Minnesota Wildflowers and Plants: Prairie, Fall Color

Q: What is the Minnesota state grain?

Wild rice, also called manomin (Zizania aquatica), by statute.

Minnesota’s state flower is the showy lady’s-slipper, its state tree is the red pine and its state grain is wild rice. Wildflowers typically begin to bloom in May in the south and west and spread north, prairies flower through summer, and fall color typically peaks from late September through mid-October.

This guide sticks to what the state, the parks, the forests and the Arboretum say, grouped by habitat, with a month-by-month calendar. We leave out where protected plants grow, and we list what we could not confirm. Bloom times are “typically”: always check the site you plan to visit.

Health warning

Poison Ivy, Wild Parsnip and Wild Plants: Read Before You Touch or Taste

Poison ivy: the Park Service says touching leaves, stems or fruits may cause a rash, blisters and severe itching, usually lasting 1 to 4 weeks, and smoke from burning it may irritate the lungs (NPS, read October 30, 2026).
Wild parsnip: the DNR says sap on skin in sunlight can cause a chemical burn with blisters; wear gloves, long sleeves and long pants (DNR, read October 30, 2026).
Wild plants and mushrooms: do not eat a wild plant or mushroom unless a trained guide confirms it (general guidance, not medical advice).

Not confirmedWhat to do after a bad reaction, and whether a plant you meet is safe to touch or eat. Check with a doctor, a trained guide or poison control before relying on this page. We found no University of Minnesota Extension poison ivy page to read.

This page repeats what the sources it names say. It is general information, not medical advice.

Wildflowers, Trees and Plants You Might See

Where and when come from the source in the last column. Bloom times are “typically”: they shift with weather from year to year, so check with the park, garden or preserve before you go. Information as of October 30, 2026.

State Symbols

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Showy lady’s-slipper (state flower)	The statute names the “pink and white lady slipper,” Cypripedium reginae, as the official state flower. The DNR says it grows in swamps, fens, bogs and damp woods, is one of 43 orchid species in Minnesota and is uncommon. Bloom is late June and early July on one DNR page and early June to mid-July on another. We do not say where it grows.	Look, never pick. The DNR says state law has protected it since 1925 (see Staying Safe and Leaving Plants Be).	Statutes, Chapter 1; DNR: state symbols; DNR: showy lady’s slipper
Red pine (state tree)	The statute names the red pine (Pinus resinosa), “more commonly known as Norway pine,” as the official state tree. The DNR says it has a straight trunk, reddish-brown bark and needles 4 to 6 inches long in pairs, and that some of the tallest in Minnesota are in Itasca State Park, many over 120 feet and more than 300 years old.		Statutes, Chapter 1; DNR: state symbols
Wild rice (state grain)	Wild rice, or manomin (Zizania aquatica), is the state grain by statute. The DNR says it grows in shallow lakes and streams, ripens in late August or early September and has been a staple of the Ojibwe for centuries. Minnesota produces over half of the world’s hand-harvested wild rice.	State park rules bar harvesting wild rice on water entirely inside a state park without the commissioner’s written permission. We did not read other harvest rules.	Statutes, Chapter 1; DNR: state symbols; Minn. R. 6100.0900
Morel (state mushroom)	The morel (Morchella esculenta) is the state mushroom. The DNR says it grows above ground in spring and early summer, in and on the edge of deciduous forests.	State parks allow edible mushrooms for personal, noncommercial use. Never eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has confirmed it (general guidance, not medical advice).	Statutes, Chapter 1; DNR: state symbols; DNR: harvesting plants
Honeycrisp apple (state fruit)	Named the state fruit by statute. The DNR says the University of Minnesota developed it in 1960 and released it in 1991.		Statutes, Chapter 1; DNR: state symbols
Monarch butterfly and milkweed	The monarch is the state butterfly by statute. The DNR says females lay eggs on milkweed plants as they travel north in spring.		Statutes, Chapter 1; DNR: state symbols

Prairie Wildflowers

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Prairie in general	The DNR says prairies were once the largest continuous ecosystem in North America and today are one of the continent’s most endangered habitats, and that the best way to experience one is to visit. The National Park Service says prairie plants are deep-rooted, long-lived and adapted to fire.	You may meet prescribed burns and invasive-plant control on natural areas (DNR).	DNR: Minnesota prairie; NPS: Mississippi River plants; DNR: Scientific and Natural Areas
Buffalo River State Park	The DNR says wildflowers bloom along the Prairie View Trail through spring, summer and fall, painting the prairie in yellow and purple. The park prairie and the adjoining Bluestem Prairie SNA are “judged to be one of the largest and best” of the state’s prairie preserves, with more than 250 species of wildflowers and grasses.	Park rules bar picking.	DNR: Buffalo River State Park
Afton, Whitewater and Wild River State Parks	DNR exhibit text says that in summer you can always find some flower blooming in the Afton prairies, with an interpretive prairie trail. Whitewater has a Prairie Wildflower Garden at its visitor center, and Wild River describes a great diversity of wildflowers across its prairie, restored with volunteers.	Park rules bar picking.	DNR: pollinator plantings
Blanket Flower Prairie SNA	The DNR says this hilly, dry, gravelly prairie sits between prairie and eastern forest. At different times of year you may see pasque flowers, purple prairie clover, dotted blazing star and silky aster, with prairie dropseed, blue grama and porcupine grass. It has no maintained trails.	Natural areas allow no collecting (see Staying Safe).	DNR: connect with wild places
Cottonwood River Prairie SNA	The DNR lists displays of purple coneflowers, lead plant, puccoon and blazing stars, plus a prairie restoration you can compare with a remnant.	Coneflowers are on the state’s no-collecting list (see Staying Safe).	DNR: connect with wild places
Twin Cities prairie and savanna	The National Park Service says the Twin Cities sit on the edge of prairie and eastern broadleaf forest, that the area was once dominated by prairie and savanna, and that careful observers can still spot flowers and grasses hinting at those communities.		NPS: Mississippi River plants

Spring Wildflowers and Forest Floor

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
When bloom starts	The DNR says most Minnesota wildflowers begin to bloom in May, starting in the southern and western part of the state and spreading north across prairies and forest floors. Many state parks schedule wildflower events. The listing showed no events when we read it.	Check the park’s own page or office for bloom times.	DNR: wildflower events
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park	The DNR says visitors can see wildflowers in spring and colors in fall, with over 200 species of wildflowers plus ferns and mushrooms. It tells you to check the park website or office for bloom times each spring.	Stay on the boardwalks and trails in sensitive areas, as the DNR asks.	DNR: Nerstrand Big Woods virtual tour
Spring ephemerals in Twin Cities woods	The National Park Service says woodland plants of the eastern broadleaf forest include early spring ephemeral flowers. It gives no species or dates.		NPS: Mississippi River plants

North Shore Wildflowers

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Early: wood anemone, Canada violet, marsh marigold, bunchberry, bluebead lily	The DNR’s Gooseberry Falls State Park list gives wood anemone May to mid-June, Canada violet May to mid-June, marsh marigold May to July, bunchberry May to July and bluebead lily (Clintonia) May to July.	The DNR says: flowers are protected, do not pick in state parks.	DNR: North Shore wildflowers
Early summer: wild columbine, blue flag, lupine, wild geranium	The same list gives wild columbine June to July, blue flag (wild iris) June to July, lupine June to July and wild geranium in June.		DNR: North Shore wildflowers
Mid to late summer: harebell, fireweed, Joe Pye weed, wild bergamot	Harebell June to August, fireweed July to August, Joe Pye weed July to August and wild bergamot August to September.		DNR: North Shore wildflowers
Late summer and fall: asters, goldenrod, black-eyed Susan	Aster species July to September, goldenrod July to September and black-eyed Susan July to October.		DNR: North Shore wildflowers
Why one park’s list matters	That list is for Gooseberry Falls State Park. We read no matching list for other North Shore parks, so treat the months as a guide for the shore, not a promise anywhere else.	Ask the park.	DNR: North Shore wildflowers

Boundary Waters and Northern Forests

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters	The Forest Service says the 3-million-acre forest is the largest national forest east of the Mississippi River, sits at the southern edge of the boreal forest, and holds the one-million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Its home page also listed post-wildfire closures effective October 1, 2026 and wildfire impacts from a July storm.	Check the forest’s Current Conditions page and alerts before any trip.	Forest Service: Superior National Forest
Wildflower viewing areas	A Forest Service page (published July 2012) names the Kawishiwi Native Garden at the Kawishiwi Ranger District office near Ely (established 2008, over thirty species, blooming late May through early September), the Oberg Mountain Trail (great viewing in early June), and trails at Echo Lake Campground, Stub Lake and Magnetic Rock.	The page is old. Trail and garden status are not confirmed; ask the ranger district.	Forest Service: wildflower viewing areas
Wild blueberries	Minnesota has two native blueberries, lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium) and velvetleaf (V. myrtilloides), mostly in the northeast, on rocky or sandy acidic ground in sun. A DNR magazine says they ripen from mid- to late July through August, and that berry picking is allowed in the Boundary Waters.	Bears eat blueberries too: one DNR author met one in a patch near Ely. Berry picking for personal use is permitted in state parks, Superior National Forest and state forests; many city parks forbid it.	DNR: Bountiful Berries; DNR: Pick a Bucket of Blueberries
Voyageurs National Park	The Park Service says Voyageurs sits where southern boreal forest meets deciduous forest, with over 50 tree and shrub species, over 40 fern and moss species, over 200 grass, sedge and rush species and over 400 wildflower species, from the earliest violets in spring to the last asters in fall. It names white and red pine, spruce, fir, aspen, birch, jack pine and red maple, and blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, hazelnuts and bearberry.	We did not read the park’s rules on picking. Ask a ranger.	NPS: Voyageurs plants
Chippewa National Forest	The forest’s home page invites you to hike and view spring wildflowers. We read no plant list or dates for it.	Check the forest for trail status.	Forest Service: Chippewa National Forest

Trees and Fall Color

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Fall color timing, statewide	The DNR says Minnesota fall colors typically peak from late September through mid-October, starting in the far northwest and north-central parts and working southeast, with peak lasting about a week in each area. The release lists bronze prairie grasses in the southwest, golden tamarack needles up north and deep red maples.	Weather moves it. Use the DNR’s weekly map before you go.	DNR: 2026 fall color release
Fall Color Finder	The DNR says the map is updated every Thursday through the end of October, and a date slider shows typical colors from past years. The page says future dates are historical averages, not a prediction.	Check the map for current reports.	DNR: Fall Color Finder; DNR: 2026 fall color release
What makes a good year	The DNR says weather matters most: warm, moist summer foliage followed by sunny, cool days and cool nights (32 to 45 F) gives the best color. A light frost may help, a hard freeze or early snow can end the show, and severe drought usually dulls color.		DNR: science of fall colors; DNR: fall colors forecast
Boundary Waters and the Gunflint Trail	The Forest Service says birch, aspen and tamarack turn golden alongside deep green conifers if you paddle the Boundary Waters or drive the Gunflint Trail.	Check the forest’s alerts for closures.	Forest Service: fall colors; Superior National Forest
Witchhazel in late fall	The Arboretum says American witchhazel can flower from October through December in Minnesota, sometimes while leaves are still on or after they fall.	Check the Arboretum’s Garden Highlights page.	Arboretum: Garden Highlights
Poison ivy in fall	The Park Service says poison ivy leaves turn red in fall and white berries appear. Pretty is not safe.	See Poison Ivy and Wild Parsnip above.	NPS: poison ivy

Poison Ivy and Wild Parsnip

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
Poison ivy	The Park Service says leaves come in threes, and the plant can be a ground cover, a shrub or a hairy vine, often at forest edges and along paths. Touching leaves, stems or fruits may cause a rash, blisters and severe itching, usually lasting 1 to 4 weeks. Virginia creeper has five leaves; jack-in-the-pulpit has three but red berries.	Do not burn it: smoke may irritate the lungs.	NPS: poison ivy
Wild parsnip	The DNR says this non-native plant grows on roadsides, pastures and disturbed ground, blooms with flat yellow clusters from June to late summer and is most common in the southeast but found in most counties. Sap on skin in sunlight can cause a chemical burn with blisters. University of Minnesota Extension says it reaches 4 to 6 feet when flowering. It is a Prohibited Noxious Weed.	Wear gloves, long sleeves and long pants if you must handle it. Do not confuse it with native golden alexanders (DNR).	DNR: wild parsnip; U of M Extension: wild parsnip

Public Gardens

Plant	Where and when, per the source	Care note	Source
University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum	The Arboretum says its Garden Highlights page is updated every Thursday and its Plant Finder lets you search plants. It lists a Bog Boardwalk with tamarack, a Perennial Garden, a Maple Collection and an Ornamental Grass Collection. The hours page says it is open 363 days a year, closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, with hours that change by season. The home page strongly recommends advance tickets. See our Northern Lights at the Arboretum page.	Check the Arboretum for hours and tickets before you go.	Arboretum; Garden Highlights; Hours
Kawishiwi Native Garden, Ely	See Boundary Waters above: native plants from rock outcrops to moist woods, over thirty species, blooming late May through early September (Forest Service page published 2012).	Not confirmed as current; ask the ranger district.	Forest Service: wildflower viewing areas
Voyageurs Ethnobotanical Garden, Rainy Lake Visitor Center	The Park Service says the garden shows plants people have used for food, shelter and clothing, and how exotic plants harm native communities.	Check the park for visitor center hours.	NPS: Voyageurs plants
Whitewater State Park Prairie Wildflower Garden	A garden at the visitor center that DNR exhibit text points to for learning the park’s wildflowers.		DNR: pollinator plantings

Bloom Calendar: What Typically Blooms When

Each month lists plants that a source above puts in bloom or in color at that time. “Typically” is deliberate: weather moves every date, so check with the park, forest or garden before you go.

Month	Typically in bloom or in color	Source
January	We read no plant source with a bloom for this month.	—
February	We read no plant source with a bloom for this month.	—
March	We read no plant source with a bloom for this month.	—
April	We read no month-level source; the DNR says most wildflowers begin in May.	DNR
May	Wildflowers begin in the south and west and spread north; wood anemone, Canada violet, marsh marigold, bunchberry and bluebead lily on the North Shore; morels in forest edges (spring and early summer); Kawishiwi garden from late May	DNR; Forest Service
June	Wild columbine, blue flag, lupine and wild geranium on the North Shore; wild parsnip begins to bloom; early June wildflowers on Oberg Mountain; showy lady’s-slipper starts in early June on one DNR page (look, never pick)	DNR; Forest Service
July	Harebell, fireweed and Joe Pye weed on the North Shore; asters begin; blueberries start ripening mid- to late July; prairie wildflowers in the state parks	DNR
August	Wild bergamot, harebell, goldenrod, asters and black-eyed Susan on the North Shore; blueberries; wild rice begins to ripen late in the month	DNR
September	Asters, goldenrod and black-eyed Susan; wild rice ripens (late August or early September); Kawishiwi garden through early September; fall color peak typically starts late in the month in the far northwest and north-central parts	DNR; Forest Service
October	Fall color typically peaks late September through mid-October; witchhazel starts at the Arboretum; black-eyed Susan to October; poison ivy turns red	DNR; Arboretum; NPS
November	Witchhazel at the Arboretum (October through December)	Arboretum
December	Witchhazel at the Arboretum (through December)	Arboretum

Where to See Them

We only point to places an official page names.

Voyageurs National Park: more than 400 wildflower species, an ethnobotanical garden and red and white pine. Our Iron Range and Voyageurs guide covers the region.
Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters: blueberries, the Gunflint Trail in fall and the wildflower viewing areas named above. Our Duluth and North Shore guide covers the shore.
Buffalo River State Park, Afton, Whitewater and Wild River: prairie wildflowers. Our Minnesota River Valley and Prairielands guide covers the southwest.
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park: spring wildflowers, with over 200 species.
Blanket Flower Prairie and Cottonwood River Prairie SNAs: prairie flowers; read the natural area rules first.
Landscape Arboretum: labeled gardens, witchhazel in late fall and a bog boardwalk.
Chippewa National Forest: spring wildflower hiking.
The State Parks Passport guide on this site, and the Minnesota Wildlife guide for bears, ticks and other trail safety.

Staying Safe and Leaving Plants Be

Read this first: the law and park-rule notes below are not legal advice. We read the Minnesota statutes and rule on revisor.mn.gov and the DNR, National Park Service, Forest Service and University pages in Sources on October 30, 2026. Laws, penalties and park rules can change, so check the current text or ask the agency (the DNR, the park or forest you will visit, or the Minnesota Department of Agriculture) before you rely on them. Anything we could not confirm is listed under What We Could Not Verify.
Do not pick in state parks: Minnesota Rule 6100.0900 says no person in a state park or forest recreation area shall “disturb, destroy, injure, damage, deface, molest, or remove” state property, including “wildflowers or vegetation of any kind dead or alive,” except edible fruit and mushrooms (Minn. R. 6100.0900). The DNR says picking wildflowers or any other plants, edible or not, even in small amounts for personal use, is not allowed in state parks, recreation areas, waysides, state forest recreation areas and state trails, and that on state trails only edible fruit may be taken (DNR). We did not read a penalty for this rule. State forests have different rules we did not read.
Protected plants: Minnesota Statutes 84.0895 says “a person may not take, import, transport, release, or sell any portion of an endangered or threatened species of wild animal or plant,” with exceptions for plants on certain farmland, in ditches and on existing road rights-of-way, and a violation is a misdemeanor (Minn. Stat. 84.0895). The species list is set by DNR rule and we did not read it.
Orchids and other wildflowers: Minnesota Statutes 18H.18 bars distributing orchids (all species), gentian, arbutus, lilies, coneflowers, bloodroot, mayapple, trillium or lotus collected from public or private property without the owner’s written permission, and sale needs the commissioner’s written authorization (Minn. Stat. 18H.18). The showy lady’s-slipper is an orchid. The DNR says state law has protected it since 1925 (DNR).
Natural areas: Scientific and Natural Areas allow no collecting of plants, animals, rocks or fossils; berry picking is allowed for personal use on listed sites only (DNR).
Poison ivy and wild parsnip: see the alert above and the Plants To Avoid table.
Berries: bears feed on blueberries. Make noise, watch for bears and leave some for wildlife. See our Minnesota Wildlife guide for bears and ticks.
Stay on trails and boardwalks: the DNR asks visitors to stay on boardwalks in sensitive areas, and natural areas may have no maintained trails.
Tribal lands: Tribal nations set their own rules on their lands, including for wild rice and plants. Check with the Tribe first (general guidance, not read from a Tribal source).
Closures: the Superior National Forest listed post-wildfire closures effective October 1, 2026 when we read it. Check its alerts page.

What We Could Not Verify

How the showy lady’s-slipper is protected. One DNR page says state law has protected it since 1925 and that it is illegal to pick or collect it; another says the state has regulated its collection and commercial sale since 1925. We read no statute that names this species. The orchid statute we read (18H.18) covers distributing collected orchids. The DNR can confirm.
The year the lady’s-slipper became the state flower. The DNR says 1902; the statute’s history lists 1967 and 1969 laws. We state no year. Its bloom window also differs between two DNR pages (late June to early July, or early June to mid-July).
The list of endangered and threatened plants (set by DNR rule), the penalty for breaking the state park picking rule, and rules for state forests and state trails beyond the DNR harvesting page. The DNR can confirm.
Wild rice harvest licenses and rules, and Tribal rules for plants and wild rice. The Tribes and the DNR can confirm.
The Minnesota Secretary of State symbols page blocked reading with a CAPTCHA, so symbols come from the statutes and the DNR. We did not bypass it.
University of Minnesota Extension poison ivy information. We found no page to read, so the poison ivy facts come from the Park Service.
Spring ephemeral species and dates in the southern hardwood forests. The DNR gives only that bloom starts in May. Nerstrand Big Woods says to check the park each spring.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness plant checklist, blueberry picking rules in the wilderness today, and wildflowers in Chippewa National Forest beyond one sentence. The checklist file would not read, and the forest pages were thin.
Whether the Kawishiwi Native Garden and the wildflower trails are open and maintained today. The Forest Service page we read was published in 2012.
Any year’s fall color dates. Peak dates are “typically” from the DNR, and the DNR says weather decides.
Bloom months outside the North Shore list (Gooseberry Falls State Park), and bloom months for prairie flowers named by the DNR without dates.
Whether the Arboretum displays orchids or lady’s-slippers (we did not search its Plant Finder), its ticket prices and its hours on a given day. Hours and tickets can change; check its site.
Blue Mounds, Itasca and Gooseberry Falls park pages and other Minnesota gardens. They did not load as text, so we say nothing about them.
Sightings of any plant. The sources give habitat and range, which is not a sighting.

Found something rare? Enjoy it, photograph it, and do not post its exact spot online.

More Guides

Questions People Ask

What is the Minnesota state flower?

The showy lady’s-slipper, which the statute calls the pink and white lady slipper (Cypripedium reginae). Do not pick it.

What is the Minnesota state tree?

The red pine, also called Norway pine, by statute.

Is it illegal to pick wildflowers in Minnesota?

In state parks, yes: DNR rules bar picking wildflowers and other plants, even in small amounts for personal use, except edible fruit and mushrooms. Rules for other lands differ, so check with the landowner or agency.

Is the showy lady’s-slipper protected?

The DNR says state law has protected it since 1925. We could not find the statute text that names it, so ask the DNR for the exact rule.

When do wildflowers bloom in Minnesota?

The DNR says most begin in May in the south and west and spread north. Prairie flowers bloom through summer, and asters and goldenrod bloom into fall. Check the park for this year.

When is fall color in Minnesota?

The DNR says it typically peaks from late September through mid-October, starting in the far northwest and north-central parts and moving southeast, about a week per area.

Where can I see prairie wildflowers in Minnesota?

The DNR points to Buffalo River, Afton, Whitewater and Wild River State Parks and prairie natural areas such as Blanket Flower Prairie and Cottonwood River Prairie.

What is wild parsnip and is it dangerous?

A non-native roadside plant with yellow flowers. The DNR says its sap on skin in sunlight can cause a chemical burn with blisters.

Can I pick blueberries in the Boundary Waters?

A DNR magazine says berry picking is allowed in the Boundary Waters and that personal-use picking is permitted in Superior National Forest and state forests. Check current rules with the forest.

What is the Minnesota state grain?

Wild rice, also called manomin (Zizania aquatica), by statute.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Minnesota. Cite this page: It’s Minnesota (https://itsminnesota.com/wildflowers-and-plants/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.