Blooming Dales

Since it first appeared as “The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean” in 1734, the tale of a young man who plants magic beans and embarks on a giant adventure has captured imaginations around the world. When I was a kid, every seed packet was a potential portal into another realm. While that’s obviously not true in the literal sense, I believe even more today in the magic of a packet of seeds.

Every spring, my husband Phillip brings home pounds of wildflower seed assortments and plants them around our back yard. He’s been doing that for about five years now—scattering the seeds in the spots where he won’t mow until everything has burnt up. Each year, he dedicates more space to the endeavor, much to the delight of our three dogs, who love tromping through the flowers looking for toads. The humans love it too: Our neighbors have three small children, and the oldest loves to talk to Mr. Phillip as he waters his pretty flowers.

Aside from the fact that they support pollinators, birds, and other small creatures, the thing that I love the most about the summer bloom is how random it is. Some years, hundreds of cosmos will erupt in pink, yellow, and orange fireworks across the garden. Cottony yarrow, bachelor’s button, Columbine, Indian paintbrush, wild indigo: We just never know what bounty the summer rain and sunshine will bring forth. But our Bethany garden is by no means the only place you can see stunning wildflowers in Oklahoma. Here are a few more:

**Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge **

Though the Wildflower Walks ended in May, this Lawton sanctuary is bursting with beautiful blooms well into the summer. Visitors might see Indian blankets, daisies, barrel cacti, and whatever else the wind brought in this year. There’s also plenty of fauna to go with the flora: bison, longhorns, and rocky mountain elk, just to name a few.

**Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area **

Western Oklahoma’s majesty is on full display at the 29,766-acre Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area near Erick. Among the swath of wild sunflowers, visitors might spot a mountain boomer catching its own rays. Just make sure to take your allergy meds before you go: Ragweed grows abundantly here. Located south of Erick and southwest of Sayre,

**The Interstate 35 corridor **

Beginning with a $648,000 grant in 1990, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has toiled to make the bland grassy areas along Oklahoma highways into little oases of color and life. As part of the Prairie Passage, they’ve planted 2,500 acres of wildflowers. While you can see these blooms in many areas around the state, driving up and down Oklahoma’s “Adventure Road” is a sure bet and will lead you to plenty of cool attractions along the way. But the flowers themselves are enough to warrant a road trip: Indian brush and blanket, bluebonnet, bindweed, winecup, stiff greenthread, and lots more. Just don’t put yourself in danger—admire these beauties from the car.

Written By

Karlie Ybarra

Managing editor Karlie Ybarra loves to explore her home state—and meet many of its animal citizens—any chance she gets.