Saturday, April 5th, 2025
Here come the native wildflowers
By Erin Gardner
Submitted Photo
Ohio is comprised of different geographies - ranging from the prairie west to the boreal north to the Appalachia east to the Ohio River Valley on the south. That range means plentiful plant diversity. About 1,800 species of native plants are found within the state and another 500 or so are nonnative but naturalized. This flower is a pink lady's slipper.
CELINA - In traditional April fashion, rain showers are bringing Ohio native wildflowers.
Ohio's woodlands provide a large, colorful setting for an array of native wildflowers that can be seen now through mid-May, according to an Ohio Department of Natural Resources news release.
"Come March … a rapid increase in temperatures of forest soils stimulates wildflowers to commence growth," reads ODNR's spring wildflowers field guide. "As leaf-out of the forest tree canopy has not yet begun, at least 50% of available sunlight penetrates to the forest floor, providing the fodder for photosynthesis."
By early to mid-May, expansion of leaves will have reduced sunlight to 10-15% of levels available in March and April.
"Their (wildflowers) blooming coincides with the emergence of early insect pollinators, which are necessary for most spring wildflowers' life cycles," the field guide states.
The best and most diverse wildflowers are found in relatively undisturbed locations away from urban areas. State nature preserves, parks and forests are excellent places to find a variety of wildflowers in bloom.
Submitted Photo
Pictured is a sharp-lobed hepatica.
Some villages have dedicated plots of land as wildflower sanctuaries, attracting bees, butterflies and birds.
Don Harrod, the village administrator of Minster, said six years ago the village established a plot of land in front of its solar field and developed it into a wildflower, bee and butterfly habitat.
Assisted by ag experts, village officials planted perennial wildflower seeds near the solar and well fields. Every September, village crews mow down the flowers, which then spring back to life around April-May.
Lori Osterloh-Hagaman, or Lori the Herbchick, said wildflowers, especially those native to Ohio, are pretty to look at and attract pollinators into the area. Some are even edible and boast medicinal properties.
"Wildflowers, in the spring especially, are the first food for bees, and without bees, we don't have pollination, not just for our wildflowers, but all crops," she said. "A lot of wildflowers around here are edible, and then there's a lot of what people consider to be weeds that are actually very beneficial wildflowers that are also edible … and medicinal."
Submitted Photo
Pictured is a twinleaf flower.
For example, goldenseal, a perennial herb from the buttercup family, is found commonly throughout the state. It has rounded, wrinkled leaves with cordate bases that further expand after flowering, according to ODNR's spring wildflower field guide.
Native bees and flower flies are primary pollinators and birds and small mammals harvest the fruit and disperse seeds.
Goldenseal, or yellow root, is a popular medicinal plant as extracting the alkaloid hydrastine from the plant is used to staunch bleeding.
Bloodroot, a plant from the poppy family, has large showy flowers with white petals and is found statewide.
"The common name is derived from the acrid orange-red juices within the roots," the field guide reads. "This compound has been used as a dye. Many medicinal properties have been attributed to bloodroot, including treatments for asthma, fevers, lung conditions and laryngitis. An alkaloid from the plant, sanguinarine, is used commercially in mouthwash and toothpaste. It helps combat plaque."
Purple dead head nettles, a mint relative, are 100% edible, high in iron and can be used topically as a soothing agent, Osterloh-Hagaman pointed out during a 2023 presentation on foraging for edible plants.
A creeping Charlie plant, also edible, has "been noted in some herbals to be used as a lymphatic drainage remedy," she had said.
Submitted Photo
Pictured is a snow trillium flower.
Other plants, such as the dandelion, have lesser-known benefits, such as using the leaves as a spinach replacement.
Wild strawberry plants, which are part of the rose family that has 84 native Ohio species, are found in about every county, the field guide states.
The low-growing perennial grows in the dry soil of open woods, roadbanks, meadows, fields and prairies. The well-known fruit is coveted by animals and humans alike. The annual average per-person consumption of strawberries in the U.S. is nearly 8 pounds, according to the field guide.
Other flowers are visually striking.
The common blue violet is a perennial with purple flowers that is found statewide.
"This is the violet of yards, regularly mowed meadows and other unnatural habitats, although common blue violets also occur in natural sites, especially woodlands," the field guide states. "It, along with other violet species, play host to caterpillars of various fritillary butterflies."
The spring-beauty is a small perennial with whitish-pinkish flowers. Found statewide, its flowers are a key part of early spring source of nectar for pollinating insects.
Submitted Photo
Pictured is a harbinger-of-spring flower.
The harbinger-of-spring is from the parsley family and is often only an inch or two tall. The plant, which blooms from late February to mid-April, has parsley-like leaves that arise from the stem with tiny white flowers.
"A true spring ephemeral, harbinger-of-spring withers completely soon after flowering," the field guide reads. "Plants can be easy to overlook due to their size. Another common name is salt-and-pepper because of the contrast between white petals and dark anthers. Tiny native bees and flies are principal pollinators."
Green thumbs eager to learn more about wildflowers can access weekly Ohio spring wildflower bloom reports on ODNR's website and social media every Friday through mid-May.
The reports are organized by region and offer an extensive list of which wildflowers are blooming and the best places to see them. Additionally, the reports include wildflower and state nature preserve spotlights
Though the southern and northern regions of the state may be several weeks apart in bloom time, by mid-April, dozens of wildflower species like spring beauty, bloodroot, squirrel-corn, Virginia bluebells and trout lily may be just hitting peak bloom, according to ODNR's news release.
Others, such as Jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geranium, and Solomon's plume, won't arrive until early May.
Submitted Photo
Pictured is the giant blue cohost.
