| 4/29/2024 |
Northern Iowa |
Virginia bluebells are in full bloom in the Cedar Valley. Katoski Greenbelt has a nice display of bluebells on the south side of Ridgeway. George Wyth State Park gets the prize for the most beautiful bluebells this year. Also blooming in George Wyth are Dutchman’s breeches, buttercups, spring beauty, garlic mustard, yellow wintercress, henbit deadnettle, Solomon’s seal, white phlox, blue phlox, creeping Charlie, white trout lily, purple and yellow violets and Virginia waterleaf foliage.
Violets, buttercup and bluebells are at peak throughout Buchanan County. Find false rue anemone, wood anemone, Dutchman’s breeches, chervil, yellow violet, wild ginger, phlox and Jacob’s ladder. Scattered are white trout lily, red toadshade, yellow bellwort, sessile bellwort, wild cherry, wild geranium and hoary puccoon. Non-natives blooming are dandelion, creeping Charlie, purple deadnettle, garlic mustard, yellow cress and chickweed. Find foliage of waterleaf, shooting star, ramps, blue cohash, columbine and mayapple.
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| 4/29/2024 |
Central Iowa |
Snow trillium, spring beauties, bloodroot, Dutchman breeches, common blue violet, white trout lilies, ramps, blue phlox, false rue anemone, bristly buttercup, downy yellow violet and field penny-cress are blooming at Hagge and Grant Parks in Sac County.
Jacob's Ladder, bellwort and geraniums are blooming along the Hwy 30 corridor. Hepatica, Spring beauties, and anemone are all still blooming. Bluebells are blooming strong. Find Dutchman's breeches, sweet William and bloodroot.
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| 4/30/2024 |
Southern Iowa |
Common blue violet, Jack-in-the-pulpit, rue anemone, blue phlox, spring beauty, Virginia bluebells, wild geranium, prairie trillium, mayapples, wild ginger, Virginia waterleaf, false rue anemone, Jacob’s ladder, largeflower bellwort, spring blue-eyed Mary and Canadian lousewort are blooming in Jefferson County.
New blooms in Lucas County are Mayapples, dwarf larkspur, marsh marigold in low woodlands, wild ginger and Jack-in-the-pulpit. Wild leeks (ramps) don’t show a flower, but growth this spring has been exceptional. Tailing off are Dutchman’s breeches, Jacob’s ladder and spring beauty.
Spring beauty, toothwort, Dutchman’s breeches, rue anemone, violets, woodland phlox, wild ginger, trout lily, buttercup, gooseberry, wild geranium, may apples, wild strawberry and bellwort are blooming in Appanoose County. Some wild licorice is starting to bloom. Find leaves of blood root, Jack-in-the-pulpit, green dragon, Solomon’s seal, Virginia waterleaf, wild licorice, raspberry and cat mint.
There is something new every week at Starr’s Cave in Burlington. Sweet cicely can easily be found; look for small, bunched, white blooms on a stem full of pointed leaves. Appendaged waterleaf, also known as great waterleaf, has a wonderful purple bloom and leaves that are about 6 inches long and across. Cleavers are starting to bloom; look for the tiny, white, singular blooms hidden among the widely spaced whorls of 6 to 8 leaves scattered periodically along the stem. Jack-in-the-pulpit is one of the more unusual blooms to look for this week. Philadelphia fleabane is starting to show its blooms. A small daisy-looking flower starts out pink, but becomes white as the flower matures. Wild strawberry is also appearing.
Downey yellow violet, Common blue violet and its almost all white variety being the most common are still blooming. Do not mistake yellow wood sorrel, also in bloom now, for a violet. Woodland blue phlox are more plentiful. Field trilliums are easy to find with its blood-colored bloom. Virginia bluebells are waning. More large-flowered bellwort are blooming. False rue anemone are abundant. Find the single red bloom of wild ginger under its large, 6-inch, heart-shaped leaves. Bishop’s Cap, rare in SE Iowa, is in full bloom. Look for its two opposite leaves and small, lacy, white flowers along the stem.
In more open areas mall-flowered buttercup and swamp buttercup with its shiny yellow leaves in low, moist ground are in full bloom. The invasive and aggressive garlic mustard is blooming everywhere Garlic mustard has more widely spaced leaves and is not as bushy as sweet cicely. Yellow rocket is taller and fuller. Purple dead nettle (called ‘dead’ because it does not sting when touched because it’s not really a nettle either) is blooming. The Star of Bethlehem, an occasional non-native escapee from gardens, is in full bloom.
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