This section contains a selection of plants (mainly wildflowers) seen on the Olympic Peninsula. When we can, we include flower and leaf details, different stages of development, and photos from different locations. Occasionally, we include uncommon flower colors or flowers with uncommon anatomy.

We have enjoyed using several field guides to plants: the small but excellent Wildflowers of the Olympics and Cascades by Charles Stewart, 1988 and Northwest Trees, by Stephen F. Arno and Ramona P. Hammerly, 1977; as well as the comprehensive Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, by Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon, 1994 and Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Second Edition, by C. Leo Hitchcock and Arthur Cronquist, 2018.

The Burke Museum, at the University of Washington, has produced Washington Wildflowers, a plant identification app for mobile devices.

Note: Although lichens and fungi are not plants, we have included them in this section, following the example of many guidebooks.