Posted in Flowers, Hiking

Spring Wildflowers 2015

This is a collection of some of my favorite wildflower photos taken in April and May of this year. If you’d like to see a larger version of any flower, just click on its photo.

Pink lady’s slipper (Cypripedium acaule)


The above photo was taken at the Wahkeena Nature Preserve. The staff there make it really easy to locate their most picturesque wildflowers. We were greeted by the in-house naturalist, Tom Shisler. He actually gave us a map of the grounds with the locations of the orchids identified by pink marks on the map. And if that’s not enough, the staff puts up little flags on the trail near the flower to help hikers locate them. On top of all that the staff notifies the public as to what wildflowers are currently in blossom at their blog.

Showy orchid (Galearis spectabilis)
Photographed May 2nd at Tar Hollow State Park
Azure Bluet (Houstonia caerulea)
Photographed May 2nd at Tar Hollow State Park
Bashful daisy
Photographed May 23rd at the Edge of Appalachia
Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchum angustifolium)
Photographed May 24th at Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve
Deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum)
Photographed May 23rd at the Edge of Appalachia
Dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata)
Photographed May 2nd at Tar Hollow State Park
Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Photographed May 9th at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Fire Pink (Silene virginica)
Photographed May 2nd at Tar Hollow State Park
Fourleaf milkweed (Asclepias quadrifolia)
Photographed May 23rd at the Edge of Appalachia

The milkweed below was a new one for us. It has green petals and purple stamen that remind me of jacks.

Spider Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)
Photographed May 25th at the Chaparral State Nature Preserve
Guyandotte Beauty (Synandra hispidula)
Photographed May 24th at Shoemaker State Nature Preserve
Spring Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne);
also known as Dwarf larkspur
Photographed April 26th at Caesar Creek State Park
Largeleaf waterleaf (Hydrophyllum macrophyllum)
Photographed May 23rd at the Edge of Appalachia
Appendaged Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum appendiculatum)
Photographed May 23rd at the Edge of Appalachia
Large-flowered Trillium (Tirllium grandiflorum)
Photographed May 12th at Howard Collier State Nature Preserve
Nodding trillium (Trillium flexipes)
Photographed May 9th at Cuyahoga Valley National Park

To me the photo below look like buds emerging from lips. 😀 It turns out this plant is one of Ohio’s native honeysuckle plants.

Limber Honeysuckle (Lonicera dioica)
Photographed May 9th at Deep Cut Quarry Park
Yellow Star Grass (Hypoxis hirsuta)
Photographed May 25th at the Chaparral State Nature Preserve
Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)
Photographed May 10th at Brecksville Reservation

The plant below, American columbo, has odd looking flowers, but the plant is even more striking. The flower stalk (panicle) can grow up to 7 feet tall with up to 100 flowers emerging from it. The plant may grow for thirty years prior to flowering, after which it dies.

American columbo (Frasera caroliniensis)
Photographed May 24th at Shoemaker State Nature Preserve

Below is a photo of the flower panicle for one specimen of American columbo.

American columbo panicle
Seneca snakeroot (Polygala senega)
Photographed May 24th at Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve
Solomon’s seal
Photographed May 10th at Brecksville Reservation
White baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)
Photographed May 12th at Howard Collier State Nature Preserve
Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Photographed May 24th at Shoemaker State Nature Preserve
Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), photographed May 9th in Deep Cut Quarry Metropark (Summit County, Ohio).

As summer draws near, the spring wildflower season is rapidly ending. By mid-July summer wildflowers will be in peak bloom. Unlike spring wildflowers which tend to be found in forest settings, summer flowers are found in prairies, fens, and fields. Now that’s something to look forward to.




Additional information

More on Wildflowers

© Deborah Platt, Robert Platt and TrekOhio.com 2012 to 2021


6 thoughts on “Spring Wildflowers 2015

  1. I am in Trumbull County. Do you know of any Lady’s Slippers near me? If so, where and when should are the best times to visit? Thanks for your help.

    1. Becky, I’m afraid I haven’t been in that part of the state while spring wildflowers are blooming. I did check the dates when I have photographed it. I have photos of pink lady’s slippers that I took during the first week of May. Around that time I saw yellow lady’s slippers in bud, but they hadn’t fully blossomed yet. And I have photos from the first week of June of showy lady’s slipper.

      Resources that you might want to check:

Leave a Reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Complete the following sentence by typing either real or spam:
My comment is ...