Plant Profile: Polygala lutea

This particular type of wildflower, known as milkwort, typically thrives in wet sandy soils, bogs, and the damp environments of pine or hardwood forests, as well as in roadside ditches. It is indigenous to the coastal plains, extending from Long Island down to Florida and westward to Louisiana.

When the flowers are dried, they take on a yellow hue. Unlike other milkwort varieties, this species showcases striking orange blossoms.

In North Carolina, it is frequently spotted along the coast but is considered rare in the Piedmont region.