Spring flowers of Minnesota

Many and varied are the wildflowers of Minnesota. For a fun outdoor activity, pick up a wildflower field guide and head out into the woods, meadows, and roadsides to identify the flowers you see. Whether you come across showy orchids like the lady's slippers below, or happen upon a perfect clump of violets, hepaticas, or blood roots, you will enjoy seeing what Spring has to offer to the eyes and nose. And don't forget to look up and enjoy the flowering trees and shrubs while you are out. Many of them rival the wildflowers in beauty and scent. Get out and enjoy while learning to identify your State's wildflowers!

The Showy Lady's Slipper is Minnesota's State flower. The blooms look like a puffy ballerina slipper.

The Yellow Lady's Slipper is not as eye-catching as the Showy, but is beautiful in its own right. This one had a spider in its cup, which does not show up in this small picture.

Wild Violets are some of the earliest spring flowers and come in many different colors.

In Spring, Marsh marigolds cover low-lying damp areas and ditches with a carpet of gold.

The Showy Orchis is a small orchid with a sweet smell.

There are few Spring scents that can top the smell of wild plums in
bloom. Not only are the flowers beautiful and dainty, but they have a
spicy sweet scent that is a delight to smell.

There are wildflowers for every season of the year, save winter. The flowers bloom at different times so each time you get out you may see different flowers blooming than you saw before. In another post I'll put up some of the summer flowers that you may see if you take the time to get out and enjoy.