Visiting a US national park this summer? Once there, don't do this or you'll be fined

July 12, 2024 at 05:00 AM EDT

The National Park Service preserves natural and cultural resources and prohibits visitors from picking wildflowers from its 429 parks nationwide with fines costing up to $250.

You can "stop and smell the roses" at U.S. national parks — but don't expect to add them to water.

Many visitors pass through America’s 429 national parks, with some 325.5 million people taking in the beauty last year alone, according to the National Park Service (NPS).

Visitors may admire the wealth of flowers the parks have to offer, but they may not know that plucking one could be considered a federal offense.

Kyle Patterson with Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado told FOX 31 that picking a wildflower could cost a person up to $250 in fines.

"Over four million visitors come to Rocky each year. If everyone picked a flower in the park, there would not be any flowers left for others to enjoy," said Patterson.

"This would dramatically change the landscape for future visitors."

The mission of NPS is to "preserve the natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations," according to the agency's website.

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Patterson said the wildflowers provide food for bees, butterflies, mule deer, marmots and pika.

The National Park Service’s Code of Federal Regulations ensures the "preservation of natural, cultural and archaeological resources."

The law stipulates that "possessing, destroying, injuring, defacing, removing, digging or disturbing from its natural state — plants or the parts or products thereof" is prohibited.

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"Regulations prohibit picking wildflowers so that they may produce seeds for the next wildflower season," according to the NPS.

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NPS was created by an act signed by President Woodrow Wilson on Aug. 25, 1916, according to the NPS.

"Another part of our mission is to protect the park in a way that what you see today will look similar to the landscape you will see in the future," Patterson also told FOX 31.

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The best way to remember the floral beauty of the parks is to snap a photo.

Plucking flowers and plants from botanical gardens is also prohibited, according to NPS.

Fox News Digital reached out to NPS for comment.