Why Is It Illegal To Pick Wildflowers At California's Pinnacles National Park?

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

California’s Pinnacles National Park is home to one of the most distinct bee populations on Earth.

That’s why park officials say: Don’t pick the flowers.

"The diverse blooms are one of the factors diverse bees and other pollinators depend on, and picking blooms now only means less in the future," a recent social media post from the park reads.

If helping the bees isn’t enough to leave the park's brilliant wildflowers alone, the post notes that picking the flowers is also illegal.

(MORE: Visitors Can Zipline Through Wildflowers In California)

Pinnacles is one of the only places where bees are regularly counted and populations tracked over decades, according to the National Park Service.

A study published in 2019 counted 450 bee species within the 42-square-mile park boundary. That included 48 species recorded for the first time in 2012 and 95 species not seen since 1999.

These aren’t just your typical honey bees or bumblebees. Pinnacles’ bee species range in size from the equivalent of a sesame seed to an almond, and colors include black, brown, bronze and metallic green or blue, in addition to the more common yellow and black.

The park is known for its spring wildflower bloom, and like many parts of California, this year’s season is spectacular thanks to a series of atmospheric rivers and storms that dumped prolific amounts of snow and rain across wide parts of the state.

(MORE: Where To See California's Superbloom)

"Because bees pollinate many of our flowers and over time have allowed for a variety of floral structures, the wildflowers are, in part, a reflection of the abundance and diversity of bees," the park’s website notes.

Peak wildflower viewing at Pinnacles runs from March through May, when 80% of the park’s flowers typically bloom.

The park is located in California’s Inner South Coast Range, about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco.

Want more travel and national parks stories? Check out these links:

-Dry Tortugas Discovery Highlights Race To Save Historic Sites

-​The Ultimate Weather-Wise Packing List

-​Yosemite Waterfalls Reach Their Peak In May, But Exceptional Snowpack May Fuel More Dangerous Flooding

-​10 Places You Must See In May

-​7 Of The Most Dangerous Hikes In The US

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.