Every spring we eagerly await the first sprouts and blossoms of our state’s native wildflowers, and throughout the seasons we follow their blooming south to north, east and west. Here are a few of our favorite places to visit.
Spring comes first to the southern part of the state, the Big Woods, where ephemeral flowers blossom briefly under the leafing trees. Carley State Park near Winona has for many years held a Bluebell Festival early in May when, like a river of blue, Virginia bluebells cover the hillsides. Other spring wildflowers — Dutchman’s breeches, trout lily, large-flowered bellwort, spring beauty — brighten the ground like a quilt of colors.
Among woodland wildflowers in Zumbro Falls Woods Scientific and Natural Area jeweled shooting star also grows, its fuchsia flowers like little bright nose cones.
At River Bend Nature Center in Faribault you might catch a glimpse of dwarf trout lily, a tiny flower found only in three counties in Minnesota and nowhere else in the world.
As the woods flower, the prairie blossoms, too. At River Terrace Prairie Scientific and Natural Area near Cannon Falls pale purple pasqueflowers cascade down a gravelly hillside. The feathery pink plumes of prairie smoke aren’t far behind.
Along the South Dakota border at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge you might encounter two of Minnesota’s three cactus species—both brittle prickly pear and ball cactus grow among the rocks.
For an abundance of prairie smoke, visit Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area near Cottage Grove. Midway along the hilltop trail you’ll come across a sand blowout brimming with birdfoot violets, all shades of purple against the pale sand.
Right in Minneapolis you can visit Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, the oldest public wildflower garden in the U.S., where you might see snow trilliums so early they might be surrounded by snow. Marsh marigolds soon follow, as do showy lady’s-slippers, twinleaf and many other native flowers. Across Theodore Wirth Parkway follow the trail to the Quaking Bog, where under the hush of tamarack trees starflowers and other bog flowers bloom among the mosses.
At Long Lake Conservation Center, a county park and environmental education center near Aitkin, canoes are available to paddle around the lake. The floating bog that rims the lake abounds with wildflowers best seen from a vantage point on the water. In June you’ll see purple pitcher plant, blue flag, sundew, and many others. If you’re lucky, you also may see orchids such as dragon’s mouth and grass pink.
On the third Saturday in June, you can bike to see beautiful bunches of the state flower along the Lake Wobegon Trail. The free, family-oriented Lady Slipper Nature Ride is approximately six miles round trip and takes place as part of Avon’s annual Spunktacular Days festival.
By midsummer, the prairie is in full bloom, changing by the week. While very little native prairie remains in Minnesota, Roscoe Prairie Scientific and Natural Area near Paynesville bursts with native prairie flowers from purple prairie clover to prairie coreopsis to wood lily, swamp milkweed and prairie onion.
Travel westward to Glacial Lakes State Park to see both native and restored prairie. As you enter the park you’ll be met with a hillside of blazing star, prairie clover and big and little bluestem. Along with prairie, the 2500-acre park has virgin oak forest, marshes and lakes to wander among.
Come June, head to the boardwalk at Lake Bemidji State Park, where you might see at least one or two kinds of orchid — dragon’s mouth, grass pink, stemless lady’s-slipper — along with two of our state’s carnivorous plants: purple pitcher plant and sundew. Many of the plants are identified with name signs, especially helpful for sundew, which is so tiny you might not realize that you are looking right at it.
Although many of the orchids might be bloomed out by International Bog Day on the last Sunday of July, there will be plenty of other wildflowers to see. Check the park’s calendar for naturalist-led programs about bogs.
Travel farther north and west to Big Bog State Recreation Area by Waskish, and you can follow an environmentally sensitive, mile-long boardwalk into the largest peat bog in the continental United States, where you might see sundew, purple pitcher plants and other bog inhabitants.
For a splendid display of showy lady’s-slipper, Minnesota’s state flower, drive along the Lady Slipper Scenic Byway (follow Highway 39 between Blackduck and Highway 2, just east of Cass Lake) in late June or early July. Stop at Lady Slipper Interpretative Site just north of Pennington and follow a boardwalk out among showy and yellow lady’s-slipper flowers.
Near Bigfork, you’ll come to the Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area, where you’ll want to look up as you walk under pines hundreds of years old, spared from logging by an 1882 surveying error. Look down, too, to see rose twisted-stalk, bunchberry and wild sarsaparilla. You might even spot stemless lady’s-slippers, which have deep magenta flowers.
Duluth’s Magney-Snively Park contains woodland, rock outcrops, and wetlands along with stunning views overlooking the Saint Louis River Valley and Lake Superior. Marsh marigold and large-flowered trillium are just a few of the flowers you’ll find alongside the trails in late May to mid-June.
State parks along the north shore are a wealth of wildflowers. Bunchberry, Canada mayflower and other spring blossoms bloom along Gooseberry Falls State Park’s wooded trails, but look, too, among the rocks along the Lake Superior shore, where you might find small, hardy survivors like bird’s-eye primrose and harebell.
At Cascade River State Park look for bluebead lily, starflower and stemless lady’s-slipper orchids blooming near the trails beside the cascades.
Searching doesn’t always mean finding the flowers you’re looking for. But what’s not to love about a day outside exploring Minnesota’s prairies, woodlands, bogs and roadsides? You never know what you’ll discover, but it’s sure to be an adventure.
Minnesota is home to a stunning diversity of wildflowers that bloom from early spring through late summer. Ranging from delicate woodland ephemerals to showy prairie species, these native plants add beauty and color to the landscape while providing essential habitat and food sources for pollinators and other wildlife. With proper identification and care, anyone can appreciate these floral gems locally and help protect them for the future.
When and Where Wildflowers Bloom
The wildflower season in Minnesota stretches from March through September varying by species. Some of the earliest blooms are Pasque flowers prairie smoke, and hepatica, emerging right after snowmelt in April. May brings colorful carpets of species like blue-eyed grass, prairie trillium, and wild geranium. Summer showstoppers like blazing stars, coneflowers, and compass plant start appearing in June. Late summer brings asters, goldenrods, and gentians through September.
These flowers grow in diverse habitats statewide, especially prairies woodlands wetlands, and savannas. Prairies, from dry gravel hills to wet sedge meadows, host the widest variety like prairie clover, penstemons, and prairie lilies. Woodlands and forests showcase trillium, bloodroot, and violets. Wetlands contain swamp milkweed, blue flag iris, and cardinal flower. Savannas, the transition between prairie and forest, feature floral diversity too. All habitats and regions of Minnesota have fantastic native wildflowers to discover.
Notable and Unique Wildflower Species
With over 300 native wildflower species statewide, Minnesota has astonishing diversity Here are details on some of the most famous and unique kinds to look for
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Showy lady’s slipper: Minnesota’s state flower. A large, pink orchid growing in moist woodlands and bogs.
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Pasque flower: Silky, lavender flowers blooming in April, sometimes before snowmelt. Native to dry hill prairies.
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Pink prairie rose: Shrubby wild rose with pink flowers and red hips. Found statewide in open areas.
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Bird’s foot violet: Delicate purple flower with unique divided leaves like a bird’s foot. Occurs in woods statewide.
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Wild columbine: Red and yellow flowers shaped like bells or cornucopias. On cliffs, woods edges, rock outcrops.
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Bellwort: Nodding, pale yellow, bell-shaped flowers in spring. Large, strongly clasping leaves.
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Bluebead lily: Clusters of blue star-shaped flowers. Whorled leaves on slender stems arising from a bulb.
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Common milkweed: Pink balls of fragrant flowers that attract monarch butterflies. Widespread.
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Blazing star: Tall spires of pink to purple flowers. Prairies and savannas statewide. Magnet for bees and butterflies.
This is only a small sampling of Minnesota’s diverse wildflower heritage. Exploring different habitats reveals unique species everywhere.
Identifying Wildflowers
Proper identification ensures appreciation of unique species and informs careful management. Some tips:
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Use field guides with detailed color photos and descriptions organized by flower color, plant family, habitat, bloom time, etc. Cross-reference multiple guides.
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Note key characteristics like flower shape and color, leaf shape and arrangement, plant height, and habitat.
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Take photos from multiple angles and distances. Zoom in on key parts like leaves, stems, and flowers.
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Record location details like habitat, plant associations, bloom season, and abundance.
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Return to the same site as the season progresses. Early emerging plants look different when mature.
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Apps like iNaturalist provide crowdsourced ID help and record geographical data.
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Join guided wildflower walks to learn from experts familiar with local species.
As skills improve, try identifying species without using guides, based on stored knowledge.
Conserving Wildflowers
While wildflowers create beautiful displays, they also require careful conservation:
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Never pick or uproot wildflowers without permission. Enjoy them where they grow.
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Stick to trails. Avoid trampling fragile habitats, compacting soil, and spreading invasives.
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Be aware of rare species and how to protect them. Follow rules prohibiting collection.
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Reduce pesticide use, mow less, and plant native species to provide habitat.
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Participate in conservation groups and volunteer for stewardship activities.
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Educate others on ethical wildflower enjoyment, identification, and conservation.
From individuals to organizations, collective action is key to preserving floral heritage.
The Rewards of Wildflower Pursuits
Seeking out native wildflowers provides relaxation, discovery, expanded nature awareness, health benefits, and satisfaction from participating in conservation. Watching the diverse floral displays emerge, unfold, and change through the seasons is a joy. Looking closely reveals intricate details in shape, color, and reproductive adaptations. As skills grow, the landscape reveals itself in new ways. Anywhere outdoors in Minnesota provides opportunities to enjoy natural wildflower beauty. Conserving this heritage ensures it endures for all to cherish.
LOOK, BUT DON’T TOUCH
Wildflowers are protected in Minnesota state parks and scientific and natural areas, and some wildflowers are protected no matter where they grow. Take photos, not flowers, and come back often to see native wildflowers growing in their own natural habitats, where they do best.
Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo collaborated on Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers, A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone In Between. You can follow their adventures on flowerchasers.com and hear their audio postcards from the field on The Morning Edition of Minnesota Public Radio. Root has also written several children’s books about Minnesota’s wild places, including Big Belching Bog, Plant a Pocket of Prairie, and The Lost Forest, all from the University of Minnesota Press. Root and Povo are currently working on a book about Minnesota’s habitats. Check out their website for an upcoming “Let’s Talk Wildflowers” webinar.
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By Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo See Places on a Map
Every spring we eagerly await the first sprouts and blossoms of our state’s native wildflowers, and throughout the seasons we follow their blooming south to north, east and west. Here are a few of our favorite places to visit.
Spring comes first to the southern part of the state, the Big Woods, where ephemeral flowers blossom briefly under the leafing trees. Carley State Park near Winona has for many years held a Bluebell Festival early in May when, like a river of blue, Virginia bluebells cover the hillsides. Other spring wildflowers — Dutchman’s breeches, trout lily, large-flowered bellwort, spring beauty — brighten the ground like a quilt of colors.
Among woodland wildflowers in Zumbro Falls Woods Scientific and Natural Area jeweled shooting star also grows, its fuchsia flowers like little bright nose cones.
At River Bend Nature Center in Faribault you might catch a glimpse of dwarf trout lily, a tiny flower found only in three counties in Minnesota and nowhere else in the world.
As the woods flower, the prairie blossoms, too. At River Terrace Prairie Scientific and Natural Area near Cannon Falls pale purple pasqueflowers cascade down a gravelly hillside. The feathery pink plumes of prairie smoke aren’t far behind.
Along the South Dakota border at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge you might encounter two of Minnesota’s three cactus species—both brittle prickly pear and ball cactus grow among the rocks.
For an abundance of prairie smoke, visit Grey Cloud Dunes Scientific and Natural Area near Cottage Grove. Midway along the hilltop trail you’ll come across a sand blowout brimming with birdfoot violets, all shades of purple against the pale sand.
Right in Minneapolis you can visit Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, the oldest public wildflower garden in the U.S., where you might see snow trilliums so early they might be surrounded by snow. Marsh marigolds soon follow, as do showy lady’s-slippers, twinleaf and many other native flowers. Across Theodore Wirth Parkway follow the trail to the Quaking Bog, where under the hush of tamarack trees starflowers and other bog flowers bloom among the mosses.
At Long Lake Conservation Center, a county park and environmental education center near Aitkin, canoes are available to paddle around the lake. The floating bog that rims the lake abounds with wildflowers best seen from a vantage point on the water. In June you’ll see purple pitcher plant, blue flag, sundew, and many others. If you’re lucky, you also may see orchids such as dragon’s mouth and grass pink.
On the third Saturday in June, you can bike to see beautiful bunches of the state flower along the Lake Wobegon Trail. The free, family-oriented Lady Slipper Nature Ride is approximately six miles round trip and takes place as part of Avon’s annual Spunktacular Days festival.
By midsummer, the prairie is in full bloom, changing by the week. While very little native prairie remains in Minnesota, Roscoe Prairie Scientific and Natural Area near Paynesville bursts with native prairie flowers from purple prairie clover to prairie coreopsis to wood lily, swamp milkweed and prairie onion.
Travel westward to Glacial Lakes State Park to see both native and restored prairie. As you enter the park you’ll be met with a hillside of blazing star, prairie clover and big and little bluestem. Along with prairie, the 2500-acre park has virgin oak forest, marshes and lakes to wander among.
Come June, head to the boardwalk at Lake Bemidji State Park, where you might see at least one or two kinds of orchid — dragon’s mouth, grass pink, stemless lady’s-slipper — along with two of our state’s carnivorous plants: purple pitcher plant and sundew. Many of the plants are identified with name signs, especially helpful for sundew, which is so tiny you might not realize that you are looking right at it.
Although many of the orchids might be bloomed out by International Bog Day on the last Sunday of July, there will be plenty of other wildflowers to see. Check the park’s calendar for naturalist-led programs about bogs.
Travel farther north and west to Big Bog State Recreation Area by Waskish, and you can follow an environmentally sensitive, mile-long boardwalk into the largest peat bog in the continental United States, where you might see sundew, purple pitcher plants and other bog inhabitants.
For a splendid display of showy lady’s-slipper, Minnesota’s state flower, drive along the Lady Slipper Scenic Byway (follow Highway 39 between Blackduck and Highway 2, just east of Cass Lake) in late June or early July. Stop at Lady Slipper Interpretative Site just north of Pennington and follow a boardwalk out among showy and yellow lady’s-slipper flowers.
Near Bigfork, you’ll come to the Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area, where you’ll want to look up as you walk under pines hundreds of years old, spared from logging by an 1882 surveying error. Look down, too, to see rose twisted-stalk, bunchberry and wild sarsaparilla. You might even spot stemless lady’s-slippers, which have deep magenta flowers.
Duluth’s Magney-Snively Park contains woodland, rock outcrops, and wetlands along with stunning views overlooking the Saint Louis River Valley and Lake Superior. Marsh marigold and large-flowered trillium are just a few of the flowers you’ll find alongside the trails in late May to mid-June.
State parks along the north shore are a wealth of wildflowers. Bunchberry, Canada mayflower and other spring blossoms bloom along Gooseberry Falls State Park’s wooded trails, but look, too, among the rocks along the Lake Superior shore, where you might find small, hardy survivors like bird’s-eye primrose and harebell.
At Cascade River State Park look for bluebead lily, starflower and stemless lady’s-slipper orchids blooming near the trails beside the cascades.
Searching doesn’t always mean finding the flowers you’re looking for. But what’s not to love about a day outside exploring Minnesota’s prairies, woodlands, bogs and roadsides? You never know what you’ll discover, but it’s sure to be an adventure.
Nature to Go | Purple on the Prairie – Identify Minnesota Wildflowers
FAQ
Where to find wild flowers in Minnesota?
- Fifth Falls and Superior Hiking Trail Loop. …
- Superior Hiking Trail: Bean and Bear Lake Loop. …
- Oberg Mountain Loop Via Superior Hiking Trail. …
- Silver Creek Trail. …
- Jensen Lake Trail. …
- Northern River, Trout Brook and Prairie Loop. …
- Temperance River Hiking Club Trail.
When to sprinkle wildflower seeds in Minnesota?
Normal planting dates for Minnesota range from October 15 to freeze-up and May 15 to July 1. Purchase a diverse mix of high quality, local origin seed. Many wildflower seeds need a period of cold, moist conditions before they germinate. Fall planting is often used for this reason.
What month is best for wildflowers?
Keep the ground moist until the plants are well established. September-December is the most favorable time to plant your wildflowers.
Is Minnesota paying homeowners to plant wildflowers?
According to the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR), the Lawns to Legumes program offers homeowners a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides, and financial assistance for installing pollinator-friendly native plants and wildflowers in their lawns.