About

I have gone to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge on short day trips for years… mostly bird watching. But who could ignore the fabulous wildflowers?

I started photographing and trying to identify them. I had a dozen wildflower books — how hard could it be?

So many obstacles became apparent: only the most showy were commonly illustrated, the WMWR's 59,000 acres include diverse habitats, wildflowers have multiple common names, and Latin names change over time as research continues.

I took photos of leaves, stems, seeds, etc., to identify some of the more challenging plants, and then slowly found helpful experts and resources that I am sharing here.

General Information

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Visitor Center is open 9–5 daily except for Christmas and New Year's Day. The Center has a wildflower notebook with photos and descriptions, maps and exhibits. The gift store is operated by the volunteer group, Friends of the Wichitas. The Refuge rangers and staff are knowledgeable and very helpful!