I set out to learn the names of the wildflowers that grow here in Wisconsin. Here are photos and names of these hardy plants that bring color, beauty, and nectar to our woodlands and prairies.
Here you will find photos of flowers that grew without anyone planting them; this includes native species, along with non-native plants that were brought here both intentionally and unintentionally, and established themselves, returning year after year on their own. I am posting pictures as I take them, in the month I take them. Check back, as I am continually adding new photos. Some plants bloom over the course of many months, so the flowers pictured may be found in months other than just the months noted below. These photos are of flowers in forests, prairies, roadsides and other untended areas; I am not including photos of flowers from tended or managed wildflower areas; I am only including flowers that I know grew without being planted or seeded by people. Please note that the photos were taken where I hike in southeast Wisconsin near the border between Waukesha and Washington Counties, there are wildflowers here that don't exist elsewhere in Wisconsin, and there are wildflowers in other parts of Wisconsin that don't grow here. If I have misidentified anything, you can let me know at jason@argobuilder.com
April
April , Native Wisconsin Wildflower Photos
Wood Violets
The State Flower of Wisconsin, the Wood Violet is a native woodland wildflower in this area. Wood Violets can be variations of purple, blue and white, and they are very pretty and delicate. It is a small plant, around 6 inches tall. Near me, Wood Violets are some of the first flowers to emerge in April and early May.
White Wood Violet
Blood Root
This is a striking bright white little flower, even more so due to it being one of the very earliest to bloom here in Wisconsin. These hardy little plants are native to this area. They emerge in Mid to late April, wrapped in their one leaf, and then the flower blooms out of the wrapped leaf as the plant grows. It is a very pretty little flower, and a welcome sight after a long winter. They grow from rhizomes in the ground, and the rhizomes have poisonous red/orange sap, giving the plant its name. As the years go by, the rhizome spreads the the flowers grow in clusters up from the rhizomes. These do not bloom long, this year the petals fell from the flowers after blooming for about 1 week.
A beautiful little Blood Root emerges and blooms in Wisconsin, April 20, 2020.
A cluster of four Blood Root flowers bloom near a fallen oak; April 20 , 2020.
May
May , Native Wisconsin Wildflower Photos
Wood Anemone
These are delicate little early Spring wildflowers that bloom in shady forests before the big trees all leaf out. The first photo below was taken May 4th as the flowers were just starting to bloom, at that stage the Wood Anemone has a pretty drooping white circular flower, which then opens up over a couple days to look like the second photo. This is a local native wildflower, and is closely related to a similar European Wood Anemone. They spread and form nice Wood Anemone patches on the forest floor in May.
Wood Anemone with a dropping stem and pretty white flower that has yet to fully bloom. Over the coming days the stem will straighten out and the flower will open.
Wood Anemone blooming in Wisconsin, May 11.
Spring Beauty
I found his delicate white or pink flower in a hardwood forest near home, It bloomed after Bloodroot blooms were done. It bloomed after Wood Anemones started their blooming, but as I see these Spring Beauties, I still see Wood Anemones, Hepatica, Buttercups and Wood Violets in bloom in the forest. Trilliums are just starting to bloom. Spring Beauty is native this area, is about 6-8" tall and grows in large flower patches on the spring forest floor. There is one central stem, and from it extend many smaller stems at the end of which are the little flowers.
Spring Beauty blooming in mid May in a Wisconsin hardwood forest.
In this photo one can see the many individual shoots extending from the central stem (I am not a botanist so I am sure there are specific names for these parts of the plant...) The Spring Beauty is a beauty indeed!
Hepatica
Hepatica is a native early spring blooming flower about 6 inches tall, with a hairy stem. It is a very pretty little white, blue or purple flower and another cheery early season flower that lets us know that warmer days are coming!
A wonderful Hepatica blooming in the forest in mid May. The fuzzy hairy stem can be seen in the background.
Trillium
A lovely spring woodland flower with three bright white petals. This is a native woodland wildflower here in Wisconsin. This is one of my favorite flowers. Along with other May flowers such as Mayapple and Jack In The Pulpit, it’s bloom is relatively short lived versus some flowers which I seem to be able to find blooming from late spring to fall.
Trillium
Jack in the Pulpit
What a unique plant! It almost looks tropical to me, but it is certainly a hardy northern plant. There isn't a colorful flower, but the plant emerges and forms a very unique cylindrical "pulpit" over which grows a single-leaf canopy.....and from the pulpit emerges little preaching "Jack"! A cheery sign that spring is here.
Jack in the Pulpit
Jack in the Pulpit
Mayapple
Mayapples are native plants that grow in large colonies. We call them umbrella plants, because they look like umbrellas. These plants have an edible fruit and the Native Americans had medicinal uses for parts of this plant. They are 1.5 - 2ft tall.
Mayapples (I call them Umbrella Plants) grow one pretty flower that hides under their canopy.
Mayapple Flower
Buttercup
A cheery little yellow native wildflower that grows on the forest floor in spring.
Buttercup
Wild Geranium
A woodland wildflower native to Wisconsin, the Wild Geranium can be found alone or often in large flower patches. They are around a 1-2 feet tall with a pink/purple flower.
Wild Geranium
Wild Geranium patch in a little clearing in the Oak and Hickory forest.
Shooting Star
This delicate flower may be found with white or light purple petals. A circle of downward facing flowers, each on their own curved stem, radiate out from the very top of a single central tall stem. The leaves are all in a circle at the base of the stem. It is a unique and delicate flower. It is a native woodland wildflower in Wisconsin.
Shooting Star in a Wisconsin hardwood forest in late May.
Here is a photo of the light purple petaled Shooting Star
Photo of the whole Shooting Star plant, showing the long flower stem.
Wild Columbine
Where I live Wild Columbine is less abundant than many of the other wildflowers on this page. It is a striking and delicate flower, and is fun to find. It is a native Wisconsin woodland wildflower.
Wisconsin Wild Columbine
Wild Daisy
A small (under a foot) native wildflower. This one was in a nice little clump of daisies in the woods.
Wild Daisy, Wisconsin May 2019.
Golden Alexander
This is a native wildflower in Wisconsin and grows about 2 feet tall. The flower looks similar to the Wild Parsnip which is toxic to human skin, but the Wild Parsnip is bigger and blooms in mid summer, not May.
Golden Alexander in Wisconsin, May.
Golden Alexander in Wisconsin, May.
Wild Strawberry
Wild Strawberry is native to Wisconsin. This photo is from a small patch of Wild Strawberry plants growing in a hardwood forest. They produce an edible strawberry fruit.
Wild Strawberry, Wisconsin, May
Virginia Bluebell
Pretty blue , native woodland wildflower.
Virginia Bluebell, May , Wisconsin
Lily of the Valley
The lush foliage and dainty little white bell flowers make this a lovely spring flower. I have come across them in large patches on the forest floor. I have not been able to conclude if these are native plants, or imported ornamentals that escaped into the wild. They are amongst the best smelling flowers I have ever found.
May Wisconsin - Non Native Wildflower Photos
Garlic Mustard
Garlic Mustard is a very aggressive plant that edges out other native plants and it also is not eaten by local herbivores; it offers very little known benefit to the ecology of this area at the moment. It produces a cluster of tiny white flowers at the top of the plant, which is about 2ft tall. It smells like garlic when crushed. It grows in larger and larger colonies and spreads rapidly. Garlic Mustard is native to large portions of Europe and Asia, covering a wide range from North, South East to West. It is a biennial, and I think if one kept it from going to seed for two years in a row, you could keep it out of a small managed area, but good luck keeping it out of unmanaged wild areas.
Garlic Mustard
Garlic Mustard spreading over larger and larger areas of a hardwood forest floor.
Periwinkle
This plant formed a dense ground cover and like Garlic Mustard, can take over a forest floor to the point that native plants are edged out. I noticed a small patch of these along the path through the woods. These were about 8" tall, and I would say that they are the "Lesser Periwinkle" variety. This plant blooms in May and June, and has many names; Periwinkle, Myrtle, Creeping Myrtle.... It is native to Europe.
Lesser Periwinkle growing in WI.
Periwinkle
Dame's Rocket
This is a pretty purple flower, and is a non-native, aggressive growing plant that is difficult to control. This plant is from Europe/Asia. They are along the roadsides here and in other places where the ground had been disturbed. They are not prevalent in the forest here. They are a tall flower, maybe 2 or 3 feet tall.
Dame's Rocket
Garden Yellow Rocket
A native of Europe/Asia, this is an aggressive non native plant with clusters of bright yellow flowers. Like the Dame's Rocket, I found these on un-mowed roadsides and other meadow areas, but not in the woods. They are about 2 feet tall.
Garden Yellow Rocket
Dandelion
What a cheery addition to the Spring lawns of Wisconsin. The noble Dandelion. .....Make a wish.
There are some Dandelion-ish flowers that are native to North America, but the one we are all familiar with was brought from Europe. They are one of the most abundant early spring flowers, and are an important food source for bees and other pollinating insects. The name Dandelion comes from the French "Dents de Lion" which means Lion's Teeth. If you do not have a green thumb, then I encourage you to try growing Dandelions, you will have a beautiful garden of them every Spring. I like seeing Dandelions.
There are some Dandelion-ish flowers that are native to North America, but the one we are all familiar with was brought from Europe. They are one of the most abundant early spring flowers, and are an important food source for bees and other pollinating insects. The name Dandelion comes from the French "Dents de Lion" which means Lion's Teeth. If you do not have a green thumb, then I encourage you to try growing Dandelions, you will have a beautiful garden of them every Spring. I like seeing Dandelions.
The very successful Dandelion.
This field of Dandelions has progressed from flower to seed. Soon the seeds will blow away in the wind.
Corn Speedwell
Pretty little blue flower that grows in my lawn. Non native plant.
Corn Speedwell
June
June - Native Wisconsin Wildflower Photos
Hoary Puccoon
Wow, that's quite a name for a flower. This is an orange wildflower native to Wisconsin. The flowers seem to have 5 orange petals and are shaped somewhat like a trumpet horn. They bloom from May to August. I found this one in a meadow area.
Hoary Puccoon
Daisy Flee Bane
A native wildflower that looks like a daisy, with a yellow center and white petals, but the petals are more like needles and there are many petals; some call them rays. This plant is a couple feet tall or taller.
Daisy Flee Bane growing in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Dewberry
Native low growing plant that produces a white five petaled flower and a sweet berry. This one was growing in the forest.
Wisconsin Dewberry Flower
Common Evening Primrose
This is a tall yellow native wildflower that grows is prairies or grassy areas. It is a biennial plant. They say that the flowers open quick enough to see them open, in the evening, so I'll have to check that out. This one is in my backyard.
Common Evening Primrose
Cow Parsnip
This is a big native white wildflower that blooms in starting in late June. I see them in some areas on the side of the road and have also found them in open woods. They get 6 or 7 feet tall, not to be confused with the nasty Giant Hogweed, which looks similar but is 14 feet tall. I've never seen a Giant Hogweed around here.
Cow Parsnip growing on a Wisconsin roadside in June.
Cow Parsnip
June - Non-native Wisconsin Wildflower Photos
Henbit
This is a short little purple flower from Europe, Central Asia, and North Africa that has grown wild across the eastern USA. It grows in lawn and on lawn edges and probably elsewhere also. It is 3-8" tall (I've seen them taller also) and can still flower even in a mowed lawn. It is important and useful as a source of food for bees and other pollinators.
Henbit growing in early June in Wisconsin, seen here in a mowed lawn, growing with grass and also with clover (three leaf clover leaves can be seen).
White Clover
An important food source for bees and other pollinators, and also a favorite of bunnies. This plant is a non-native plant from Europe. It is very good for the soil, in that it has the rare ability to fix nitrogen in its root nodules, just like making natural nitrogen fertilizer. It is a fine lush green to have in your lawn and beloved by bees, bunnies, and kids looking for four-leaf clover.
White Clover growing in a lawn, Wisconsin.
Red Clover
Red Clover is another non-native wildflower that has become important to pollinating insects here in Wisconsin, such as Bumblebees. Red Clover is a bit bigger than white clover and usually has pink flowers. Like White Clover, it has the ability to fix nitrogen in it's roots, making is a healthy plant to have around, in that it naturally fertilizes the ground.
Red Clover growing wild in Wisconsin.
Musk Thistle
Native to Europe and Asia. This is a big boy, must be 6 feet tall. Here is the progression of the flower:
Musk Thistle flower starting to form.
Musk Thistle Flower
These two flowers are on the same plant, the flower on the left has progressed further to a bigger softer stage, while the flower on the right is still bright and spiky.
White Campion
Non native plant from Europe, Asia and North Africa. This one was about 2 feet tall.
White Campion in late June, Wisconsin.
Bird's Foot Trefoil
Non-native yellow flower from Europe, Asia, North Africa. These are pretty little flowers that grow in the lawn like clover. In tall grass I've seen them grow almost 2 feet, but they are usually under a foot tall.
Bird's Foot is a pretty little yellow flower that grows in grassy areas.
A little clump of Bird's Foot Trefoil in a meadow.
Meadow Hawkweed
Another non-native wildflower from Europe. The leaves grow tight against the ground and the yellow flowers bloom in a cluster on top of a single long stem. 1-2 feet tall.
Meadow Hawkweed in the orchard.
Meadow Hawkweed is non-native flower to Wisconsin. I find them growing in grassy areas.
Ox Eye Daisy
Non native Daisy from Europe. Very common to see large fields of these on roadsides in late June and July. They are a couple feet tall.
Ox Eye Daisy
Yellow Sweet Clover
Non Native European / Asian flower. Brought to the USA as a forage plant. These can grow into a pretty big bush-like shape. I'd say 3 or 4 feet tall. They are another common roadside flower
Yellow Sweet Clover
Yellow Sweet Clover
Spotted Dead Nettle
Non native spreading ground cover plant from Europe and western Asia. I found this in a shady part of the forest. The leaves have a white/light patch down the middle.
July - Native Wildflowers
Milkweed
This is a native Wisconsin wildflower that is vital to the reproductive cycle of Monarch butterflies. The large flower is said to be one of the more complicated flower structures in the plant world.
Common Milkweed growing in Wisconsin.
Yarrow
Native summer wildflower that is quite common.
Common Yarrow in bloom
Wild Bergamot
Very unique and pretty purple wildflower whose petals look like little rockets flying out of the flower. The flower looks like a light purple firework explosion. 2-4 ft tall. Native wildflower.
Wild Bergamot in July, Wisconsin
Wild Bergamot
Wild Bergamot grows at the edge of this forest, and just beyond, in the shade of the woods, upon hearing my footsteps, a nice doe looks up from feeding to see who approaches.
Spotted Touch Me Not
I found a large clump of these plants, with unique orange flowers, growing in the forest. It is a native plant and it is not dangerous to touch. This orange wildflower suspends from the stem and is shaped like a funnel with a curved end.
Spotted Touch Me Not.
Orange wildflower growing in the woods in Wisconsin, July 2019.
Spotted Touch Me Not
Large patch of Spotted Touch Me Nots.
Pointed Leaf Tick Trefoil
Delicate small purple pink flowers on a long stem. This is a native plant that I found growing in the forest. If you find one with less pointy leaves and with flowers that grow on little stems that extend a bit further from the main flower stem, then you may have found the very rare Naked Stem Tick Trefoil
Pointed Leaf Tick Trefoil
Not a great photo, but it shows the slender pointy end of the leaves.
Indian Pipe
This is special plant. It is not a mushroom, it is a plant without chlorophyll. It is a native plant that also goes by the name Ghost Plant. It is an all white plant that grows from the forest floor in clusters, and each stalk bends over to form what looks like a pipe stuck into the ground.
Indian Pipe Plant, also known as a Ghost Plant. Small white plant that grows on the forest floor, and is all-white due to the absence of chlorophyll. Photo taken in late July, southeast Wisconsin.
Purple Milkweed
This is an endangered native wildflower in Wisconsin. It has a brighter flower than Common Milkweed, and the flower is more visible at the end of the stalks vs a Common Milkweed whose flowers seem to be below the leaves in many cases. The leaves also seem more narrow and pointy than a Common Milkweed's leaves.
Purple Milkweed wildflower
Purple Milkweed. Southeast Wisconsin, July 2019.
Black Eyed Susan
Native wildflower to Wisconsin. Yellow flower with dark brown/black center. This one was growing in a small opening in the forest, but I'd think this would be found in open prairies as well.
Black Eyed Susan
Black Eyed Susan
Pickerelweed
Native to Wisconsin water plant with a long purple flower. Large leaves that extend up out of the water (rather than laying flat on the water like a lilly pad)
The Pickerelweed is the tall purple flower growing from the water. It is growing amongst lillypads and there is an American White Water Lilly flower in the background.
American White Water Lilly
Beautiful large white flower with a yellow center, that grows on the surface of the water. This is the large white lilly pad flower and it is native to Wisconsin.
American White Water Lilly
July - Non Native Wildflowers
Chicory
This plant is from the Mediterranean region but has spread widely, including across North America. Used over history as a coffee substitute, especially in rough times. It's cheery blue flowers are common site along roadsides here in Wisconsin. We used to call it Cornflower, and I think that is still a common nickname for this plant.
Patch of blue Chicory growing on Wisconsin roadside.
Orange Day Lily
This is a large pretty flower from Asia, that has now naturalized itself in Wisconsin. Like many summer flowers, this is often and easily spotted on the roadside. Each flower blooms for one day.
Wild Orange Day Lily blooming mid June in Wisconsin.
Typical roadside patch of Orange Day Lilies, mixed in with tall grasses.
Queen Anne's Lace
A European plant also known as Wild Carrot. Large white lace-like flower with a dark red tiny center. Folk tales have it that the dark red tiny center is from a drop of blood from when Queen Anne pricked her finger when making the lace. This plant is a couple feet tall, but can grow taller when competing with nearby tall plants. It can really take over an area, as it has many seeds which seem to be quite succesful in germinating. I did not want too much Queen Anne's Lace in my wildflower garden so I pulled it out. IT is a biennial so if you pull it out for two years, before any seeds fall, you should have it beat. It's a common and pretty flower.
Queen Anne's Lace
Canadian Thistle
This is one impressive plant. It is from Europe/Asia, so I don't know why it's called Canadian. It has proven to be my ultimate challenge to manually remove this thistle from my wildflower garden. It has deep tap roots, and even a small section of root left in the ground can sprout a new plant. A patch of these plants produces thousands of little floating thistle seeds to reproduce the following year. Very prickly to grab. After a rainfall when the ground is wet, they can be pulled straight out of the ground; if you want to eradicate them without chemicals, which is what I am doing, good luck! It can grow over 5 feet tall when competing with tall plants such as Golden Rod.
Canadian Thistle
Sow Thistle
This non native plant resembles a tall dandelion. From Europe/Asia. It can get quite tall, around 5 feet.
Sow Thistle
Burdock
Non native plant, from Europe and Asia, this is the plant that has the round seeds that seem to have velcro on them, that we calls burs. This is a large broad, tall plant with huge leaves. 4-5 ft tall.
Burdock flower
St. John's Wort
Introduced to North America from Europe. These were a couple feet tall, with many pretty yellow blooms.
St. John's Wort
Spotted Knapweed
Non-native aggressive wildflower from Eurasia. It looks somewhat like a Canadian Thistle, but without the prickly stem and flowers.
Spotted Knapweed
Spotted Knapweed
Creeping Bellflower
This is a non-native plant, that I thought was very pretty when I saw it growing in the forest. Apparently it is aggressive and will form large flower patches, edging out other plants. The ones I found were fairly solitary, but maybe they just arrived.... This purple forest wildflower produces a tall flower stem with a number of pretty purple flowers that hang from the stem and that look like bells.
Creeping Bellflower
Not a great photo, but it shows the whole Creeping Bellflower plant.
August - Native Wildflowers
Yellow Coneflower
This is a tall yellow native wildflower. I started seeing it at the end of July this year, and took this photo during the first week of August. It is a tall (3') wildflower with yellow petals that grow downwards from the brown conical center.
Prairie Coneflower , native wildflower growing in Wisconsin, August 2019.
Prairie Coneflower growing amongst tall grasses and Milkweed.
Woodland Sunflower
These are 2 to 5 feet tall around here and bloom in July - September. There are a number of similar wild sunflowers, and my best determination is that this is Woodland Sunflower. This is a pretty native yellow flower that grows in large clusters.
Prairie Dock
I have only ever found this one cluster of these. The yellow flowers are on top of a very long stem, with a ring of large leathery leaves at the base of the plant. Most of them were taller than me , about 5-6 feet tall. This plant is native to a fairly small area: Illinois, Indiana, parts of Missouri, and Southern Wisconsin. It has a very deep tap root. I couldn’t identify this plant and am very thankful to Noreen, who helped out and correctly identified it as Prairie Dock, thanks!
Prairie Dock growing in Wisconsin.
The flower of the Prairie Dock plant.
Garden Phlox
5 petals, light purple, pinkish dome of flowers on a plant that's about 3 feet tall. They can grow to 5 or 6 feet tall. Native plant not to be confused with 4 petal Dames Rocket. Similar to Prairie Phlox, which has narrower leaves, amongst other differences.
Garden Phlox
Garden Phlox
August - Non Native Wildflowers
Purple Loosestrife
This is a pretty purple non-native wildflower whose flowers grow in a long purple spike. Not to be confused with Lead Plant. This plant is from Europe/Asia and can apparently become quite invasive/overgrown. Where I live there are not many, though I found these on the edge of a marsh.
Velvetleaf
This is an invasive plant from Asia that is potentially very harmful to corn and soybean crops. It grows in dense clusters, especially in disturbed soil. The photo's below are of Velvetleaf completely covering mounded up piles of topsoil here in Southeast Wisconsin. The plants are 5-7 feet tall, have large leafs, thick stems, relatively small yellow flowers, and seed pods that look like crowns.
Velvetleaf
Velvetleaf
September - Native Wildflowers
Tall Goldenrod
This is a pretty, deep golden flower grows in large clusters. I like it, as it is the early welcoming party announcing that Fall is coming. Tall Goldenrod blooms in early Autumn. The plants in the photos are six feet tall. This is a native wildflower and it is wonderful to watch all the Bees and Bumblebees feeding on the large clusters of flowers.
Tall Goldenrod
Tall Goldenrod growing in Wisconsin.
New England Aster
Beautiful purple early autumn flower. It blooms at the same time at Goldenrod and attracts butterflies like crazy! I have seen these 2 feet tall at the edge of meadows, but in the middle where they compete with other tall plants these are 6-7 feet tall!
New England Aster growing in September in Wisconsin.
Panicled Aster
This is a common white Aster, 2-5 feet tall. Blooms in late summer to fall. Native wildflower.
Panicled Aster
September - Non Native Wildflowers
Hoary Alyssum
This blooms all summer long into Fall. Small white flower clusters. The flowers look like they have eight petals pointing up and eight pointing down, but there are actually just four petals, that are notched deeply to make it look like eight. This flower is from Europe.
Hoary Alyssum
Butter and Eggs (Toadflax)
Native to Europe. This flower blooms all summer, but I just now noticed it in September. About 20 inches tall.
Toadflax (Butter and Eggs flower)
I started this project in May of 2019, and Old Man Winter took up residence in October that year, with all his freezing cold and snow. We had a rapid transition to Winter and a very short Autumn as far as weather is concerned. I was cross country skiing through the woods during the first week of November and ice covered the ponds. As we headed into the deep winter, strong stemmed flowers such as golden rod were still standing standing tall and brown with tufts of their seeds on their heads, but the colorful flowers were gone; replaced by our striking white and grey Winters with their red flashes from Cardinals and Woodpeckers. The next flowers we see outside, will be the hearty, brave and yet so delicate, Crocus, which can bloom through the snow in early spring. These are not native and are also not wild flowers as far as I have been able to see, at least not here where I live. I have only seen them where people have planted crocus bulbs. This is true for my yard also, and I will break my own rule of only including pictures of wild-grown flowers, and include one picture of this crocus, which is maybe my favorite flower, and which I planted, in my yard. The photo below is from April 20, 2018. Enjoy the Winter!
