Photo Cutline: The Okfuskee County Division of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) planted approximately 45 pounds of native wildflower seeds just before Christmas on the south side of the I-40 Access Road and on the westbound entrance to I-40. Shown, from left, Ron Ott, Mayor, City of Okemah, Kristy Leslie, Okemah City Manager and Color Oklahoma Board member; Joe Bradley, Okfuskee County ODOT supervisor and Monica Bartling, OHS Class of 1974 and Color Oklahoma Board Chairman.

Story by Monica Bartling, Color Oklahoma, Chair

Okemah, Oklahoma, December 2024 — The City of Okemah received a grant from Color Oklahoma (coloroklahoma.com) to plant wildflower seeds on the I-40 Access Road and on the westbound ramp entrance.   Approximately 7 acres of seeds were planted.  The Grant Application and matching funding was provided in honor of the Class of 1974.  This is the second year that the Class of 1974 has been honored with the wildflower seed planting.

By mid-April the areas should show beautiful red and yellow Gaillardia (commonly known as Indian Blanket) and bright yellow Coreopsis (commonly called plains coreopsis or tickseed). Showy Primrose was also planted but it requires two growing seasons to produce flowers.  The Showy Primrose will produce small pink blossoms that tend to spread quickly after the second growing season. The Showy Primrose planted in 2023 should produce blooms this spring.

              Planting Wildflower seeds not only helps beautify our highways and interstates across Oklahoma, but also provides food for pollinators. According to the National Wildlife Federation planting wildflower plots is one way to help bees and other pollinators at a local level. Color Oklahoma provided seeds for planting more than 517 pounds of seeds in 9 Oklahoma communities this December and early January.  Seeds are planted in the cold weather because they require a period of cold, moist conditions to break down naturally occurring chemicals in the seeds that inhibit germination. These substances protect the seeds from germinating prematurely such that they wait until the following spring to sprout. This process is called cold stratification

Color Oklahoma was formed in 2002 and receives funding from the sale of wildflower license plates available at your local tag agency or from Service Oklahoma.  The form to order a plate can also be downloaded from the Color Oklahoma website at https://coloroklahoma.com/color-oklahoma-license-plate-order-form/.  If you would like more information on how your municipality or organization can obtain a grant to plant wildflowers in your area, go to coloroklahoma.com or email coloroklahoma@gmail.com. Color Oklahoma is a committee of the Oklahoma Native Plant Society.