Native Spring Wildflowers on Display in the Buckeye State

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(Columbus) – With recent record high temperatures, spring arrived a bit early this year. Nature’s spring flourishes adorn its landscape with the recent appearance of early spring wildflowers in southern and central Ohio. Seeing spring blooms, like harbinger-of-spring and spring beauty, means it’s time for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves weekly Wildflower Bloom Report.

“The stunning display of spring wildflowers emerging across the state is a fitting way to bid goodbye to the cold, gray days of winter,” said Chief Jeff Johnson, ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. “ODNR’s weekly Wildflower Bloom reports are a great source for Ohioans to learn more about our native wildflowers and when and where to enjoy their lovely blooms.”

Timing is everything as Ohio’s native wildflowers are triggered to bloom when temperatures gradually warm up in March and April and spring rains arrive. This year, Ohioans may have noticed that spring wildflowers are appearing earlier because of February’s extended warm temperatures.

 
Ohio’s woodlands showcase a large and exquisite array of native wildflowers from March to mid-May. Spring wildflowers take advantage of the sunlight streaming through the forest canopy before new leaves begin to shade the forest floor. Most wooded lands offer some native spring ephemerals, but the best and most diverse wildflower shows are found in relatively undisturbed locations, away from urban areas. State nature preserves, parks, and forests are wonderful places to find a variety of flower species flourishing in protected areas.
 
Botanical staff from the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves update reports each Friday. Organized by region (north, south, and central), each Bloom Report offers a list of what wildflowers are in bloom, what’s blooming next, and the best places to see them. Additionally, the report features a different state nature preserve each week as well as photos, trail videos, and details about unique species.
 
Dozens of wildflower species bloom in spring across the Buckeye State including bloodroot, mayapple, squirrel-corn, trout lily, Virginia bluebells, and wild geranium. Other beautiful species to watch for include Ohio’s trilliums such as our state wildflower, large-flowered trillium, and Ohio’s smallest and earliest trillium, snow trillium. Wildflower enthusiasts can keep track of what they see by using ODNR’s Spring Wildflower Checklist.
 
ODNR encourages Ohioans to keep an eye out for what’s blooming in their area and share images on social media using the hashtag #OhioWildflowers and #ohioheartofitall. Follow @ohiodnr and @ohionaturalareas on Instagram and Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Division of Natural Areas & Preserves on Facebook to learn more about Ohio’s spring wildflower season.