Iowa, This Is Where You Can’t Pick Flowers This Summer

It's a common thing to pick flowers in the late Spring and into the Summer but is Iowa law cool with it?

Whether I'm driving or walking, there are times that I see such pretty flowers on the side of the road or by the sidewalk that (despite the fact I can't keep plants alive), I just want to take a handful of them home with me and plop them in a vase.

via GIPHY

But no matter how pretty the flowers are, you'll want to pause for a second before you just yank the flowers out of the earth. It's not legal to pick flowers everywhere.

Where You Can't Pick Flowers In Iowa

Obviously, don't pick flowers on private property unless the owner is fine with it. That's a given. But according to the Iowa DNR, there are other areas in the state where you should stick to sketching the pretty wildflowers or taking pictures.

In Iowa, it's illegal to pick wildflowers in public conservation areas. So that includes state parks, county parks, and preserves.

Wildflowers grow naturally without help and animals need those wildflowers. Birds, bats, and bees all need the pollen and nectar in them, they can be good for the soil supporting them, and other animals might need the flowers for cover.

If you want a bouquet of wildflowers, you can definitely plant a wildflower garden for yourself (you can even grow edible wildflowers!). But you should probably skip grabbing a bouquet of them on a hike in a state park.