How to ID Urban Wildflowers

In a piece for Streetsblog Massachusetts, Christian MilNeil uses the book Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast by Peter Del Tredici to describe some of the common wildflowers found in urban streets and sidewalks.

Del Tredici observes that ‘weeds’ and ‘invasive species’ are labels that constitute ‘a value judgement that humans apply to plants we do not like... Calling a plant a weed gives us license to eradicate it. In a similar vein, calling a plant invasive allows us to blame it for ruining the environment, when really it is humans who are actually to blame.’

The article walks the reader through an illustrated guide, describing the plants’s characteristics and where you might be most likely to see them. MilNeil also notes the plants’ medicinal and edible qualities, but notes those growing in urban environments are likely contaminated with pollutants.

See the source article for a list of common flowers with images.