The free 2018 Roadsides in Bloom Calendar, which is sponsored by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Transportation (DOT), includes 12 pictures of Mountain State wildflowers growing naturally along roadways or in Operation Wildflower beds planted by the Division of Highways.

The pictures were chosen from dozens of entries submitted by photographers from West Virginia and surrounding states.

West Virginia’s Operation Wildflower beautification program is a joint effort between the WVDEP and the WVDOH. It includes more than 250 acres of wildflowers grown along West Virginia’s roadways.

“These calendars display our state’s natural beauty and the talent of the people who live here,” said WVDEP Cabinet Secretary Austin Caperton. “I keep one of them in my office and encourage our citizens to get one of these calendars and display it proudly because it gives us a monthly reminder that West Virginia is without question the most beautiful of the 50 states.”

To order a calendar, go to http://www.dep.wv.gov/dlr/oer/reap/ow/Pages/default.aspx, call 1-800-322-5530, or email dep.aah@wv.gov. If a person calls and gets voicemail, leave name and address in the mailbox. Requests are limited to one calendar per household. West Virginia residents receive priority.

For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @ DEPWV on Twitter and find them on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about DEP’s REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan), West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia Watershed Improvement Branch, Youth Environmental Program, and Human Resources initiatives, connect on Facebook.