What It’s Like To Go On A Wildflower Walk In The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

When people visit the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, they look at the mountains, the lakes, and the vast prairies, trying to spot buffalos, elk and longhorns. But if you visit towards the end of spring, and direct your eyes to the ground, and then look closer in between the prairie grass, you'll find some of Oklahoma's most striking native wildflowers.

Over the weekend, I attended the Friends of the Wichitas' first wildflower walk of the year. This my first time taking part in one of the free events hosted by the Friends of the Wichitas. I've lived my entire life in southwest Oklahoma, and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge has always been in my backyard, but there are still several areas of the refuge I have yet to explore. I thought a wildflower hike would be the perfect way to see more beautiful areas of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

The Friends of the Wichitas offer various walks and hikes throughout the year and are based on skill level. The wildflower walk is an intermediate level, so it's perfect for those who are beginning their hiking journey, or anyone who enjoys looking a beautiful flowers in one of the most enchanting areas of Oklahoma.

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge features 806 plant species, including native wildflowers.

If you visit the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in late April through early June, you'll see rolling hills and flat prairies dotted with yellows, reds and purples. This time is peak wildflower season, so it's the best time if you want to see the refuge's most colorful plants. The refuge is nearly 60,000 acres and is home to 806 plant species, including native wildflowers.

Our tour began at 9 a.m. Saturday at the refuge's Visitor Center. Before getting on the bus, we were given brief run down of the day and handed a guide with photos of the wildflowers we might see that day, like an Indian Blanket or Silvery Nightshade. Each handout featured 32 wildflowers, a very small fraction of the plants in the refuge, but these were the ones that would be blooming at this time of year.

The Friends of the Wichitas Wildflower Walk featured short walks in three areas of the refuge.

Once we loaded on the bus, we took a short drive to our first stop. We started our morning near Quanah Parker Lake, and we were encouraged to wander through the prairie south of the lake to look for wildflowers and use our handouts to identify them. The volunteers said there would be some wildflowers by the plenty, and others would be more difficult to spot or not in bloom at all.

When I first looked out, I could see rows and rows of yellow flowers, most of them were  Thread-Leaved Thelesperma, Black-eyed Susan or Broomweed.

As I walked, I kept my eyes to the ground looking for wildflowers. Through the prairie grass I saw purple flowers, like fuzzy balls, which I identified on my handout to be Sensitive Briar. I was able to find a few small, blue-ish-purple flowers with a shot of yellow in the middle, and identified these as Silvery Nightshade.

I also saw a flower I did recognize, which was the Indian Blanket, and nearby, I saw buffalo prints and a wallow, which is a pit formed by buffalos when the roll around in dirt.

Our next two stops took us to the eastern side of the refuge. Our second stop was in between the Holy City of the Wichitas and Mt. Scott. In this area, we saw some of the same wildflowers from our first stop, but there were also ones we didn't see, like one of my favorite flowers, the Indian Paintbrush.

The final stop was near Lake Elmer Thomas, and we followed a long a paved trail that led us to a small shore. Along the trail, we saw more of the same wildflowers we had been seeing throughout the morning, but we all spotted the day's first Prickly Pear Cactus in full bloom.

The Wildflower Walk is an adventure for solo hikers and groups.

I took the Wildflower Walk by myself, but there were many groups that took the walk together. The groups all varied from friends to family. Some of the walkers were locals, while others were from other parts of Oklahoma or were tourists from other countries.

Volunteers from the Friends of the Wichitas and some refuge staff were also on the walk, and were available to answer questions and help spot wildflowers. They also appeared to be enjoying the walk themselves, talking with others in the group about wildflowers and taking pictures of their own.

As we walked through the wildflowers, I heard people gasp at the beauty of the refuge or exclaim with excitement when they spotted a wildflower that they had been searching for. While the groups bonded with each other as they looked for wildflowers, I enjoyed the tranquility of solo walk through parts of the refuge I had never seen before and delighted in myself when I located colorful blooms through layers of prairie grass.

So if you're looking to do something different with your friends or family, or if you're wanting a day to yourself, you can sign up for the next Wildflower Walk hosted by the Friends of the Wichitas on Saturday, May 23. This will be the group's last Wildflower Walk of the year. However, the Friends of the Wichitas will have more walks, hikes and tours throughout the year.

For more information about the Friends of the Wichitas or to sign up for one of their walks, hikes or tours, visit the group's official website.

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