Minnesota Wildflowers


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Minnesota Wildflowers:
A Project for Environmental Justice

Here you'll find photos and information about wildflowers that grow in Minnesota, both native and non-native.

Our mission is to educate Minnesotans on our native plants, raise awareness on threats like invasive species, and inspire people to explore our great state, appreciate its natural heritage, and become involved in preserving it.

Over 700 plant species and more than 5,000 high quality photos are cataloged here, with more added each week, working towards recording all 2100+ plant species in Minnesota.

Using this site

Where to buy native seed and plants

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Sunrise Native Plants - Adding Balance to Your Landscape
  • Morning Sky Greenery - Native Prairie Plants
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land

This site is modeled after a field guide to help you identify something you've found. Flowers are primarily categorized by color, but there is an advanced plant search (see also in the top right corner of every page) where you can key on a variety of plant characteristics. Search results are organized by plant family and genus so similar species are usually grouped together.

Scientific botanical jargon is avoided where possible so amateurs will understand things. As you gain knowledge and experience, you'll learn the proper botanical terms, but this site is intended to serve ordinary people so will stay informal.

J.W. in Richfield writes: “I'm new to this and learning as I go. Your flower site is more useful than any field guide that I have been struggling with.”

That's exactly what this site was meant to be. :)

Wildflower locations

There are many parks and natural areas in the greater Metro area that have a nice assortment of prairie, woodland and wetland wildflowers growing wild, both native and non-native, and many photos at this site were taken at Metro area locations. Others were taken on various public and private lands across the state, including state parks, various Scientific and Natural Areas (SNAs), and Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs).

Notices and disclaimers

This site is owned and operated by Katy Chayka, MN Master Naturalist Volunteer and native plant enthusiast, with collaborator Peter M. Dziuk, noted imaginographer and long time native plant advocate, and contributions from Cindy Hoffmann at USDA/NRCS (more about us). We are seeking additional qualified collaborators—please contact me if you are interested.

There are no guarantees that info here is 100% correct, but we do our best to prevent inaccuracies. If you do find any errors in plant information or identification, please let me know about it.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Creative Commons License: images Images at Minnesota Wildflowers by K. Chayka are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Creative Commons License: text Text at Minnesota Wildflowers by K. Chayka is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Permissions beyond the scope of these licenses may be available at http://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/page/terms-of-use.

Special Credits

Some county distribution map information may be derived from: Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2013. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2013. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].

Some county distribution map information may be derived from: USDA, NRCS. 2012. (The PLANTS Database, 9 February 2012). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.