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Nancy Goodman, recently retired from her bank teller job in western Massachusetts, has traveled far and wide for wildflowers. This spring it was to Ecuador; in 2009 it was Tibet; before that it was South Africa.
One of her biggest thrills was spotting the rare Himalayan blue poppy on a slope in the Tibetan plateau—and then a few dozen more. "I think I let out a whoop of joy," she recalls. "It was exhilarating."
Most people are more likely to see wildflowers on herbal tea packages than in a mountain meadow or a desert vista. But hard-core wildflower enthusiasts—a group that is even more low-key than birders—often are willing to travel long distances to see particular species or spectacular blooms. "Most of my friends are wildflower nuts," says Ms. Goodman, a member of the New England Wild Flower Society, which teams up with the Cupertino, Calif., tour operator Botanical Expeditions for trips like the one to Tibet.
Niche festivals catering to wildflower enthusiasts are timed to coincide with spectacular peak displays. Many wildflower tourists are in their early retirement years, reasonably fit and free for leisure travel. Timothy Spira, biology professor at Clemson University, in South Carolina, and author of a book on southern Appalachian wildflowers, says he often urges audiences at his talks to pass along their love of wildflowers to their children and grandchildren.
One year, Edward Kanze, a naturalist and author in Bloomingdale, N.Y., traveled with his wife all the way to the state of Western Australia in early September, spring in the southern hemisphere, to witness one of the world's grandest wildflower extravaganzas. "Entire landscapes from horizon to horizon were covered," Mr. Kanze recalls.
North America has a wide variety of wildflower destinations, ranging from the species-rich Smoky Mountains in the Southeast to the desert blooms of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California. Perhaps the richest displays are in the Cascades in Washington state, found in subalpine meadows near Mount Rainier.
As impressive are Crested Butte in Colorado and Albion Basin in Utah. Peak displays at these western sites are from mid-July to mid-August.
Mountain meadows in the West tend to get a lot of moisture, with a short growing season and abundant sunlight unblocked by trees. "You get these very dense, colorful wildflower meadows," Prof. Spira says.
There are many variables to take into account when forecasting wildflower blooms. Rainfall and temperature affect when a particular location will hit its peak. Of course, visitors arriving slightly before or after the peak, or even in an "off" year, will still find a lot to take in.
Teresa Prendusi, a regional botanist with the U.S. Forest Service, says the wildflowers at Albion Basin, one of her favorite places to see them, will probably be less spectacular this year because of a dry winter and an early, warm spring. Meanwhile, there was above-normal rainfall in the Cascades in the Northwest, she notes, and displays there should be "especially great" this year.
Colorado's annual Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, which ends Saturday, attracts 2,000 to 3,000 guests every year, according to Sue Wallace, executive director of the event. The town of Alta, Utah, near Albion Basin, hosts the Wasatch Wildflower Festival from July 27 to 29. In the Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Tenn., hosts the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage every spring (mark April 23 to 27 on your 2013 calendar).
Where to Find The Queen of Sheba Orchid
Mount Rainier, Wash.
Mount Rainier National Park had more than 270,000 visitors last year in August, peak season for wildflowers, compared with fewer than 100,000 in June. Check the National Park Service website for Mount Rainier wildflower status updates. Bob Gibbons, author of "Wildflower Wonders: The 50 Best Wildflower Sites in the World," recommends the accessible Paradise Meadows section, where trails meander through fireworks displays of Magenta Paintbrush, white Avalanche Lily and yellow Broadleaf Arnica.
Crested Butte, Colo.
This former coal-mining town in the Rockies is the state's official wildflower capital. Hike to Gothic Mountain or Cement Creek, where a whole hillside painted yellow with Mule's Ears may be visible from miles away. From July to early August, blooms may include the orange Alpine Sunflower, the deep-blue Sky Pilot, and the magenta-pink Parry's Primrose. There are plenty of flowers in April and October, too.
The Dolomites, Italy
The Dolomites range of the Alps offers impressive displays. Head for Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park to see pink Rock Daphne, bluish-pink Devil's Claw, and pink or red Dwarf Alpenrose from early June to late July, though the show can start in April and last until October. The park's southern section has the most variety. Cafés and rustic overnight accommodations are within easy hiking distance, says Carol Gracie, who led tours with the New York Botanical Garden. "Very civilized."
Western Australia
The state's southwest corner is a wildflower showcase. Drive north from Perth to Kalbarri National Park to see mile after mile of flower-carpeted fields. Early spring (August and September) are safe bets. Or head southeast to Stirling Range National Park with some 1,500 species, about 85 of them endemic. Late spring and early summer (October to December) are ideal for seeing the Queen of Sheba Orchid, the pink Stirling Range Coneflower and the Giant Andersonia.
Namaqualand, South Africa
Wildflowers, much of it ancestral flora that wasn't destroyed by ice age glaciation, thrive in the dry climate and soil. Displays in and out of the Goegap Nature Reserve bloom from July to September, with Orange gazanias, Desert Primroses and Purple vygies.