With warm and mild winters and summers as hot as you will find anywhere in the United States, Alabama has one of the longest growing seasons in the country – up to 300 days in the southern part of the state. Combined with a climate prone to significant rainfall, Alabama is able to call a huge variety of plants, trees and shrubs among its native flora.

Early spring throughout Alabama brings on bursts of color, as the state is resplendent with the plethora of wildflowers and native flowering plants that are found in Alabama. Popular spring flowers such as rhododendron, azalea, and geranium spring early in Alabama and are found in every part of the state. The Whippoorwill Flower, or the common Trillium, is one of the most common forms of plant life in Alabama, and you will often find other Trillium varieties throughout the state once spring has begun. Aesculus pavea, also known as the red buckeye, is another common Alabama plant, and important to the spring return to the state of the ruby throated hummingbird.

Swampy areas around Alabama are home to a number of early summer plants. Dwarf St. John’s Wort and Lizard’s Tail can be found near the banks of the swamps and other bodies of water, as will Purple Loosestrife. The trumpet vine, or “cow itch” plant, attaches itself to support structures and will grow from early summer well into the mild Alabama fall. In the higher reaches of the state, and along Alabama roadsides, you will find Bee Balm and Black Eyed Susan.

Late summer brings forth some of the more dangerous plants known to be native to Alabama. Water Hemlock, a close relative of Poison Hemlock, is as dangerous if ingested as it’s aptly named poison cousin. The roots are especially poisonous, but it is dangerous to ingest any part of the plant. Kudzu, which is originally a plant from China, now blankets the Alabama roadsides. Kudzu was originally brought to this area for livestock feed and and to control erosion, but the deciduous vine invades, kills trees, and is considered to be one of the worst weeds in the country.

Alabama is home to a number of common trees in a variety of families. You will find trees from the cedar, birch and maple families, as well as specimens from the pine, dogwood, and gingko families. The British settlers planted live oaks in Alabama as early as 1763.

Alabama is a state strong in ideas in terms of conservation. In addition to the money raised at the state parks that is used to fund workshops and programs to introduce the conservation ideas to people of all ages in Alabama, they also are one of the few states in the country to come under the Uniform Conservation Easement Act. This allows landowners themselves to participate in conserving the native land and trees in the state of Alabama by maintaining undeveloped portions of their property in exchange for certain tax benefits. This gives a greater number of people a hand in conserving the beautiful native flora in the state of Alabama.