Minnesota Wildflowers:
A Project for Environmental Justice

Here you'll find photos and information about wild plants that grow in Minnesota, both native and non-native. More than just wildflowers, we also include trees, shrubs, vines, ferns and fern allies, grasses, sedges and rushes, and aquatics.

Our mission is to educate Minnesotans on our native plants, raise awareness on threats like invasive species, and inspire people to explore our great state, appreciate its natural heritage, and become involved in preserving it.

Over 1,800 plant species and more than 18,000 high quality photos are cataloged here, working towards recording all 2100+ plant species in Minnesota.

Using this site

This site is modeled after a field guide to help identify plants found in the wild. Flowers are primarily categorized by color, but there is an advanced plant search (see also in the top right corner of every page) where you can key on a variety of plant characteristics. Search results are organized by plant family and genus so similar species are usually grouped together.

Scientific botanical jargon is avoided where possible so amateurs will understand things. As you gain knowledge and experience, you'll learn the proper botanical terms, but this site is intended to serve ordinary people so will stay informal.

J.W. in Richfield writes: “I'm new to this and learning as I go. Your flower site is more useful than any field guide that I have been struggling with.”

That's exactly what this site was meant to be. :)

Wildflower locations

There are many parks and natural areas in the greater Metro area that have a nice assortment of prairie, woodland and wetland wildflowers growing wild, both native and non-native, and many photos at this site were taken at Metro area locations. Others were taken on various public and private lands across the state, including state parks, various Scientific and Natural Areas (SNAs), and Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs).

Notices and disclaimers

This site is operated by Katy Chayka, MN Master Naturalist Volunteer and native plant enthusiast, with other contributors (more about us).

There are no guarantees that info here is 100% correct, but we do our best to prevent inaccuracies. If you do find any errors in plant information or identification, please let us know about it.

Thanks, and enjoy!

See Terms of Use for information on photo usage.

Special Credits

Some county distribution map information derived from MNTaxa, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

National distribution maps provided by: Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2013. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2013. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].