Celebrating Wildflowers

The Celebrating Wildflowers program is dedicated to the appreciation of, and education about, the many species of wildflowers growing on and adjacent to our national forests and grasslands.  Emphasis is placed on the aesthetic, recreational, biological, medicinal, and economic value of plants, and the need for conservation of native plants and their habitat.  Generally, one or more educational or interpretive activities are offered to the public each year.

Native wildflowers can be found in any of several habitat types on or near the Forest.

• Plants of forests: photos by Gudrun Keszocze

	Red baneberry (Actaea rubra) fruits brighten the forest in late summer on the GMNF.
	Wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) is a common plant of northern hardwoods that blooms in spring.
	Virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana) sprawls across sunny riverbanks on the GMNF in late summer.
	Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) can be found in meadows or on rocky shores and banks in summer and fall.
	Spotted Joe-pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) flowers are a common sight in wet meadows and thickets in late summer.
	Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) blooms in shallow water in mid-summer.
	Larger blue flag (Iris versicolor) blooms in marshes and wet meadows in early summer.
	Sweet-scented water lily (Nymphaea odorata) is another aquatic plant that blooms in mid-summer.

To learn more about the National Celebrating Wildflowers program: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/