Foraging a Summer Wildflower Bouquet
Summer wildflowers have arrived in Iowa, and it is one of my favorite times of year. One thing that I have noticed after living her for over half a decade is that Iowans rarely ever mow or spray down ditches or roadsides. They let the wildflowers grow, which makes for easy foraging and beautiful sights while on a country drive. I’ve broken into plenty of fields to pick a small bunch of flowers for our table. I never noticed roadside flowers growing up; I now know traveling back to the place where I grew up that many of them are simply sprayed or mowed down, removed from sight, as they are viewed as merely weeds.
Native flowers can have medicinal benefits and serve many purposes, one of the most important being forage for pollinators like native bees, butterflies, flies, and more. Did you know that the common housefly is from the same insect family as the bee? They are pollinators, too!
ips for foraging:
Foraging a wildflower bouquet is rather simple, if you know what to look for. There are several plants that you want to avoid, as they are irritating to the skin or poisonous. One invasive species that is difficult to avoid in Iowa is Pastinaca sativa, or Wild Parsnip. It is a biennial/perennial with edible roots, but the leaves, stems, flowers, and fruit cause intense burning, rash, severe blistering, and sometimes permanent discoloration if in contact with the skin. It is not an allergic reaction, it is a chemical burn brought on by the sap from the plant reacting to the sunlight once on your skin. I have heard it is absolutely horrible! Do your research and be wary of poisonous plants before foraging.
Here are some common tips for foraging wildflowers:
Pick in the early morning or late evening. All flowers prefer these times of day to be picked as the sun is not directly beating down on them and using up all of their moisture. Picking in the hot summer heat of midday will result in wilting flowers.
Remove lower leaves before placing in water, as the leaves will muddy the water and also cause the flowers to wilt.
Only take 1/3 of the plant and leave the rest. This ensure that the plant has enough leaves to continue to produce more flowers and live on until next year.
Wear repellent or long sleeves and pants/skirts to avoid insect bites and stings. Wildflower foraging always involves insects!
Bring a field guide or a photo identifying app to make sure that what you are picking is safe!
If you can, go out after it has rained for the best quality blooms.
midsummer wildflowers:
Here are some of the wildflowers that we see this time of year, June and July, around Iowa! There are so many others all over the world, so you may want to find a local field guide to study.
Queen Anne’s Lace
Cornflower
Tickseed Sunflower
Bee Balm
Black Cohosh
Red Clover
Rudbeckia
Daylily
Elderberry
Fleabane
Echinacea purpurea (this actually endangered, so best not to pick growing wildly!)
What is your favorite wildflower? I think mine will always be a Black Eyed Susan. They remind me of my first summer in Iowa, wandering the back country roads.
xoxo Kayla
My dress and pinafore are from Little Women Atelier
