A clouded sulfur butterfly feeds on the top of a purple coneflower along Waverly Road recently. (Photo by Art Smith)

PARKERSBURG — Far removed from the interstate and major highways that connect cities and villages around Wood and Washington counties is a vast network of smaller roads.

Wood County includes 366.6 miles of paved secondary roads, plus nearly 120 miles of tar-and-chip roads, 159.6 miles of gravel roads and 72 miles of other types such as primitive or unimproved, according to the West Virginia Division of Highways.

There are 341 miles of county roads in Washington County and 835 miles of township roads.

For the most part they are sparsely populated and lightly used.

The job of keeping things mowed down is a big one. Mowers for Washington County make two passes on the county road. Township roads typically get one mowing per year, with some locations getting a second pass.

Keller Lane is one of scores of county roads lined with wild flowers. (Photo by Art Smith)

The quiet roadsides allow for the growth of a large variety of wildflowers and the wildflowers provide the perfect habitat for both birds and insects.

Many of the roads bear the names of families that have lived in the area, like Henderson Lane and Cantwell Ridge Road.

Others are named for bodies of water like Little Kanawha River Road, Pond Creek Road and Bull Run Road.

Others are named for rather unique circumstances, such as Lost Pavement Road, which local historian Bob Enoch said got its name when the crew simply ran out of material to complete its surface.

The wildflowers that grow along the roads are as different as the roads themselves, with names like bloodroot, Queen Anne’s lace, yellow lady’s slipper and mayapple.

Queen Anne’s lace along a Wood County lane. (Photo by Art Smith)

Motorists may notice black-eyed Susans, orange day lilies, Indian grass and red clover beside Wood County’s back roads, said J.J. Barrett, West Virginia University Extension agent. Some plants with the word “weed” in their name are nevertheless quite pleasing to the eye, such as the orange flowers of butterfly weed,the purple blooms of ironweed or the pink flower of milkweed, he said.

Finding these local treasures is as simple as driving out of town and turning down any road that doesn’t have a line down the middle and safety stripping down the side.

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Some of the wildflowers found in the area:

* Pepper and salt

Mullein grows along Oak Grove Road. (Photo by Art Smith)

* Painted trillium

* Jack-in-the-pulpit

* Wild Columbine

* Blue lupin

* Bloodroot

Tiger Lily blooms alongside a rural road. (Photo by Art Smith)

* Wild geranium

* Mayapple

* Purple coneflower

* Lizard’s tail

Source: The Nature Conservancy

A small bug crawls on a chicory bloom along Keller Lane. (Photo by Art Smith)