and berries are formed.

Everyone knows this flower as Black-eyed Susan. It's also called Rudbeckia Hirta. They tend to grow in dry, grassy areas.

Drive down Big Bend Road in Cape Girardeau, and you'll see wildflowers on both sides of the road. You may be tempted to pull off to the side of the road to pick one, two or several, but stop! What kind of wildflowers are they? Are they okay to pick, or are they on the endangered list? Are they on private property or state property?

You'd better be certain. It may be against the law to pick them.

Of course, the flowers on Big Bend are just Day Lillies, which are not endangered. So they aren't illegal to pick in that sense, but some wildflowers in the area are.

"There are some endangered plants around this area," said naturalist Tiffani Addington, who works at Trail of Tears State Park. She didn't want to point any out because people may be more tempted to pick them.

But it would still be illegal to pick these Day Lillies because they are on state property. It is against the law to pick wildflowers or any other flower or plant alongside roads, just as it would be illegal to pick them in a state park, something Addington said is a big problem at Trail of Tears.

"We have a lot of trouble with people picking flowers and plants in the park," she said. Those who do pick wildflowers in a state park or alongside the road could face several fines for doing so.

Even if the flowers were on private property, permission from the owner is still needed before taking the flowers.

So what would attract people to this potential life of crime?

Paul Schnare of Sunny Hill Gardens said one reason people pick wildflowers because many of them are related to the perennials that people plant in their yards. People plant the wildflowers in their yards so they don't have to plant the perennials.

"And they're obviously very pretty, so people like to pick them," he said.

Addington agrees. "Many wildflowers are very beautiful," she said.

Instead of picking wildflowers, Addington recommends buying the seeds. "You'd have a better success rate if you plant the seeds than if you plant wildflowers that were dug up," she said.

Seeds are available in several gardening stores in Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

People can also just enjoy the sight of wildflowers without picking them. Addington said most wildflowers bloom during the spring, so there aren't many to look at right now. Some of the ones that are currently in bloom are Queen Anne's Lace, which bloom from May until October; Black-Eyed Susan, which bloom from late May to October; and Butterfly Weed, which bloom from late May to September.

These are just a few examples of wildflowers found throughout the area and throughout the state, and those who are interested in learning more can find information at the Department of Conservation at the Cape Girardeau County State Park.