Most Narcissus species are from Europe, but some are also from North Africa and Asia. I don't think any are native to North America.

They can be seen in so many places because:
1. The bulbs are long lived and multiply well. They can often be found where they were originally planted many many years ago. They may have outlasted a house or garden.
2. People often plant them in unusual places. It's not uncommon for people to plant them along ditches or other areas where you wouldn't expect to see most types of flowers.
3. Animals like mice, voles, moles, woodchucks, chipmunks, skunks, and deer can move bulbs. They may be "stored" for future food reserves but never eaten.

#3 doesn't really work for daffs, since they're poisonous. ;-) But the others are certainly factors!

Daffodils often mark old home sites, even long after the home itself is gone. Also, road crews or local garden clubs sometimes plant daffs along highways as local beautification projects. In fact, we've got a stretch of highway here (Pellissippi Parkway) with tons of daffs because of a local club. :-)

Okay, okay, so I used an irrelevant reason. So shoot me.*

*For those not "in the loop" this is an inside joke.

Driving out on the back roads, I sometimes pass a square of daffs where obviously there once was a house, long since gone. I always wonder about the people who lived there. Sometimes you find other plants like asparagus or even other flowers, but those daffs just jump out at you.

I spent all of today driving around the countryside. Saw TONS and TONS of daffs everywhere. Very pretty!

Hi,
I am new to the boards, and new to TN. I lived in FL most of my life. The daf story is just cool, I was wondering about them..........I see only yellow everywhere around my area.

Welcome to TN! And yes, most of the old daffs you'll see are the old yellow trumpets. However, there are other oldies out there. Look especially for small yellow round ones that are full of many shredded looking petals -- these are called Rip van Winkle -- and also look for tall white ones with tiny yellow and red cups -- these are called Pheasant's Eye or Poeticus. There are other antique/heritage/whatever-you-want-to-call-them varieties, but these are a couple of the more obvious ones.

In fact, I have some Pheasant's Eye that I dug up from an old home site myself. :-) Old daffs are certainly worth saving, as long as you are not decreasing someone else's enjoyment.