NCDOT Wildflower Program brings beautiful bloom for 40th year across NC highways

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — As summer has arrived, so has a small flower lover’s tradition in North Carolina: seeing the wildflowers along the state’s highways.

Back in 1985, the North Carolina Department of Transportation launched the Wildflower Program. More than 100 different types of flowers are planted on the roadways across the state in an effort to beautify the areas underneath the bridges, besides the exit ramps, and above the underpasses as folks hit the roads in short and long travels.

The program came to fruition after former First Lady of North Carolina Dottie Martin was inspired by a similar roadside bloom program in Texas.

The flowers in NC, maintained by the Roadside Environmental units with the Department of Transportation, provide sources of nectar for pollinator species like bees, butterflies and moths.

According to their social media page, the department said they get their seeds for the wildflower mix from different vendors such as Garrett Seed Company, Wild Seed Farms, Ernst Seed and Prairie Moon Nursery.

NC DOT would like the public to know that the beautification scenery on the roads is not necessarily for public access. “The wildflowers are beautiful, but please enjoy them from a distance,” the department said.

“Stopping on the highway can pose significant safety risks to both you and others on the road.”

The peak of the Wildflower Program typically lasts through the end of the summer, once the lifespan of the flowers comes to an end.