Woodland Wildflower

Iowa woodlands are a marvelous place to visit. Go for a walk in the woods and enjoy Mother Nature's show. 

Looking for wildflowers can be a fun, unique spring activity for kids. It's a great way to spend time outdoors as a family.

Wildflowers can be found by simply walking, or biking along trails, on a hike through a local or Iowa state park or by just driving slowly along a county road. It's illegal to pick wildflowers in public conservation areas, so hunt only with your camera or sketch your finds.

The first flowers of early spring are commonly called ephemerals, which means “short-lived”. These blossoms of spring wildflowers begin to fall soon after they bloom.

Iowa’s woodlands come to life with patches of color in early spring as native wildflowers start to bloom. Wildflowers are special because they only bloom for a very short period of time.

Look for these common Iowa spring wildflowers.

• Bloodroot
• Common blue violet
• Dutchman’s breeches
• Jack-in-the-pulpit
• Rue anemone
• Shooting star
• Snow trillium
• Speckled Phlox (wild sweet William)
• Spring beauty
• Virginia bluebells
• White trout lily
• Wild columbine
• Wild geranium

A nature journal is great for sketching the wildflowers you see. It’s also a great way to record your outdoor adventures anytime you are out exploring - your backyard, a park or preserve. Look, listen, feel and have fun in nature!

Supplies

• Cardboard
• Combination of printer, notebook, scrapbooking, construction, colored and repurposed brown paper
• Scissors
• Paper punch
• Yarn, string, or cordage
• Decorations

Directions

1. Use cardboard and a combination of printer, notebook, scrapbooking, construction, colored and repurposed brown paper.
2. Cut the paper slightly smaller than the cardboard. Some of the papers may have shapes cut out, edges trimmed with pinking shears, flaps or pockets. (The cardboard for the cover may be in two pieces or in one larger piece folded in half).
3. Use a paper punch to make holes in the papers and the cardboard that will line up.
4. Select a stack of mixed papers and bind them together using yarn, string, cordage or similar. Be careful not to tie them too tightly, or it may be hard to turn the pages. You may want to add a stick along the front edge before you tie it all together. This adds strength and goes along with the nature theme
5. Personalize your journal with drawings, words, cut outs, stickers, etc.

The Iowa DNR, county conservation boards and city park and recreation departments often offer wildflower hikes. Check their webpages for a calendar of events.

DNR Event Calendar

• Native Woodland Flowers for the Home Garden (ISU Extension)
• Iowa’s Spring Wildflowers (Iowa Association of Naturalists)
• Iowa’s Ephemeral Wildflowers (Reiman Gardens)
• Wildflowers of the United States Database
• Iowa Native Plant Society
• Native Plants Database (Iowa Living Roadway Trust Fund)
• Create Your Own Nature Journal
• Leave Wildlife Babies in the Wild

• Wildflowers of Iowa Woodlands by Sylvan Runkel and Alvin Bull
• Iowa Trees & Wildflowers: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Plants by James Kavanagh
• Wildflowers of the Midwest: Your Way to Easily Identify Wildflowers by Stan Tekiela
• A Peterson Field Guide To Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-central North America by Margaret McKenny and Roger Tory Peterson
• Wildflowers of the Midwest: A Field Guide to Over 600 Wildflowers in the Region by Don Kurz
• Wildflowers of Southeastern Iowa -Volume 1 Spring by Don Weiss

If you see wildlife babies on their own, let them be - their parents know best, and most wildlife leave nests or dens well in advance of being able to care for themselves. Although broods or litters may become widely scattered during this fledgling period, they still remain under the direct care and feeding of their parents.

Not only is taking in wildlife illegal, it can often doom the creature you're trying to save. Learn more about what you can do to support wildlife babies.