The One Flower You Don’t Want To Get Caught Picking In Twin Falls

A walk with my wife and kid the other day resulted in a discussion about what state flowers if any are illegal to pick. It appears in Idaho, there's one sweet shrub pickers need to avoid plucking from the ground, or at least being seen doing it.

I've been doing a lot more walking lately. It's just what you do when you start getting older I'm finding. My young son enjoys helping my wife put together a bouquet of wildflowers. Until recently, I had never researched the subject of state plants and flowers that could get a person in trouble if they gathered them for personal satisfaction.

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It turns out, that according to numerous websites that deal with wildflowers in the Gem State, there are over a dozen species you shouldn't pick. Section 18-3911 of Idaho statutes list varieties such as Dogwood, Queen Cup, Twin Flower, Columbine, and several others as being off limits for home bouquets. The statute states that it's illegal to sell, remove, and transport these wild blooms, especially if taken from private property.

I did notice that state "highways and bridges" were listed as locations you are not allowed to pick such plants, flowers, and shrubs. I'm not sure what the rule is on public, state parks, or BLM land, but I don't plan on risking it.

The one Idaho flower you certainly don't want to get caught collecting in the wild is the state flower. The Lewis's Mock Orange (aka Syringa, aka Philadelphus coronarius) is named after Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition. This flower is protected by Idaho law, and picking it is illegal.