Is it really against the law to pick California’s state flower?

Amid the uproar over careless tourists trampling the superbloom, former California schoolchildren have been heard to contend that the state flower has special protection.

“I’ve known since second grade that it’s against the law to pick a California poppy,” they say.

Regardless of what Miss Beasley might have told these kids, there is no law specifically regarding poppies.

However, there are statutes, both state and federal, concerning the removal of plants in general from public property. Specifically, you can’t, unless you have express permission (for instance, as a scientific researcher or while carrying out work critical for public safety). Such property includes not only parks but schools, the grounds of government buildings, and roadsides and medians of state or federal highways.

Related Articles A helicopter landed in a California poppy field during the super bloom, and officials are furious

New photo: California’s super bloom as seen from outer space And, of course, it would also be illegal to pick flowers on somebody else’s private property without permission.

So, in practical terms, there are few places other than your own yard where you could legally pick a poppy.

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