5 Springtime Wisconsin Wildflowers

Tom Giffey |

1. WOOD VIOLET

Image: Joshua Mayer | CC2
Image: Joshua Mayer | CC2

Wisconsin schoolchildren chose the wood violet as the state flower in 1909. You’ll see the violet-to-indigo petals in woods and meadows in springtime.

2. TRAILING ARBUTUS

Image: Fritz Flohr Reynolds | CC3
Image: Fritz Flohr Reynolds | CC3

Sometimes called the mayflower, these half-inch pink or white blossoms can be found blooming between March and May everywhere from boggy to sandy soils.

3. WHITE WATER LILY

Image: Cephas | CC3
Image: Cephas | CC3

Between July and September, you’ll find these large, white blooms floating on the surface of waters throughout Wisconsin.

4. WILD ROSE

Image: Frank Mayfield | CC2
Image: Frank Mayfield | CC2

The wild roses found in Wisconsin have white or pink blooms, which you’ll see in June and July in areas of low or moderate moisture including woods, hills, and prairies.

5. LADY’S SLIPPER

Image: Benjamin Smith | CC2
Image: Benjamin Smith | CC2

The showy (or queen) lady’s slipper (state flower of Minnesota) has a large bloom with three white upper petals and one pink lower petal. This orchid blooms in wet areas in June and July.