Where the Wildflowers Are

A handbook for finding NoMi blooms this spring

By Emily Burke | April 23, 2022

Northern Michigan’s woods, wetlands, and shorelines are home to a stunning diversity of wildflowers, and there’s no better time to celebrate their abundance than spring. To get the most out of the season, use this guide to find some old favorites, as well as a few of NoMi’s rarest, strangest, and most beautiful blooms. Happy trails!

The Springtime Emcee: Large-flowered Trillium
Bloom time: Throughout May

Identify it: While there are actually nine species of trillium in Michigan, the one northern Michiganders are most familiar with is the common (and appropriately-named) large-flowered trillium. Look for three white petals above three veined, dark green leaves.

Where to find it: Head to most deciduous forests in May and you’re likely to spot some of these well-known wildflowers. But it’s hard to beat the displays at Pete’s Woods in Arcadia Dunes, a natural area owned and managed by Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) between Frankfort and Arcadia.

Why it’s special: One of the trillium’s charms is its sheer ubiquity; a forest floor carpeted with them is, for many, synonymous with spring in NoMi (especially so if you find a morel hiding among them).

The Pocket Edition: Dwarf Lake Iris
Bloom time: Mid-May to early June

Identify it: With blooms just 2” tall, the dwarf lake iris definitely lives up (or should we say down) to its name. Looking very much like a miniature version of an iris you might plant in your yard, it sports flattened, slender leaves arranged in a fan shape and deep blue petals with orange crests.

Where to find it: Look for this pint-sized beauty in sandy or thin, rocky soils along the shoreline of Lake Huron in northeast Michigan. Steve Woods, conservation stewardship director for Huron Pines, says, “You can often find these wildflowers in the shade of cedars or along footpaths at our many coastal state parks and nature preserves such as Thompson’s Harbor, Wilderness State Park, and Cheboygan State Park.”

Why it’s special: There’s a good reason the dwarf lake iris is Michigan’s state wildflower. “In all the world, [it] occurs only along the shores of the northern Great Lakes. As Michiganders, we hold the fate of this species … in our hands, and the responsibility for [its] conservation falls squarely on our shoulders,” says Woods.

The Showstopper: Pink Lady-slipper
Bloom time: Mid-May to mid-June

Identify it: This beauty is difficult to confuse with anything else, with its unique flower structure and rich magenta hue, though very rarely the flowers may be all white. In an ode to its bottom pouch-like petal, this plant is also called moccasin flower.

Where to find it: Pink lady slippers grow in both moist and dry spots as long as the soil is acidic. Pine forests are usually good places to look. Some of the best spots to see it locally are Houdek Dunes, a Leelanau Conservancy natural area between Leland and Northport, and Maple Bay, a GTRLC preserve between Acme and Elk Rapids. When you find one, look around for more. Pink lady slippers can send up new flowers from creeping roots called rhizomes, and they often occur in patches.

Why it’s special: These plants are one of NoMi’s showiest and easiest to find native orchids. A long-lived wildflower, they can survive for more than two decades, and they only flower once every few years. But if you’re thinking about taking one of these knockouts home, think again: They rely on a mutually-beneficial relationship with underground fungi to thrive, and transplanting disrupts this vital fungal connection.

The Morbid Curiosity: Purple Pitcher Plant
Bloom time: Second half of June

Identify it: Look for “unique pitcher-like leaves with deep purple veins, surrounding a long-stemmed, umbrella-like maroon flower,” says James Dake, Grass River Natural Area’s education director.

Where to find it: The pitcher plant grows in wetland habitats “that people rarely visit, like swamps, bogs, and fens,” says Dake, “making pitcher plants an indicator species of high-quality and undisturbed wetlands.” Look for it along the boardwalks at Grass River Natural Area near Bellaire, at GTRLC’s Upper Manistee Headwaters preserve east of Kalkaska, or at Skegemog Lake Wildlife Area near Rapid City.

Why it’s special: These plants are carnivorous. Growing in habitats that are low in soil nitrogen, the plants have evolved a macabre adaptation to get this essential nutrient: When curious insects enter the pitcher, stiff downward pointing hairs prevent them from leaving. Once the insects fall into the pool at the bottom of the pitcher, digestive enzymes break them down for the plant’s use.

The True Local: Michigan Monkey-flower
Bloom time: Late June through July

Identify it: Named for its monkey-face-shaped flowers, this plant sports bright yellow snapdragon-like blossoms atop dark green leaves that often grow in a dense mat.

Where to find it: The monkey-flower only thrives in full sunlight in cold seeps with a very specific pH. Two thirds of existing monkey-flowers grow on private property, and one of the only places to get a glimpse of it with public access is at Old Settlers Park on Glen Lake. But tread carefully: “The population around Glen Lake doesn’t produce seeds [as is the case with most monkey-flower populations], which is one of the reasons the Michigan monkey-flower is so rare and important to protect,” explains Laurel Voran, a local horticulturalist involved in the Glen Lake population’s restoration.

Why it’s special: Michigan monkey-flower is only known to grow at about 20 sites in the world, all of them spread between the Straits of Mackinac and Benzie. In fact, it’s the only plant that only grows within Michigan, a fact that contributes to its place on both the federal and state endangered species lists. As Liana May, independent field biologist and botanist, notes, “The Michigan monkey-flower is not endangered because it is not ‘fit’ for survival. It’s endangered because a critical amount of its habitat has been destroyed.”

 

Photos courtsey of James Dake, Huron Pines, and Liana May.