Minnesota Wildflowers:
A Project for Justice

Here you'll find photos and information about wildflowers that grow in Minnesota, both native and non-native. See what's blooming around the Twin Cities.

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

Over 350 plant species are cataloged here with more added each week. Over 2000 photos have been posted so far and there are lots more to come.

Using this site

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 other plant characteristics, or sort the plant lists differently.

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 in the greater Metro area that have a nice assortment of prairie, woodland and wetland wildflowers growing wild, both native and non-native.

The plants found growing in selected Regional Parks are now being cataloged as a service to Ramsey County Parks & Recreation. This volunteer project will take a number of years to complete; check back now and then to see what's been found growing in a park near you:

• Long Lake Regional Park: over 320 plant species identified to date
• Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park: over 230 species identified to date (mostly at Sucker Lake)
• Rice Creek Trail Corridor: over 200 species identified to date
• Battle Creek Regional Park: nearly 200 species identified to date
• Bald Eagle/Otter Lake Regional Park

Try the advanced search to refine a park's plant list to your liking.

Other favorite locations are Wild River State Park, Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park (especially Dunn Island), and parks within the Anoka Sand Plain, around Blaine. Many photos at this site were taken at these and the Ramsey County locations. Others were taken on various public and private lands across the state.

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. 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!