Most wildflower guides use color as the primary criterion for identifying wild species. The main color groups are white, yellow, orange and orange to red, maroon, pink (another big group), blue, and green. (Each guide has its own way of naming and organizing its color scheme, but this is the general pattern.) The trick here is that some of the colors are subtle and it may be hard to determine if the flower is one particular color or not. In these cases you will have to choose one of the colors and search the guides to eliminate one or the other color choices.

Once you determine a color, the guides usually divide up those plants by how their flowers are shaped and where on the plant the flowers are growing from (a spike at the top, from between the leaves etc.). Then they subdivide those plants by the actual number of the flower petals or shape of their seed heads. If you are using an illustrated guide, after you get to the point of determining all this, there is usually a picture of the plant you are trying to identify.

Here are a few common mistakes made by gardeners attempting wildflower plantings or prairie restoration.

• Good drainage is a must. Marshy soil is acidic, and standing water is the enemy of wildflower root structures. Overwatering can damage seedlings as well.
• Soil preparation deeper than one inch may unleash dormant weed seeds that can compete with the plantings.
• Seeds should not be covered with soil - wildflower seeds can be strewn on top of the soil, then simply rolled or walked upon for best results.
• Planting at the wrong time of year; check with your supplier for proper germination times - some seeds need to overwinter.
• Don't try to cover too large an area with the available seed. Insufficient plant density will allow undesirable weeds and grasses a foothold.
• Be sure your site conditions match the flowers' requirements. A flower requiring full sun will not prosper in shade, and vice versa.
• When in doubt, assume your wildflower plantings will need at least eight full hours of sun per day.
• Do not allow your plantings to dry completely, but do not overwater. Soil should be kept damp; allow no standing water or puddles.

• Be patient. Wildflower and prairie restorations take time. Both annual and perennial wildflowers will come back year after year after established and allowed to reseed.