Submitted by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Summer heat is fueling white, pink, yellow and purple blooms across Ohio’s state nature preserves. Ohio’s natural landscapes are adorned with a seemingly endless variety of colorful explosions during the summer months.
“Ohio’s beauty goes far beyond the first flowers in Spring,” Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz said. “You can reconnect with nature while admiring colorful wildflowers lining trails and hillsides all over the state.”
Wildflower season begins in Ohio’s woodlands in spring but transitions into more open habitats come summer. Some of the most impressive displays can be found in prairie and wetland ecosystems. The best remaining examples of native prairie in the state can be found in Bigelow Cemetery Prairie (Madison County), Smith Cemetery Prairie (Madison County), Milford Center Prairie (Union County), and Chaparral Prairie State Nature Preserves (Adams County). Great places to observe our summer wetland bloomers include Irwin Prairie (Lucas County) and Gallagher Fen (Clark County) State Nature Preserves and Lake Hope (Vinton County) and Strouds Run (Athens County) State Parks.
A sampling of summer wildflower species you can find at these sites include:
• Royal catchfly (Silene regia)
• Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
• Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
• Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
• Spiked blazing-star (Liatris spicata)
• Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
• Water-lily (Nymphaea odorata)
• Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
• Swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
• Allegheny monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens)
• Queen-of-the-prairie (Filipendula rubra)
• Arrowhead (Sagittaria spp.)
• Prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum)
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) encourages people to get out and see these beautiful plants and their pollinators. To find a state nature preserve, state park, state forest or wildlife area near you visit ohiodnr.gov.
ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.