North Carolina Wildflowers and Plants: Bloom, Fall Color

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North Carolina’s state flower is the flowering dogwood, its state wildflower is the Carolina lily and its state carnivorous plant is the Venus flytrap. In the mountains, spring wildflowers typically peak in mid to late April, mountain laurel and rhododendron bloom from May into July, and fall color typically arrives in October.

This guide sticks to what the state, parks and gardens say, grouped by kind of plant, with a month-by-month calendar. We leave out where poachable plants grow, and we list what we could not confirm. Bloom times are “typically”: always check the site you plan to visit.

Health warning

Poison Ivy and Wild Plants: Read Before You Touch or Taste

Poison ivy: NC State Extension says leaflets always come in groups of three, all parts carry the oil urushiol, and contact can come from tools, shoes, dogs or smoke. Do not burn it. Some people seem immune (NC State Extension, read October 30, 2026). It grows in woods, thickets, roadsides and coastal forests, and the Park Service lists it in maritime forest vines.
Wild plants: do not eat a wild plant unless a trained guide confirms it (general guidance, not medical advice).

Not confirmedWhether a plant you meet is safe to touch or eat, and what to do after a bad reaction. Check with a trained guide, your doctor or the Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) before relying on this page.

This page repeats what the sources it names say. It is general information, not medical advice.

Wildflowers, Trees and Plants You Might See

Where and when come from the source in the last column. Bloom times are “typically”: they shift with weather from year to year, so check with the park, garden or preserve before you go. Information as of October 30, 2026.

State Symbols

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Flowering dogwood (state flower)	Adopted as the state flower in 1941. NC State Extension says it is a small tree, 15 to 25 feet tall, found throughout the state under larger forest trees and at woodland edges. The showy “flower” is a cluster of small true flowers ringed by four petal-like bracts. Great Smoky Mountains National Park lists it among the showy trees that bloom after the red maples (February to April).	State law names flowering dogwood among plants you may not take from another person’s land or public land without the owner’s permit.	G.S. Chapter 145; NC State Extension; Smokies wildflowers
Pine, with the longleaf pine as emblem (state tree)	The statute adopts “the pine” as the state tree and designates the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) as the emblem for the trees of North Carolina. NC State Extension says longleaf pines grow 60 to 120 feet tall and carry the largest cones of any pine in eastern North America.		G.S. Chapter 145; NC State Extension
Carolina lily (state wildflower)	Adopted as the state wildflower in 2003. NC State Extension says it grows in dry upland forests, slopes and ridges in all areas of the state, though it is rare in the coastal plain. Plants stand 2 to 4 feet tall, with fragrant orange and yellow speckled flowers in summer. It is the only fragrant native lily east of the Mississippi River.	Lilies (Lilium) are on the state’s no-taking list. Photograph it and leave it.	G.S. Chapter 145; NC State Extension
Venus flytrap (state carnivorous plant)	Adopted in 2005. NC State Extension says it is native to coastal North Carolina and a small area of northeastern South Carolina. We do not publish where it grows.	Protected by law: see Staying Safe and Leaving Plants Be.	G.S. Chapter 145; NC State Extension
Fraser fir (state Christmas tree)	Adopted in 2005. Easy trails at the summit of Mount Mitchell State Park explore a Fraser fir forest, and the mountain, at 6,684 feet, is the highest point east of the Mississippi River.		G.S. Chapter 145; NC State Parks: Mount Mitchell
Muscadine grape, strawberry, blueberry and sweet potato	The statutes name the muscadine grape (Vitis genus) as the state fruit, the strawberry as the state red berry, the blueberry as the state blue berry and the sweet potato as the state vegetable.		G.S. Chapter 145

Blue Ridge Wildflowers

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Spring ephemerals: hepatica, spring beauty, trillium, columbine, bleeding heart, jack-in-the-pulpit, violets	Great Smoky Mountains National Park says ephemerals appear from February through April and are gone by May or June. The peak of spring wildflower bloom usually falls in mid- to late April at lower elevations, and a few weeks later on the highest peaks. The park has 10 trillium species.	Ephemerals vanish within about two months, so timing is tight. Call the park for the week you plan.	Smokies wildflowers
Blue Ridge Parkway spring flowers: trillium, trout lily, spring beauty, wild ginger, larkspur, foamflower	The Parkway says the single best time to see many species is early spring, late April to early May, as the canopy trees start to leaf out. Blooming starts in late March and runs through October, and is earlier at lower elevations.	Collecting any plant or plant part is illegal in the Parkway (see Staying Safe).	Parkway wildflowers
Dwarf crested iris	Blooms in April and May along the Parkway, per the Parkway.		Parkway wildflowers
Summer wildflowers: cardinal flower, turtlehead, Turk’s cap lily, bee balm, black-eyed Susan, jewelweed	The Smokies list these in summer. The Parkway names Turk’s cap lily, meadow rue, evening primrose, bellflower, bee balm, impatiens and turtlehead later in the season. Neither page gives exact months.		Smokies wildflowers; Parkway wildflowers
Fall wildflowers: goldenrod, asters, tall ironweed, mountain gentian, Joe-Pye-weed	The Smokies say these bloom from late summer through the fall; the last asters are in the late fall. Sweet Joe-Pye-weed can reach ten feet. The Parkway also calls out fall wildflowers along its road and trails.		Smokies wildflowers; Parkway fall colors
Witch-hazel	Yellow flowers from October through January in the Smokies.		Smokies wildflowers
Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage	The Smokies host a week-long festival of programs and guided walks each spring. Dates are not confirmed; check with the park.	Check the park’s page for this year’s dates.	Smokies wildflowers
Fragile rock outcrops	The Parkway says rock outcrops at high elevations hold fragile alpine species left behind after the glaciers, and trampling by unaware visitors is the main threat.	Stay on the trail and off the rock.	Parkway plants

Rhododendron, Laurel and Azalea

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Mountain laurel	The Smokies say white and pink flowers bloom from early May through June along trails and roads. NC State Extension says it blooms in late spring to early summer. It belongs to a different genus (Kalmia) from rhododendron.	Mountain laurel is on the state’s no-taking list.	Smokies blooming shrubs; NC State Extension
Catawba rhododendron	Grows only above about 3,500 feet in the Smokies. Peak bloom is usually in the first half of June along Newfound Gap Road and in late June on the highest peaks, with magenta flowers that wash the ridges purple. The Smokies page names Andrews Bald, Alum Cave Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the area above the Chimney Tops Trailhead as good places.		Smokies blooming shrubs
Rosebay rhododendron	The most common rhododendron in the Smokies, along streams and in ravines below 5,000 feet. White-ish clumps bloom in June at lower elevations and July into August at middle altitudes. Not every plant blooms every year; big blooms come every 2 to 4 years.		Smokies blooming shrubs
Flame azalea	Colors run white, peach, orange, yellow or red. Blooms April and May in low to mid-elevation forests and June or early July on mountaintops. Gregory Bald and Andrews Bald are named for peak displays (the two Smokies pages give slightly different dates; see What We Could Not Verify). Also seen along Balsam Mountain Road.	Rhododendron and azalea are on the state’s no-taking list.	Smokies blooming shrubs; Smokies wildflowers

Carnivorous Plants and Bogs

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Venus flytrap	NC State Extension says it is native to coastal North Carolina, that it is endangered and “cannot be legally collected from the wild,” and that there is no need to take one because nursery-propagated plants are widely available. Its leaf snaps shut when prey touches two of the six trigger hairs. We do not publish where it grows.	Never dig or collect one. If you want one, buy a nursery-propagated plant.	NC State Extension; G.S. 106-202.19
Pitcher plants	The state’s no-taking list names pitcher plants (Sarracenia). Their bloom is not confirmed here, and we do not publish where they grow.	Look at them in a botanical garden.	G.S. 14-129

Coastal Dune Plants

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Sea oats	NC State Extension calls sea oats a native grass that holds dunes in place with deep taproots and spreading rhizomes, and says they are a protected grass in several southeastern states including North Carolina. Foot traffic and off-road vehicles damage them. National Park Service says they are protected by federal law at Cape Lookout National Seashore: they cannot be broken, pulled up, dug up or otherwise damaged by people or pets.	Stay on the crossovers. Walking through the plants breaks them.	NC State Extension; Cape Lookout plants
Dune slope plants: little bluestem, saltmeadow cordgrass, pennywort, firewheel, prickly pear	National Park Service lists these as common on dune slopes at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, with sea oats. Firewheel and marsh pinks also bring color at Cape Lookout. No months are given.		Cape Hatteras plants; Cape Lookout plants
Maritime forest	Cape Hatteras lists live oak, loblolly pine, yaupon and American holly in maritime forests, with Buxton Woods called an excellent example of Atlantic Coast maritime evergreen forest. Shackleford Banks, at Cape Lookout, has the most extensive maritime forest in that park.	Poison ivy is common in the vines of these forests.	Cape Hatteras plants; Cape Lookout plants
Invasive common reed	Cape Hatteras says common reed (Phragmites) dominates many tidal wetlands and pushes out native plants.		Cape Hatteras plants

Trees and Fall Color

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Fall color on the Parkway	The Parkway says leaves on the highest elevations can start turning as early as late September, and most trees change during October, starting on the highest peaks and moving downslope. It says exact peak dates at a given spot are impossible to predict.	Weather moves it. Check the Parkway before you drive.	Parkway fall colors
What drives the color	About 100 native tree species grow in the southern Appalachians, most deciduous, and they change at different times. The Parkway says bright, sunny, cool days, cool nights above freezing and good rainfall make the best color, while wet, cloudy, warm weather or very low early-fall temperatures mute it.		Parkway fall colors
Fraser fir forest	Mount Mitchell State Park’s summit trails explore a Fraser fir forest at 6,684 feet.	Check the park for trail closures before you go.	NC State Parks: Mount Mitchell
Poison ivy in fall	NC State Extension says poison ivy leaves turn red or reddish yellow in fall.	Pretty is not safe: see Staying Safe and Leaving Plants Be.	NC State Extension

Public Gardens

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville	The Arboretum’s site lists gardens and trails and says leashed dogs are welcome on trails but not in buildings. Hours and parking fees are on its page.	Check the site for hours and fees before you go.	NC Arboretum
Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Fayetteville	An 80-acre garden with curated gardens, wild spaces and native habitats in the Sandhills. See our Cape Fear Botanical Garden guide.	Check the site for what is open.	Cape Fear Botanical Garden
North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill	Describes itself as a conservation garden at UNC-Chapel Hill. The state’s Plant Conservation Board includes a seat for the Garden, per the statute.	Call or check the site for what is in bloom.	NC Botanical Garden; G.S. 106-202.14

Bloom Calendar: What Typically Blooms When

Each month lists plants that a source above puts in bloom or in color at that time. “Typically” is deliberate: weather moves every date, so check with the park or garden before you go.

Month	Typically in bloom or in color	Source
January	Witch-hazel (October through January)	Smokies
February	Spring ephemerals begin (February through April); red maple flowers; spicebush	Smokies
March	Spring ephemerals; Parkway blooming starts in late March	Smokies; Parkway
April	Peak spring wildflowers at lower Smokies elevations (mid to late April); dwarf crested iris (April and May); flame azalea at low and mid elevations (April and May)	Smokies; Parkway
May	Best Parkway spring flowers (late April to early May); mountain laurel from early May; flame azalea; dwarf crested iris	Parkway; Smokies
June	Mountain laurel; Catawba rhododendron (first half on Newfound Gap Road, late June on highest peaks); rosebay at low elevations; flame azalea on mountaintops (June or early July)	Smokies
July	Rosebay rhododendron at middle altitudes (July into August); summer wildflowers such as cardinal flower, Turk’s cap lily and bee balm	Smokies; Parkway
August	Rosebay at middle altitudes; summer wildflowers; goldenrod and asters start in late summer	Smokies
September	Goldenrod, asters, ironweed and mountain gentian; leaves can start turning on the highest peaks in late September	Smokies; Parkway
October	Most trees change color, high peaks first; fall wildflowers; witch-hazel starts	Parkway; Smokies
November	Last asters of the fall; witch-hazel	Smokies
December	Witch-hazel (through January)	Smokies

Where to See Them

We only point to places an official page names.

Blue Ridge Parkway: wildflowers from late March through October, a downloadable bloom calendar and fall color. Our own Blue Ridge Parkway guide and Blue Ridge Parkway weekend cover the drive.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: the park calls itself the “Wildflower National Park”, with more than 1,500 kinds of flowering plants and a week-long Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage.
Mount Mitchell State Park: Fraser fir forest on the summit trails.
National Forests in North Carolina: Pisgah, Nantahala, Croatan and Uwharrie. Hurricane Helene hit the western mountains hard, so check the forest’s alerts page for closures.
The Gardens and Nature guide on this site, including Cape Fear Botanical Garden and Reynolda Gardens.
Coastal dunes and maritime forestCape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore. Our Beaches and Coast guide covers the shore.
The Mountains and Blue Ridge and State Parks and Outdoors guides on this site.

Staying Safe and Leaving Plants Be

Read this firstThe law and park-rule notes below are not legal advice. We read the statute text on ncleg.gov and the park pages on October 30, 2026. Laws, penalties and park rules can change, so check the current text or ask the agency (the Plant Conservation Program, the park or the forest) before you rely on them. Anything we could not confirm is listed under What We Could Not Verify.
Do not pick or digState law (G.S. 14-129) says no person may dig up, pull up or take from the land of another, or from any public domain, any part of a long list of wild plants without a permit signed by the owner. The list includes trillium, orchids (all species), pitcher plants, lilies, Oconee bells, bloodroot, cardinal-flower, jack-in-the-pulpit, flowering dogwood, mountain laurel, rhododendron and azalea. It is a Class 3 misdemeanor, fined $75 to $175, and each plant counts as a separate offense (G.S. 14-129; read in full on October 30, 2026; check the current text).
Protected plantsUnder the Plant Protection and Conservation Act it is unlawful to uproot, dig or take a protected-list plant from the land of another without a dated written permit, valid 180 days at most and naming the species. Ginseng, galax and Venus flytrap carry the same permit rule. A conviction is a Class 2 misdemeanor, each illegal movement counts separately, and a repeat violation can bring a civil penalty of up to $2,000 (G.S. 106-202.19).
National parksCollecting any plant or plant part is illegal in the Blue Ridge Parkway (Parkway), and removing plants from Great Smoky Mountains National Park is prohibited without a permit, except limited fungi and fruit (Smokies). The National Forests direct foraging questions to their permitting page (Forest Service).
Stay on the trailTrampling is the main threat to fragile outcrop plants (Parkway). Great Smoky Mountains National Park asks you to stay on designated trails.
DunesSea oats hold dunes together. Use marked crossovers and keep pets out of the plants.

What We Could Not Verify

Peak bloom dates and fall color dates for any year. Every date here is “typically” from the park, and the Parkway says peak color cannot be predicted in advance.
The Smokies pages differ on Gregory Bald and Andrews Bald azalea peaks (late June or early July on one page, mid to late June on the other). Ask the park.
Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage dates, and the Parkway bloom calendar download. Check with the Parkway for the calendar.
Whether the Venus flytrap is legally collectible from the wild. NC State Extension says it cannot be; the statute we read requires the landowner’s written permit. The Plant Conservation Program can confirm.
Where Venus flytraps and pitcher plants grow. We left locations out on purpose.
Whether and where flytraps can be seen in a public garden. NC State Extension names one Wilmington garden; check with that garden.
The North Carolina sea oats statute. We cite NC State Extension and the Park Service; the Plant Conservation Program or the Division of Coastal Management can confirm the state rule.
Rules on picking in each state park, and on foraging in national forests. We read no page giving them, so we say to leave everything.
Bloom months for coastal plants such as firewheel, sea oats and prickly pear. The pages give no months.
What is in bloom at the NC Botanical Garden, NC Arboretum, Cape Fear Botanical Garden and Reynolda Gardens. We read only the home pages (the Reynolda and NC State JC Raulston Arboretum pages gave no usable text). Hours and fees can change; check each site.
Which Parkway sections and national forest roads are open after Hurricane Helene. Check the Parkway and the forest alerts page.
Wording of the state fruit. The statute says muscadine grape; the State Library list says scuppernong grape.
Sightings of any plant. The sources give habitat and range, which is not a sighting.

Found something rare? Enjoy it, photograph it, and do not post its exact spot online.

More Guides

Questions People Ask

What is the North Carolina state flower?

Flowering dogwood, adopted in 1941 (G.S. 145-1).

What is the North Carolina state tree?

The pine, with the longleaf pine as the emblem for the trees of North Carolina.

What is the North Carolina state wildflower?

The Carolina lily, adopted in 2003. NC State Extension says it blooms in summer in dry upland forests, slopes and ridges.

What is the North Carolina carnivorous plant?

The Venus flytrap, adopted in 2005. Collecting one from the wild is restricted by state law, so buy a nursery-propagated plant instead.

When do wildflowers bloom in the North Carolina mountains?

In the Smokies, spring ephemerals appear from February through April and peak in mid to late April at lower elevations. The Parkway says blooming runs from late March through October. Check the park before you go.

When does rhododendron bloom in North Carolina?

The Smokies say Catawba rhododendron usually peaks in the first half of June, rosebay blooms in June at low elevations and July into August at middle ones, and mountain laurel blooms from early May through June.

When is fall color on the Blue Ridge Parkway?

Most trees typically change during October, high peaks first, and leaves can start as early as late September at the highest elevations. The Parkway says exact peak dates cannot be predicted.

Is it illegal to pick wildflowers in North Carolina?

State law bars taking many wild plants, including trillium, orchids, mountain laurel and rhododendron, from another person’s land or public land without the owner’s permit. Collecting any plant is illegal in the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Where can I see Venus flytraps in North Carolina?

We do not publish where they grow, because poaching is a threat. Ask a botanical garden what it displays.

Are sea oats protected in North Carolina?

NC State Extension says they are a protected grass in North Carolina, and the Park Service says federal law protects them at Cape Lookout National Seashore. Do not walk through or pick them.

How do I recognize poison ivy?

Leaflets come in groups of three, and every part of the plant has the oil that causes the rash. Do not burn it.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s North Carolina. Cite this page: It’s North Carolina (https://itsnorthcarolina.com/things-to-do/wildflowers-and-plants/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.

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