Did you find a YELLOW 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 plants. 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 yellow wildflowers in the United States, check out this field guide!
Here are 29 different YELLOW wildflowers in the United States.
#1. Yellow Wood Sorrel
Also known as: Common Yellow Oxalis, Toad Sorrel, Sourgrass, Lemon Clover
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-9a
- Life Cycle: Perennial or Annual
- Approximate Mature Size: 6-15 in (15-38 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Mid-Spring to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
In addition to small, bright yellow flowers, Yellow Wood Sorrel has leaves that may remind you of clover. Native to North America, this yellow wildflower grows aggressively in the United States.
You can find Wood Sorrel growing in woodlands, meadows, disturbed areas, and roadsides. However, you may want to remove it if it grows near your property because it’s toxic to pets and livestock.
#2. Birds-foot Trefoil
Also known as: Birdfoot Deervetch, Bloomfell, Cat’s Clover, Crowtoes
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 2-8 in (5-20 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Summer
The Birds-foot Trefoil has yellow, orange, and sometimes red-streaked flowers atop long stalks. As beautiful as the blooms are, this yellow wildflower is considered invasive in many areas of the United States. It tends to choke out native plants and overtake entire gardens and fields.
It’s especially aggressive in sandy soil, fields, parks, and roadsides. However, Birds-foot Trefoil also has its uses as long as you can control its growth. Its flowers are an important food source for many pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, and moths.
#3. Perfoliate Bellwort
Also known as: Yellow Bellwort, Mohawk Weed, Wild Oats
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-8a
- Approximate Mature Size: 10-15 in (25-38 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Shade to Partial Shade
In spring, a solitary pale yellow flower sprouts on each stem of the Perfoliate Bellwort. This yellow wildflower grows in hardwood forests, floodplains, and dry woodlands in the United States.
The young shoots of Perfoliate Bellwort can be cooked as a substitute for asparagus! You can also eat the tasty leaves and roots of this native plant.
Bees and other insect pollinators are attracted to Perfoliate Bellwort. Use it as a groundcover or an accent plant in woodland gardens with lots of shade.
#4. Yellow Trout Lily
Also known as: Yellow Dogtooth Violet, Adder’s Tongue
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 4-6 in (10-15 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Shade to Partial Shade
Yellow Trout Lily attracts more wildlife than any other yellow wildflower in the United States.
Bees, butterflies, and blowflies are attracted to the blooms, and ants help distribute the seeds. Meanwhile, deer browse the foliage, black bears dig up and eat the corms (a bulb-like plant part), and chipmunks feed on the bulbs.
The nodding golden flowers of the Yellow Trout Lily make an attractive groundcover in spring. When the leaves die back, you can leave them as natural mulch for the winter.
Look for this native species in rich woodlands, wooded bluffs, and streambanks. It thrives under the shade of large deciduous trees.
#5. St. John’s Wort
Also known as: Klamath Weed, Tipton Weed, Goat Weed
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 11-35 in (28-90 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
St. John’s Wort has flat-top clusters of showy yellow flowers. It grows abundantly in prairies, pastures, disturbed fields, and sandy soils.
Unfortunately, this plant is an invasive species in North America. Not only does St. John’s Wort outcompete other plants, but it can also be fatal to horses, sheep, and other livestock.
Although some bees, butterflies, and beetles feed on the pollen of St. John’s Wort, you shouldn’t allow this plant to spread in landscapes. It can do more harm than good in ecosystems.
#6. Gumweed
Also known as: Rosinweed, Tarweed
Growing Information:
- Life Cycle: Biennial or short-lived Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-40 in (30-102 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Fall
Gumweed has aromatic, daisy-like flower clusters in shades of yellow. It grows in dry prairies, abandoned croplands, and disturbed roadsides.
It is a pollen source for native bees, but it’s mostly ignored by wildlife because of its bitter taste. Despite its showy colors, Gumweed isn’t commonly cultivated as an ornamental flower because it already grows in abundance.
#7. Yellow Marsh Marigold
Also known as: Yellow Gowan, Cowslip, King’s Cup, Water Buttercup
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 8-24 in (20-61 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
Yellow Marsh Marigold is an aquatic flower that grows in marshes, ditches, wet woods, and swamps. This yellow wildflower grows best in the United States in cool, wet weather.
Famous for their brilliant yellow flowers that look like small goblets, Yellow Marsh Marigolds are not true marigolds; they’re actually a type of buttercup! As early bloomers, they will attract the first butterflies and hummingbirds in spring.
Yellow Marsh Marigolds are low-maintenance and disease-resistant plants. You can grow them in water gardens or along shallow bodies of water. Make sure they get plenty of sunlight to encourage more blooms.
#8. Dandelion
Also known as: Common Dandelion, Lion’s Tooth, Blowball
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-10
- Approximate Mature Size: 6-12 in (15-30 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Fall
The bright yellow flowers that turn into balls of silver-tufted seed heads make Dandelions easy to recognize. Look for these yellow wildflowers in the United States in meadows, fields, river shores, lakes, and disturbed habitats. Honeybees and other beneficial insects are attracted to Dandelions.
Dandelions tend to grow like weeds on lawns and roadsides. This species is native to Europe and Asia but has spread worldwide because of how resilient it is in most soil conditions.
You can eat the leaves, roots, and flowers of the Dandelion! They taste like honey when fresh but turn bitter as the plant ages. Use them to make jam, salad, wine, or tea.
#9. Thin-leaved Coneflower
Also known as: Brown-eyed Susan, Three-lobed Rudbeckia, Branched Coneflower
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-11
- Life Cycle: Biennial or short-lived Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 23-35 in (58-89 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
Look for this yellow wildflower in the United States in prairies, woodland clearings, and roadsides.
Thin-leaved Coneflower lights the landscape with rich golden blooms from summer to the first frost. This wildflower is extremely easy to grow. It’s self-seeding, unattractive to pests, and drought-tolerant. Plant it in perennial borders, gardens, and wildflower meadows.
Thin-leaved Coneflowers attract native bees, beneficial wasps, flies, and beetles to your garden. But watch out for deer, rabbits, and groundhogs that like to eat the foliage.
#10. Sneezeweed
Also known as: False Sunflower, Bitterweed
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8a
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-60 in (65-152 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
To identify this yellow wildflower in the United States, look for pretty daisy-like flowers blooming in the fall. You can find Sneezeweed along streams, ponds, swamps, and wetlands. Some cultivars are popularly grown in gardens and have more showy flowers than ones in the wild.
Despite the name Sneezeweed, the pollen from this plant isn’t likely to cause allergic reactions. Its name comes from an old medicinal practice of drying and crushing its leaves to make snuff, a powder that causes sneezing. This practice was thought to remove evil spirits from the body!
Native bees, honey bees, wasps, butterflies, and beetles are attracted to the Sneezeweed. It will grow in most soil conditions and is resistant to common diseases.
#11. Large-flowered Bellwort
Also known as: Merrybells, Cornflower, Wood Daffodil
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 18-24 in (46-61 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Shade to Partial Shade
Large-flowered Bellwort grows in woodlands, floodplains, and mountains in the United States. Unfortunately, this species is endangered in some areas, so if you spot the flowers in the wild, leave them to grow.
The yellow flowers nod downward and look like hanging bells, which is why this wildflower is also known as Merrybells. You can enjoy these lovely blooms by planting them in garden beds and woodland edges.
Bumble bees, Mason bees, Halictid bees, and Andrenid bees are just some of the many pollinators of the Large-flowered Bellwort. So if you plant this wildflower, you can expect your garden to buzz to life.
#12. Black-eyed Susan
Also known as: Gloriosa Daisy
Growing Information:
- Life Cycle: Biennial or short-lived Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-36 in (61-91 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
Look for this native yellow wildflower in the United States in open woods, prairies, fields, and roadsides.
Black-eyed Susans grow to graceful flowers in shades of yellow, orange, red, and brown. It owes its common name to the fact that each flower has a striking dark “eye” in the center. You can expect to see many species of bees, birds, and butterflies visiting the beautiful blooms. Goldfinches also occasionally eat the seeds.
Black-eyed Susan is a crowd favorite in gardens and parks everywhere. It will look excellent in mixed borders, wildflower gardens, and container pots. Best of all, it blooms within a year after you sow the seeds.
#13. Green-headed Coneflower
Also known as: Wild Goldenglow, Cutleaf Coneflower, Thimbleweed
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 36-108 in (91-272 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
You’re likely to find Green-headed Coneflower growing near woods, stream banks, swamps, and roadside ditches. The large, tall, and bright yellow flowers are difficult to miss.
You can grow this yellow wildflower in the United States in prairies and meadows to attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Then, in the fall, leave some flowerheads for songbirds like goldfinches that like to eat the seeds.
Keep in mind that the rhizomes of the Green-headed Coneflower will spread quickly underground, so this wildflower needs space to grow. The tall blooms are better suited for larger landscapes.
#14. Yellow Lady’s Slipper
Also known as: Moccasin Flower
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8a
- Approximate Mature Size: 8-30 in (20-76 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Partial Shade
You can easily identify Yellow Lady’s Slipper for its purple-striped petals and sepals surrounding a bright yellow pouch. The blossoms look like delicate shoes, where they got their name.
Yellow Lady’s Slipper grows naturally in forests, river and lake shores, shrublands, and thickets. It attracts a wide variety of insect pollinators, particularly bees. As a result, this yellow wildflower is widespread across the United States.
Yellow Lady’s Slipper is one of the easiest and most common orchids you can grow in your garden. Plant it in well-drained soils and partial shade to enjoy the unique blooms.
#15. Wild Parsnip
Also known as: Common Parsnip
Growing Information:
- Life Cycle: Biennial or Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 48-59 in (122-150 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
You might be familiar with parsnip as a delicious root vegetable, but its relative that grows in the wild is dangerous to your health! Wild Parsnips smell and taste like cultivated parsnips, except their leaves and stems cause severe blisters and burns. (see below!)
To identify this yellow wildflower in the United States, look for its grooved stems and flat-topped flower clusters of yellow blooms.
Wild Parsnip is an invasive species in North America. It spreads rapidly, threatening to choke native plants and poisoning livestock that eats it. You can spot its vivid yellow blooms in ditches, roadsides, and abandoned fields in early spring.
#16. Hoary Puccoon
Also known as: Hoary Gromwell, Indian Paint
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 6-18 in (15-46 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Early Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
Hoary Puccoon blooms from spring to summer with showy clumps of yellow-orange flowers. The petal colors are vibrant enough to be seen from a distance! This yellow wildflower also has soft, hairy, green leaves.
In the wild, look for Hoary Puccoon in sandy woodlands, savannas, prairies, dunes, and roadsides. Unfortunately, it isn’t common in home gardens because it’s notoriously difficult to germinate. Instead, you can order them from nurseries as transplants or potted plants.
#17. Wintercress
Also known as: Yellow Rocket, Herb Barbara
Growing Information:
- Life Cycle: Biennial or Perennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-24 in (30-61 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Partial Shade
Wintercress is a resilient wildflower that decorates fields with yellow blooms in spring. Its tall, upright stalks and dark green leaves will help you recognize this plant.
Native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, this yellow wildflower is considered a weed throughout the United States. You’re most likely to find it in croplands, construction sites, roadsides, railroads, and waste areas.
Despite being invasive, Wintercress does support wildlife. It’s an early source of nectar and pollen for butterflies and bees in the spring. Doves and grosbeaks also like to eat the seeds.
#18. Woodland Sunflower
Also known as: Rough Sunflower
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-72 in (61-183 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Early Summer to Fall
- Sun Exposure: Partial Sun
Though not as large and impressive as the black-centered sunflowers you might picture, Woodland Sunflowers are still a beautiful sight to behold. Their wide-petalled, bright yellow flowers bloom for about two months in the summer.
You can find this native species growing abundantly in sparsely wooded bluffs, savannas, rocky woodlands, limestone glades, hill prairies, sand prairies, and roadsides.
The Woodland Sunflower is an important flower for wildlife. Bees, beneficial wasps, skippers, flies, and beetles are attracted to the nectar and pollen, and its foliage hosts the caterpillars of many butterfly and moth species. Additionally, songbirds love to eat the seeds.
#19. Goldenrod
Also known as: Flat Topped Goldenrod, Canada Goldenrod, Tall Goldenrod
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 36-60 in (91-152 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Summer to Fall
There are over 120 species of Goldenrod native to North America!
The blooms of Goldenrod may be tiny, but they make up for their small size with their vibrant color in the summer and fall. They grow in clusters on top of branched stems with stiff leaves.
Although Goldenrod is often blamed for hay fever, pollen grains from similar-looking plants like ragweed are likely the culprit. Enjoying the uniquely-shaped blooms is perfectly safe, but this wildflower can spread aggressively in gardens. You can contain its growth by planting it in pots and pruning it regularly.
A wide variety of specialized bees, butterflies, and beetles rely on this native yellow wildflower in the United States.
#20. Common Sunflower
Also known as: Wild Sunflower, Comb Flower, St. Bartholomew’s Star
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-11
- Approximate Mature Size: 36-120 in (91-305 cm) tall
The Common Sunflower is one of the most popular flowers all over the world, and rightfully so. The impressively large yellow petals and attractive dark centers are a classic sight in the late summer and early fall.
In the wild, look for sunflowers in prairies, grasslands, old fields, roadsides, and forest edges. But, of course, you will also find sunflowers in gardens where they’re enjoyed by people and animals alike.
Aside from their aesthetic value, Common Sunflowers also feed populations of bees, butterflies, and insect pollinators. Birds and mammals enjoy the seeds, and the best part is that you can eat them too for a tasty snack!
#21. Common Mullein
Also known as: Flannel Plant, Big Taper, Velvet Dock
Growing Information:
- Life Cycle: Annual or Biennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 24-84 in (61-213 cm) tall
Common Mullein is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, but this yellow wildflower is now considered a naturalized species in the United States. It grows so well that it can take over roadsides, meadows, and pasture lands.
You can recognize this wildflower by its small yellow blooms densely grouped on a tall stem and the velvety, dense leaves at the base of the plant. As the stems shoot upwards from a base of large leaves, the overall appearance of this plant might remind you of corn.
Common Mullein is a valuable medicinal plant. In ancient times, it was used to treat pulmonary diseases, inflammations, and various ailments. Today, you can find its dried leaves, flowers, and oil extracts in health stores.
#22. Seedbox
Also known as: Rattlebox
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-8a
- Approximate Mature Size: 36-48 in (91-122 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Summer to Fall
Seedbox is a native yellow wildflower in the United States.
It grows in floodplains, marshes, wet meadows, and swamps. Look for its small, yellow, four-petalled flowers and deep green, lance-shaped leaves to identify it.
This plan gets its name from the distinctive square-shaped fruits appearing in the fall and winter. Inside these fruits, the seeds make a rattling sound when you shake them.
Native bees love the yellow flowers of the Seedbox, which bloom for 2-3 months in the summer. You can plant this heat-tolerant species in water gardens or at the edges of lakes and streams.
#23. Common Goldstar
Also known as: Yellow Star Grass
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 4-18 in (10-46 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Full Shade
Common Goldstar is perfect if you’re looking for a versatile ornamental plant for rock gardens and open woodland settings. The leaves grow from bulbs in the spring, then bloom with attractive star-shaped yellow flowers.
It’s a native yellow wildflower in the United States, and is especially beneficial to bees and butterflies. Its leaves can be confused with common grass, so you may find it easier to identify this plant when it’s in full bloom. Look for it in fields, glades, and woods.
This wildflower can spread in lawns if mowing is delayed, but it only forms loose colonies and is not particularly aggressive.
#24. Sulphur Cinquefoil
Also known as: Round-fruited Cinquefoil, Upright Cinquefoil
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 12-20 in (30-51 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
Sulphur Cinquefoil is an invasive yellow wildflower in the United States.
This fast-spreading species native to Africa, Asia, and Europe can threaten native plants and ecosystems. Make sure to avoid this plant!
In the wild, Sulphur Cinquefoil grows in nearly every habitat. Look for its yellow five-petalled blooms and upright leafy stems in disturbed areas, fields, wastelands, and along lake shorelines.
Sulphur Cinquefoil has a native look-alike called Slender Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis). This wildflower, which can safely be planted in gardens, has short hairs on its stems and leaves, and its flowers tend to be brighter than its non-native counterpart.
#25. Buttercups
Also known as: Spearworts, Water Crowfoots
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-10
- Life Cycle: Annual or Biennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 8-18 in (20-46 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Early Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
You may be familiar with the well-loved Buttercup, but you might not know that it is a genus of flowers with 600 unique species worldwide. Perhaps the most popular one is the Persian Buttercup, prized for its brilliant ruffled petals and tall stems.
Buttercups are most commonly known for their yellow flowers, but they also come in beautiful shades of orange, pink, red, purple, and cream. You can cut the flowers for arrangements and grow them in gardens to attract pollinators.
In the United States, look for this yellow wildflower growing in moist habitats, fields, meadows, and roadsides. They usually bloom in the spring and summer.
#26. Spiny Sow-thistle
Also known as: Rough Milk Thistle
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 6b-9a
- Life Cycle: Annual or Biennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 11-43 in (28-110 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Spiny Sow-thistle is an invasive yellow wildflower that grows throughout the United States. It can be found in pastures, roadsides, vacant lots, construction sites, grasslands, and waste areas. It’s native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia.
Don’t let Spiny Sow-thistle spread if you see it growing near your yard. It can overwhelm native plants and host diseases and pests that affect garden plants and crops. To identify Spiny Sow-thistle, look for spiky leaves and dandelion-like yellow flowers on tall stems.
#27. Carolina Jessamine
Also known as: Yellow Jessamine, Woodbine, Poor Man’s Rope
Growing Information:
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-10
- Approximate Mature Size: 96-144 in (244-365 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Spring to Winter
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
Carolina Jessamine is one of the most beautiful yellow wildflowers in the United States!
It boasts sweet-scented, golden yellow flowers the shape of trumpets. You can spot it growing in open woods, thickets, and along roads.
This wildflower trails beautifully down hanging baskets and climbs up trellises and fences. Use it to attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies to your garden. It practically thrives on neglect, so it’s the ideal ornamental plant if you are a beginner.
#28. Bearded Beggartick
Also known as: Western Tickseed, Swamp Marigold, Yankee Lice
Growing Information:
- Life Cycle: Annual or Biennial
- Approximate Mature Size: 36-72 in (91-183 cm) tall
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
When fall comes, Bearded Beggartick paints the landscape with patches of golden yellow, daisy-like blooms. Look for them in wet meadows, roadside ditches, and abandoned fields.
This yellow wildflower is named for its two-pronged prickly fruits that might cling to your clothes after an autumn hike. However, you can remove them easily with the flat edge of a knife.
If you plant Bearded Beggartick in your garden, many pollinators will soon thank you! The flowers are pollinated by bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Songbirds, Finches, Sparrows, and ducks also enjoy eating the seeds.
#29. Wood Betony
Also known as: Canadian Lousewort
Growing Information:
- Approximate Mature Size: 4-16 in (10-41 cm) tall
- Bloom Time: Late Spring to Early Summer
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Partial Sun
Wood Betony has a unique and interesting appearance. The yellow-green flowers are clustered on short, dense spikes, and its long, soft, hairy leaves turn reddish-purple as summer ends.
You can find this yellow wildflower in the United States growing in dry prairies, savannas, barrens, and woodlands. Wood Betony is an important nectar and pollen source for bees, particularly Long-tongued bees, Mason bees, and Bumblebees.
Wood Betony is a hemiparasite, which means it attaches itself to the roots of other species. It uses its symbiotic relationship with certain fungi to gather nutrients from other plants. However, it also produces nutrients with its own chlorophyll.
Do you want to learn about other wildflowers in the United States? Check out this field guide!
Which of these yellow wildflowers have you seen before in the United States?
Leave a comment below!
