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
5/11/2026Northern Iowa

The woodlands are as colorful as it gets in Allamakee County and Clay County. Plum and serviceberry are hard to miss.

 

Find violets, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, red columbine, blue phlox, star-flowered lily of the valley, bristly buttercup, drooping trillium, and large-flowered bellwort in Emmet County.
 

5/11/2026Central Iowa

Bedstraw, Jacob's ladder and Jack-in-the-pulpit are blooming at the Buena Vista County Conservation Park.

 

Look for columbine, bluebells, trout lilies, buttercups, and wild lettuce in Sac County.

 

Jacob's ladder, bellwort, buttercup, cutleaf toothwort, phlox, Mayapples, and wild geranium are blooming in Butler County, Hardin County, Marshall County, and Tama County. The season is nearing its end.

 

Virginia waterleaf, Jack-in-the-pulpit, hoary puccoon, and wild geranium are blooming in Guthrie County.

 

Find Alum root, Seneca snakeroot, false Solomon's seal, and two-flowered Cynthia in Jackson County.

5/11/2026Southern IowaLeaves are up for Jack-in-the-Pulpit, green dragon, and cat mint in Appanoose County. Sweet cicely, aniseroot, mayapple, Solomon's seal, trout lily, pale beardtongue, and delphinium are flowering. 
5/5/206Western IowaTrout lily (in some places), Jacob’s ladder, woodland phlox, bellwort, bluebells, and wild ginger are blooming at Martin’s Access in Cherokee County. Look for buds on Virginia waterleaf. Woodland phlox and violets are blooming at Redtail Ridge.

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!

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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.

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Be Happy Amongst the Trees this Summer

It’s Mental Health Awareness Month. As Spring turns to summer, take time to focus on yourself and improve your mental health by getting active outdoors amongst the trees. Research shows that interactions with nature have an impact on cognitive functioning, emotional well-being, and other aspects of mental health.

Share the benefits that trees provide by planting a tree this year. You can make a difference in your community with this simple step in your yard, local park, school, or city.

Iowa community governmental entities, volunteer organizations, and service organizations involved with local urban and community forest services can apply for a reimbursable 2026 Iowa Tree Planting Grant to buy trees, mulch, tree staking/protection and supplemental watering by contractor or city staff. Grant applications are due by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 22.

For more information on trees' connection to mental health, visit www.vibrantcitieslab.com.

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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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