Governor Whitmer has designated April as Native Plant Month, making this a particularly good time to enjoy and explore Michigan’s spring wildflowers.
A mild winter left much of Michigan cloaked in browns and grays, so the emergence of native wildflowers brings welcome bursts of color in woodlands throughout the state. Traveling from southern Michigan to the tip of the Keweenaw, visitors can see a wide variety of spring wildflowers from April through May.
Native wildflowers appear in parks, public forests, nature centers and along trails throughout the state as spring weather moves northward. Starting with the first blooms of the Dutchman's breeches, skunk cabbage and yellow trout lily, almost every week will bring new sights and smells to the wilds of the Great Lakes state. Look for trilliums, bloodroot, wild ginger, lady slippers and woodland phlox in coming weeks.
Michigan's wildflower habitats range from prairies to wetlands and sand dunes to deep hardwood forests. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources posts picture guides for wildflowers keyed to some visitor centers, including P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, Hartwick Pines State Park and a more general one.
Nonprofit nature centers and conservancies often provide information about wildflowers on their lands, like the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy’s compilations parts one and two here. Trail maps and directions are available from land managing agencies and in compilations like this.
Guidebooks and online sources help identify wildflowers and where these plants grow. Local libraries may have plant identification books to check out and take along on a hike.
Help ensure the future of wildflowers in Michigan by simply looking at and photographing them. The U.S. Forest Service ”Wildflower Ethics and Native Plants” explains the importance of protecting native plants for their ecological value and for future generations to enjoy.