Did you find a PINK wildflower in the United States?
If so, I’m sure you’re wondering what type of wildflower you found! Luckily, you can use this guide to help you identify it. 🙂
Please be aware that today I’m ONLY listing and focusing on the most COMMON pink wildflowers. There are so many species, varieties, and subspecies that it would be impossible to name them all. But if you want to dive deeper into all the pink wildflowers in the United States, check out this field guide!
Today, we will look at 26 different PINK wildflowers found in the United States.
#1. Swamp Milkweed
Also known as: Pink Milkweed
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-11
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-72 in (61-183 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Swamp Milkweed is a native pink wildflower in the United States.
It grows in wet meadows and along lakeshores. Look for its clusters of deep pink flowers to identify it.
If you want a variety of pollinators to visit your garden, Swamp Milkweed is the ideal wildflower to plant. Its clusters of fragrant flowers are attractive to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. The leaves are an incredibly important food source for Monarch caterpillars.
#2. Spreading Dogbane
- Apocynum androsaemifolium
Also known as: Fly-trap Dogbane, Bitterroot
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-60 in (61-152 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Full Shade
As you might have guessed from its name, Spreading Dogbane is a prolific grower, which is why you’ll find it widespread across both North America and Europe. It’s called “dogbane” because it is highly poisonous to dogs (and humans too).
Spreading Dogbane has small, pink bell-shaped flowers and a scent similar to lilac. Look for this pink wildflower in the United States in the sandy soil of streambanks.
#3. Crown Vetch
Also known as: Purple Crownvetch, Crownvetch
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-72 in (30-183 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Even though the large, pink clover-like blooms of Crown Vetch are beautiful, this plant is invasive in North America. Native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, Crown Vetch was introduced locally to be used as a groundcover in controlling soil erosion.
This pink wildflower grows in the United States on sunny, sandy banks where it can push out less hardy plants.
If you plant Crown Vetch on your property, choose an isolated location far away from flower gardens. Don’t forget to control its growth so it doesn’t spread to other areas and invade native species and ecosystems.
#4. Common Milkweed
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3–9a
- Approximate Mature Size: 36-96 in (91-244 cm) tall
If you’re looking for a fragrant pink wildflower to attract pollinators in the United States, look no further than the Common Milkweed. About 450 species of insects feed on the Common Milkweed, including beetles, butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, ants, and flies.
Interestingly, Common Milkweed can push out and smother other plants.
If you decide to use it in your garden, plant it in an isolated spot where it has little to compete with.
In the wild, Common Milkweed grows in nearly every habitat. Look for its pinkish-purple blooms in abandoned fields, forest clearings, and roadside ditches.
#5. Large Beardtongue
Also known as: Showy Beardtongue, Large Penstemon
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-48 in (61-122 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
You’ve probably found Large Beardtongue if you see large, lavender tubular flowers growing on short upright stalks. Native bees, bumblebees, hummingbirds, and birds like to visit the showy blooms of this plant.
Large Beardtongue is a native pink wildflower in the United States and is also endemic, which means it only grows here.
Large Beardtongue is threatened in some states. You can plant this wildflower in gravelly and sandy soil to help preserve this species.
#6. Sweet Joe Pye Weed
Also known as: Purple Joe Pye Weed
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-96 in (61-244 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Full Shade
It’s no surprise that Sweet Joe Pye Weed is a favorite of gardeners and pollinators. This stunning ornamental plant has huge, dome-shaped pink flowers and smells like vanilla!
In addition to making your garden more beautiful, it will attract butterflies, moths, and native bees. Overwintering birds also eat the seeds of this flower once the blooms have died back.
Look for this pink wildflower in the United States in meadows near ponds and streams.
#7. Trumpetweed
Also known as: Joe-Pye Weed, Queen of the Meadow
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-10
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-144 in (61-366 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Full Shade
This pink wildflower in the United States grows naturally in prairies, wet forests, and roadside ditches.
With its impressive height, Trumpetweed, which is also known as Joe Pye Weed, is also a perfect accent plant along your garden’s borders.
This vanilla-scented wildflower is an important source of nectar for butterflies and honeybees. You can also expect songbirds to eat the seeds of Trumpetweed.
#8. Springbeauty
Also known as: Virginia Springbeauty
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 2-16 in (5-41 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
When spring comes, this pink wildflower in the United States explodes with color!
Springbeauty paints the landscape with patches of pink, white, and yellow blooms. Looking closely, you’ll notice that each star-shaped flower is intricately lined with dark pink veins.
Springbeauty is especially attractive to native bees, which love eating the nectar inside.
#9. Wild Mint
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 3.9-39 in (10-99 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Light Shade
Wild Mint is a native wildflower with dense clusters of lavender, pink, or white bell-shaped flowers. Like other species of mint, the fragrance is most potent when the leaves are damaged.
Look for this pink wildflower in the United States in wetlands with partial sunlight. It grows best on stream and river banks.
#10. Marsh Hedgenettle
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 8-39 in (20-99 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Native to Europe and Asia, the Marsh Hedgenettle is an invasive pink wildflower in the United States. The fast-growing root system can overwhelm other plants quickly, so it’s best to limit its growth or plant it in an isolated area.
Look for Marsh Hedgenettle in ponds, bogs, and swamps in the wild. The pointed flowers grow on single stems and look like bristles on a brush.
#11. Pink Lady’s Slipper
Also known as: Pink Moccasin Flower
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8a
- Approximate Mature Size: 4-24 in (10-61 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Pink Lady’s Slipper is one of the most beautiful pink wildflowers in the United States!
This hardy orchid has long stalks, bearing a single deep pink or magenta flower.
It’s relatively rare because it doesn’t propagate as well as other wildflowers. Pink Lady’s Slipper can take years to grow from seed to maturity, so if you see it growing in the wild, please don’t pick its flowers. It doesn’t transplant well and is very difficult to grow in gardens.
#12. Fireweed
Also known as: Willow Herb
Growing Information:
- Life Cycle: Annual or Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 18-120 in (46-305 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring and Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
True to its name, Fireweed is a resilient plant that will be the first to grow in clearings recently devastated by forest fires. In fact, Fireweed was seen growing throughout Washington State one year after Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980.
To find Fireweed, look for striking spikes of purplish-pink flowers covering a landscape. Hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies like to feed on this pink wildflower in the United States.
#13. Deptford Pink
Also known as: Grass Pink
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8a
- Life Cycle: Annual or Biennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-30 in (30-76 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The blooms of the Deptford Pink may be tiny, but they make up for their small size with their gorgeous coloring. A closer look at the petals will reveal an intricately dotted pattern of pink, white, and purple.
Deptford Pink is native to Europe, but this pink wildflower is a naturalized species in the United States. It grows so well that it can take over roadsides, ditches, and fields.
Although the nectar is attractive to butterflies, skippers, and bees, Deptford Pink is a self-pollinating plant that doesn’t rely much on these insects.
#14. Trailing Phlox
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 4-12 in (10-30 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
In the wild, look for this pink wildflower in the United States in sandy pine and oak barrens.
Trailing Phlox envelops the ground with mounds of pink, purple, and white flowers in spring. You can use it as a hardy groundcover and a food source for early pollinators emerging from their winter hibernation.
This plant will beautifully trail down from hanging baskets and attract hummingbirds to your garden. Trailing Phlox practically thrives on neglect, making it the ideal ornamental plant if you are a beginner or you don’t have a green thumb.
#15. Pink Fuzzybean
- Strophostyles umbellata
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-10
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-79 in (39-200 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
This native pink wildflower in the United States is facing extinction in some areas. Typically, it grows in sandy soil near forests and fields.
Interestingly, the hot pink blooms Pink Fuzzybean will fade to soft peach after they’re pollinated. It isn’t usually used in gardens because it needs to be spread out from other flowering plants to grow.
#16. Virginia Meadow Beauty
Also known as: Handsome Harry
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-8a
- Approximate Mature Size: 6-36 in (15-91 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The Virginia Meadow Beauty puts on one of the most spectacular displays of purple, pink, and blue flowers in the summer. The seed capsules, stems, and leaves are just as showy in the fall, all turning red after the blooming season.
Bees, moths, and butterflies are attracted to the Virginia Meadow Beauty, but only bumblebees are capable of pollinating this pink wildflower in the United States.
You can find this native species abundantly growing in wetlands, bogs, sandy areas, and open fields recently disturbed by fires.
#17. Bashful Trillium
Also known as: Catesby’s Trillium, Bashful Wakerobin.
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 8-18 in (20-46 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Partial Shade to Full Shade
Bashful Trillium has sweet-scented, rose-colored flowers that turn darker as they age. You will often find this pink wildflower in the United States in dry oak and pine woodlands.
Some of the flowers hide behind green or yellow bracts, which is how its common name came about. It’s one of the last trilliums to emerge in spring.
It takes about two years for the seeds of the Bashful Trillium to germinate and another five years for the plant to bloom. As a result, you’re better off buying transplants if you want to grow them in your garden. 🙂
#18. Carolina Rose
Also known as: Pasture Rose, Prairie Rose
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9a
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-72 in (30-183 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The Carolina Rose is one of the most popular pink wildflowers in the United States.
The fragrant, bright pink blooms are not only pretty to look at but also bring a diverse variety of wildlife to your area. Bees, beetles, and hoverflies visit the flowers and use the plant parts as nesting material. The leaves feed Apple Sphinx Moth caterpillars. The rose hips are eaten by songbirds, quails, and small mammals. Even wild turkeys, elk, and deer are attracted to the Carolina Rose!
Be careful of the thorny stems and the hairy leaves of the Carolina Rose that can be irritating to the skin.
#19. Showy Evening-Primrose
Also known as: Showy Primrose
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 10-24 in (25-61 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The Showy Evening-Primrose is one of the most striking pink wildflowers in the United States. It can paint entire landscapes pink and white, and its fragrant blooms open in the evening, as its name suggests.
You can raise Showy Evening-Primrose as an ornamental in your garden, but you might want to contain it in pots because it grows fast and can quickly become invasive. In addition, the flowers are a favorite of moths, while finches eat the seeds.
#20. Littleleaf Sensitive Briar
Also known as: Little Leaf Mimosa, Shame Vine
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-11
- Approximate Mature Size: 35-71 in (89-180 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Incredibly, some plants immediately close up when touched, and the Littleleaf Sensitive Briar is a notable example. The leaves also fold up in diminished light, such as when it gets cloudy or when nighttime comes. WATCH BELOW!
The Littleleaf Sensitive Briar grows as a low-crawling vine with fragrant flowers that look like pink or purple fuzzy balls. This pink wildflower grows best in dry forests in the United States.
#21. Everlasting Pea
Also known as: Perennial Pea, Perennial Peavine
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 60-120 in (152-305 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The Everlasting Pea is a frost-hardy vine that requires little care and grows like a weed when not controlled. It is native to Europe but has been naturalized in North America since the 1700s. Look for this pink wildflower in the United States on sunny banks with clay-rich soil.
The long tendrils and purplish-pink flowers of the Everlasting Pea look beautiful when climbing trellises or fences in your garden. You can also use it as a sprawling groundcover for banks and slopes.
Butterflies and bees find the pea-shaped blooms attractive. The vibrant colors will fade to white as the Everlasting Pea matures.
#22. Obedient Plant
Also known as: Obedience, False Dragonhead, Virginia Lions-heart
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-10
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-48 in (61-122 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
The Obedient Plant is named for the flowers that will stay in position if you push or bend them to one side. Look for the blushing pink or lilac flowers clustered along stiff stems, which grow to about four feet high.
This pink wildflower in the United States grows in prairies, meadows, and unused fields. Plant it in your garden beds and borders to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. As its species name Virginiana hints, the Obedient plant is native to Virginia and other nearby states.
#23. Rose Gentian
Also known as: Rosepink
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-9a
- Life Cycle: Annual or Biennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-39 in (30-99 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
If you spot fragrant, pink or white star-shaped flowers with a yellow center in open fields, you might be looking at Rose Gentian.
Rose Gentian grows in woodland borders, marshes, and thickets and attracts butterflies and other pollinators. However, because of its bitter taste, this pink wildflower is avoided by most herbivores in the United States.
#24. Prairie Onion
Also known as: Prairie Onion, Autumn Onion
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-24 in (30-61 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Prairie Onion blooms look like floating balls of pink and white. Their flower clusters form on the end of long stalks that grow from tufts of leaves. Butterflies, in particular, are attracted to this pink wildflower in the United States.
Look for Prairie Onion where plants typically don’t grow, like sandy, rocky, and dry soils and limestone cliffs.
Like other allium varieties, you can eat the Prairie Onion! With a strong flavor, the bulbs and the flower stems can be eaten raw, boiled, pickled, or used as a seasoning for salads and soups. Native Americans and early settlers also used the bulbs to repel insects.
#25. Maryland Meadow Beauty
Also known as: Pale Meadow Beauty
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 6b-10b
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-30 in (30-76 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
You can easily recognize the Maryland Meadow Beauty by its pink flowers that contrast with yellow-orange stamens. It’s perfect for landscaping and roadside planting because it is not an aggressive grower.
The Maryland Meadow Beauty is primarily pollinated by bumblebees, but it will also attract other bees and butterflies to your garden.
You can help preserve this native species by not picking the flowers when you see them growing in bogs, pond areas, and roadsides.
#26. Mountain Laurel
Also known as: Calico Bush, Mountain Ivy, Kalmia
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-9a
- Approximate Mature Size: 48-384 in (122-975 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Full Shade
Mountain Laurel blooms are difficult to mistake for other pink wildflowers in the United States.
As you can see, the blooms are distinctively geometric, with fused petals that form small cups. The petals are white or pale pink and have bright pink dots.
Dense thickets of this native shrub naturally blanket forest floors, but you will commonly see it cultivated as a small tree in gardens and parks.
Butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to the pink and white bell-shaped blooms.
Which of these pink wildflowers have you seen before in the United States?
Leave a comment below!
