Few things in nature beautify the world more than wildflowers. Their countless colors and endless designs are found almost everywhere—from fields to woods, deserts to ponds, and even in junkyards, dumps, and cracks in the pavement. But wildflowers are not just pretty to look at; they are an essential part of our environment. How they grow and what they can do are often overlooked. Wildflowers feed insects, birds, animals, and even humans. Wildflowers hold and condition the soil. And wildflowers are used in modern medicines and natural remedies.

The Secrets of Wildflowers picks up where field guides leave off and is bursting with many facts and much wonderful lore about some of North America’s most beautiful and common plants. Reader's will find natural history, folklore, habitats, horticulture, ingenious uses past and present, origins of names, and even their literary pedigrees. Far richer and eminently more varied than any field guide, The Secrets of Wildflowers describes more than 100 of the most common or popular species of North American wildflowers, organized by blooming seasons.