Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

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     Common Milkweed is a native, perennial wildflower. It can grow up to five feet tall. It bears cream-colored, pink-tinged flowers, 1/2 inch wide, that form round clusters up to two inches wide. Each flower has five downward-pointing petals and a five-part pointed crown. It has large, toothless leaves that are four to six inches long and bleed a milky sap when torn. Within its range it can be found in a broad array of habitats from croplands to pastures, roadsides, ditches and old fields. It is surprisingly rare in prairies in the Midwest being found mostly in disturbed sites, due to its inability to compete with other vegetation. (July)

 

Michigan Lily (Lillium michiganense)

 

  The Michigan Lily is a two to five-foot, single-stemmed native, perennial wildflower with sword-like leaves arranged in whorls. Its stem often branches at the tip to form additional flower stalks. Orange flowers, up to three inches across, have petals that curve backward. Dark spots mark the inner surface of the six petals. It prefers full to partial sun, loamy or sandy soil, and moist conditions. (July)

   

Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis)

     Photo by Leticia Provencio 

     Clasping Milkweed is a native, perennial wildflower in Wisconsin. It grows one to three feet tall. The flowers have a soft pink hue, often in shades of cream or green. The flower structure is complex. The flowers form in a compact rounded cluster that is two to four inches in diameter. Each flower has five petals that reflex backward. Above the flowers are five hood-like structures. The leaves are opposite and have a waxy appearance. The base of the leaf clasps the stem. The leaves are oval, three to five inches long, and two inches wide. It grows in dry habitats in sandhills, dry open woods, pine savannahs, and fallow fields. They do best where they can receive at least six hours of full sun. Partial shade the rest of the day works well. (July)
 

Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)

 

     The Purple Prairie Clover is a native, perennial wildflower in Wisconsin. It grows up to three feet tall. Its 1/6-inch, five-petaled, purple flowers form a thimble-shaped flower head that is up to two inches tall. It has small, 1/2 to 3/4-inch leaves with five to seven leaflets. It grows in dry, sunny prairies and meadows. (July)

Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense)

     The Showy Tick Trefoil is a native, perennial wildflower. It is slender stemmed and often bushy.  It grows two to six feet tall with hundreds of pink to purple, pea-shaped flowers in dense clusters at the top of the stems. The compound leaves consist of three leaflets that are greyish green. The leaflets are two to three inches long and less than half as wide. They are oblong or lance-shaped and rounded at the tips. Their undersides have fine hooked hairs. It grows in full shade woodlands and in full sun, and in disturbed habitat, such as roadsides.  (July)

Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz  

     The obedient plant typically grows to a height of three to four feet. Its flowers are tubular and resemble snapdragons, arranged in dense spikes, with each flower about 1 inch long. The colors range from pink to pale lilac. The leaves are lance-shaped, growing in opposite pairs along the stem, with each pair rotated 90 degrees from the previous one. They are about four to five inches long and one to two inches wide, with serrated edges. Obedient plants prefer full sun to partial shade and thrive in moist, well-drained soils. They are quite adaptable and can grow in a variety of soil types, including loam, clay, and rocky soils. Often found in wetlands, prairies, and meadows, they can tolerate both drought and poor drainage. (July)

     

Hoary Vervain (Verbena Stricta)

      Hoary Vervain, a native perennial, grows up to three feet tall. It generally has a two to five-inch spike of purple, tube-like, 1/2-inch flowers, but it can have multiple flower stalks. The two to three-inch oval leaves are thick and covered with hairs. They are also coarsely toothed and pointed. Hoary Vervain grows best in dry fields, ditches, shores and roadsides. (July)

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

 

     The Butterfly Milkweed is a perennial, native wildflower. It grows one to two feet tall. The yellow orange to bright orange flower clusters, two to five inches across, are at the top of the stem. It has stiff, dark green, lance-shaped leaves that are toothless and two to six inches long. It grows best in well-drained sand, loam, clay or limestone in full sun. (July)   

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Swamp milkweed is a native, perennial wildflower in Wisconsin.  It typically grows three to five feet tall. The flowers bloom in shades of pink, mauve, or occasionally white. Each individual flower is about 1/4 inch in diameter, but they are arranged in clusters that can be two to three inches in diameter. Lance shaped leaves grow in pairs along the stem. They are three to six inches long and one to two inches wide. This plant prefers moist to wet soils and is often found in wetlands, along streams, and in wet meadows. It thrives in full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. (July)

False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)

Photo by Gary Kurtz

False Sunflower is a native, perennial in Wisconsin. It grows to a height of three to six feet. The flower is bright yellow with a golden center and has a daisy-like appearance. It measures two to three inches in diameter. It surrounds a cone-shaped, golden-brown center disk. The leaves are ovate and grow opposite each other on the stem. They have toothed margins and sandpapery texture. They grow up to six inches long. It grows in grasslands and at the edge of woodlands. (July)

 

Tall Bellflower (Campanula Americana)

           

     The Tall Bellflower is a three to six-foot, erect plant with leafy stems. It is a native, annual wildflower. The upper portion of the stem is lined with showy, lavender-blue, five-petaled inch-wide flowers in single spike clusters one to two feet long. The three to six-inch leaves are lance-shaped, toothed and pointed. It likes woodlands, shady streams, and thickets in rich, moist soil. (July)

American Potato Bean (Apios americana)

Photo by Gary Kurtz 

     American Potato Bean is a perennial wildflower that is native to Wisconsin. It is a vine that can grow eight to 10 feet long in Wisconsin, even longer in warmer climates. The flowers are composed of dense racemes of pink, purple, or red brown flowers. The flowers are about an inch long, and the racemes grow three to five inches long. The leaves are pinnate with five to seven leaflets, each three to six inches long. The alternate leaves can be either smooth or hairy, lanceolate in shape, and smooth along the edges. It prefers soil that is sandy loam, well-draining, and rich in organic matter. It can be found in moist woods, along river banks, moist meadows, and wet ravines. (July) 

Wild Germander (Teucrium canadense)

Photo by Gary Kurtz

     Wild Germander is a native perennial wildflower in Wisconsin that grows up to three feet tall. It features a four-sided, hairy stem that is rarely branched. It produces a terminal spike of 3/4 inch long, purplish-pink flowers. The flowers have a unique corolla configuration with no apparent upper lip. It has opposite leaves that can be up to five inches long and 2-1/2 inches wide. The upper leaf surface is dark green with recessed veins and the lower leaf surface is dull green with raised veins. Wild Germander thrives in fields, prairies, low woods, stream sides, roadsides, and other disturbed sites. (July) 

American Waterlilly (Nymphaea odorata)

     The American Waterlily is a native, perennial in Wisconsin. The floating water flowers, three to six inches wide, are made of many pointed petals surrounding a yellow center. The floating leaves are round or heart-shaped, deeply notched, toothless, shiny green. They grow up to 10 inches across. It grows in ponds and lakes.  (July)

Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

     Indian Pipe is a native, perennial wildflower in Wisconsin. It grows four to 12 inches tall. It’s flower is about an inch long. The stem bears a single flower that points downward as it emerges from the ground. Indian Pipe is translucent white, sometimes pinkish white, and commonly has black flecks. It grows in mature, moist, shaded forests. (July)

American Feverfew (Parthenium integrifolium)

     American Feverfew is a native, perennial wildflower that can reach three feet in height. It has white, fuzzy flower clusters that are about 1/4 inch wide, with tiny ray florets and purple markings on the banner petal. The flower clusters are flat-topped or slightly rounded. The leaves are aromatic, leathery, and hairy, with coarsely toothed or scalloped margins. The basal and lower stem leaves are elliptical to broadly ovate, and taper into long petioles. The upper stem leaves are smaller and sessile, or without stalks. American Feverfew grows in dry to medium-wet soils, in full sun or partial shade, in habitats such as prairies, glades, and rocky woods. (July)
 

Bluejacket (Tradescantia ohiensis)

 

          

     

     Bluejack, sometimes called Smooth Spiderwort, is a native, perennial wildflower that grows one to three feet tall. Its flowers have three petals and six hairy yellow-tipped stamens. The flowers can be blue to purple, sometimes pink or nearly white. They grow in terminal clusters of up to 20 at the top of erect stems with long, slender, leaf-like bracts below each cluster. The leaves are long, narrow, and grass-like. They grow in a clump at the base of the stem and are eight to 16 inches long and less than an inch wide. It grows best in sunny, moist, well drained areas, but is highly adaptable. (July)

Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum)

 

Photo by Gary Kurtz

   Nodding Onion is a Wisconsin native, perennial wildflower. It typically grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches. Its small flowers, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter, form in clusters that nod or droop, and are usually pink to lavender in color. Each cluster can have up to 30 individual flowers. The leaves are long, slender, and grass-like, measuring 6 to 12 inches in length and about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in width. They grow from the base of the plant and have a smooth texture. Nodding onion is commonly found in prairies, open woods, and rocky slopes, preferring well-drained soils and areas with full sun to partial shade. (July)

     

Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia humifusa)

 

    Photo by Gary Kurtz 

     Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus is a native, perennial wildflower that grows in Wisconsin. It grows about six to 12 inches tall and spreads out about 12 to 18 inches. The flowers are yellow with sometimes orange or red centers. The flowers are usually large and waxy, with a diameter of two to three inches. They have bushy clumps of yellow stamens in the center, surrounded by seven or more tepals. The leaves, called pads, are ellipsoidal in shape and can measure over a foot long and over eight inches wide. It grows best in full sun and well-drained sandy soils with a neutral to slightly acidic pH.

(JULY)

Thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana)

     Tall Thimbleweed is a native, perennial wildflower with erect, multiple stems, rising two to three feet, topped by a greenish-white flower with a slightly elongated center resembling a short thimble. The flowers are 1-1/2 inches across. Leaves are deeply cut and clustered in a whorl halfway up the stem. It grows in woodlands, forest edges, prairies, meadows, and fields in sun and part shade in dry to moist, rich acid soils. (July)