Woodland Wildflowers & Reports

Woodland wildflowers

Topics:

Forestry
Woodland wildflowers
Find fleeting beauties of spring

Wildflowers are enticing treasures for wilderness lovers each spring. 

Just like the weather, wildflowers can be unpredictable. Get an up-to-date list of woodland wildflowers in bloom in your inbox.

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Iowa’s woodlands come to life with patches of color in early spring as native wildflowers start to bloom. Looking for wildflowers can be a fun, unique spring activity for kids and is a great way to spend time outdoors as a family.

Wildflower Weekly Report
Report DateAreaDescription of Woodland Wildflower Blooms
4/20/2026Northern Iowa

Look for woodland violets, Dutchman's breeches, plum and serviceberry in Allamakee County and Clayton County.

 

Find sharp-lobed hepatica, bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches, bluebells, trout lily, wild ginger, marsh marigolds, wild leek, and bristly buttercup at the Riverbend Wildlife Area in Floyd County. Look for bloodroot, trout lily, false rue anemone, Dutchman’s breeches and bluebells at the Tosanak Recreation Area.Mayapples are emerging. Find bloodroot, Dutchman's breeches, false rue anemone, bluebells, trout lily, and spring beauty at Mathers Woods.

 

Look for Virginia bluebells, Dutchman's breeches, spring beauty, blue and yellow violets, false rue anemone, marsh marigolds, trout lily, and ramps at Katoski Greenbelt in Black Hawk County. Mayapples are emerging. Virginia bluebells are blooming at George Wyth State Park.

 

Find sharp-lobed hepatica scarce, white trout lily, bloodroot, violets, large-flowered bellwort, and Dutchman’s breeches in Emmet County.
 

4/17/2026Central Iowa

Redbud, phlox and wood violets are blooming in Guthrie County. Look for trout lily foliage.

 

Dutchman’s breeches, spring beauty, trout lily, rue anemone, sweet William, Virginia bluebells, and wild ginger are blooming in Boone County and Polk County.

 

Virginia bluebells, trout lily, spring beauties, wild leeks, bloodroot, hepatica, false rue anemone, Dutchman's breeches, bellwort, cut-leaf toothwort, phlox, and wild geranium are blooming in Hardin County, Marshall County and Tama County. Marsh marigolds are blooming at Eagle City preserve in Hardin County and some roadside ditches in rural Butler County. 

 

Find wild columbine, golden seal, prairie trillium, woodland phlox, and wild geranium in Jackson County.

 

Dutchman's breeches, cut-leaved toothwort, and purple violets are blooming at Pikes Timber in Wright County.

4/20/2026Southern Iowa

Jacob’s ladder, ginger, hepatica, spring beauty, toothwort, rue anemone, woodland violets, pussytoes, and phlox (sweet William) are flowering in Appanoose County, Lucas County, Mahaska County, Marion County, Monroe County and Wayne County. Dutchman’s breeches, Virginia bluebells, trout lily (dogtooth violet), and bloodroot flowers are sometimes visible, but are winding down.

 

Cut-leaf toothwort is done for the season and Dutchman’s breeches are nearly so in Des Moines County and Henry County. Virginia bluebells are also nearing the end. Spring beauty, dandelions, common blue, and downy yellow are still peaking. Confederate violets are still plentiful. Blooming field trillium is easy to find. Ground ivy, AKA creeping Charlie is still the bane of everyone’s yard. Woodland blue phlox and wild ginger are nearing their peak. Large-flowered bellwort, small-flowered buttercup, garlic mustard, and rue anemone are still blooming. Mayapple has yet to bloom. New bloomers for this week include wild geranium, Shepherd’s purse, swamp buttercup, prairie ragwort, and Jacob’s ladder. Jack-in-the-pulpit is fully leafed out.

 

4/20/206Western Iowa

Look for Virginia waterleaf, trout Lily, Dutchman’s breeches, sweet cicely, Jacob’s ladder, and wild ginger leaves at Martin’s Access in Cherokee County. Bloodroot is blooming. Find Virginia waterleaf, trout lily, and bedstraw-leaves at Silver Sioux Recreation Area.

 

Find leaves of Virginia waterleaf, ramps, bedstraw, and sweet cicely at Moorehead Park in Ida County. Blood root, spring beauty, trout lily, violets, dandelions, Dutchman’s Breeches, red buds and wild plum are blooming.

 

Dutchman's breeches, woodland phlox, large-flowered bellwort, and bloodroot are blooming in Harrison County, Monona County, and Woodbury County. Chokecherry is getting ready to bloom. Plum is finishing up. Trees have tiny leaves.

The weekly woodland wildflower report is broken down by four regions.

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Which wildflowers will you discover this week?

One of the most encouraging signs of spring, the first wildflowers seem to bloom overnight. Get outside this spring and see what you can find!

Early spring wildflowers are commonly called ephemerals, which means “short-lived.”  They utilize a short time window when sunlight bathes the forest floor before tree leaves emerge to shade them out. It's a smart ecological adaptation and pretty, too. 

Wildflowers can be found by simply walking, or biking along trails, on a hike through a local or Iowa state park or just driving slowly along a county road. It's illegal to pick wildflowers in public conservation areas, so take a photo or sketch your finds and leave the plants untouched.

Spotting secretive wildflowers is a refreshing, unique spring activity for the whole family. Get outside this spring and see what you can find. Please take only pictures and leave the flowers for others to enjoy!

Common Spring Wildflowers

Wildflowers come in countless varieties and yet can be so fleeting. They sprinkle wild landscapes with color and send subtle fragrances into the nearby air. 

Look for these common Iowa spring wildflowers.

Springbrook State Park Wildlife Camp
Take It Outside State Park Camps

Come Create Unforgettable Memories!

Sign your kids up for a fun five-day immersive adventure they will never forget. Campers will explore some of the most amazing places in Iowa and build outdoor skills that can last a lifetime.

Registration is limited to 30 students per camp.
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Helpful Resources

Ready to increase your wildflower activities and knowledge? These resources can help!

Wildflower Books & Guides

  • Wildflowers of Iowa Woodlands by Sylvan Runkel and Alvin Bull
  • Iowa Trees & Wildflowers: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Plants by James Kavanagh
  • Wildflowers of the Midwest: Your Way to Easily Identify Wildflowers by Stan Tekiela
  • A Peterson Field Guide To Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-central North America by Margaret McKenny and Roger Tory Peterson
  • Wildflowers of the Midwest: A Field Guide to Over 600 Wildflowers in the Region by Don Kurz
  • Wildflowers of Southeastern Iowa -Volume 1 Spring by Don Weiss

Online Resources

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Fun Family Outdoor Activities

Reusable litter bags
Free reusable litter cleanup bags

These quick drying mesh bags fit easily in your kayak hatch, bike bag, picnic basket, tacklebox, car trunk or backpack.

You can pick up two litter bags at sites across Iowa.

Find a pick-up site close to you.
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Tick Safety & Protection

  • More than a dozen tick species are found in Iowa, but three are most common: Blacklegged (deer tick), dog tick (wood tick), and the lone star tick.  Ticks are active March through November in Iowa.
  • Prevention is best. Protect yourself from ticks by:
  • Wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants tucked into socks
  • Wearing light colored clothes, which makes finding ticks easier.
  • Using repellent containing DEET
  • Adding permethrin repellents on clothing per label
  • Checking for ticks while you're out and once you're home  
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How to Remove Ticks

  • If you find yourself outdoors without tweezers and need to remove a tick:
  • Use fine weight fishing line, thread or floss tied into a simple overhand knot.
  • Gently tighten the knot around the head of the tick.
  • Slowly pull the ends of the line to tighten the knot and pull out the tick.
  • Always check your body and hair after spending time outdoors and remove ticks as soon as possible.
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