🌸 State flowers
Iowa in bloom
Iowa's official flower is the wild prairie rose (1897). Meet it, then explore 109 Iowa wildflowers and garden favorites by bloom month.
Wild prairie rose
Rosa arkansana
Named Iowa's official state flower in 1897 (Iowa General Assembly concurrent resolution, May 7, 1897 (Iowa Legislative Services Agency, Iowa State Symbols)). The 1897 resolution says only “wild rose”; the wild prairie rose (Rosa pratincola, now treated as Rosa arkansana) is the species usually cited. In Iowa, most flowering sightings come in May–July.
Meet the prairie rose →Sources: Iowa General Assembly concurrent resolution, May 7, 1897 (Iowa Legislative Services Agency, Iowa State Symbols); iNaturalist flowering records.
Iowa flower gifts
State flower gifts for anyone who loves Iowa.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Wild prairie rose print
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Iowa wildflower map
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Iowa mug
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Pressed-flower bookmark
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Wildflower seed favors
Explore 109 Iowa flowers
101 wildflowers and flowering shrubs, picked from Iowa's most-observed flowering plants on iNaturalist, plus 8 garden favorites. Filter by bloom month or type.
Showing 108 flowers
Common milkweed
Asclepias syriaca
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–July
2,989 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Wild bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–August
1,643 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Amur honeysuckle
Lonicera maackii
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–September
1,534 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Tall bellflower
Campanulastrum americanum
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–September
1,526 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Queen Anne's lace (wild carrot)
Daucus carota
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–October
1,376 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Dutchman's breeches
Dicentra cucullaria
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
1,350 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Ground-ivy
Glechoma hederacea
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–June
1,313 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Red clover
Trifolium pratense
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–September
1,286 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Garlic mustard
Alliaria petiolata
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
1,283 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Butterfly milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
1,272 IA sightings on iNaturalist
White snakeroot
Ageratina altissima
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–September
1,228 IA sightings on iNaturalist
American pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–September
1,202 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Hoary vervain
Verbena stricta
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
1,182 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Partridge pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–October
1,163 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
1,161 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Great mullein
Verbascum thapsus
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
1,144 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
🌼 Blooms in IA: March–April
1,114 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–September
1,096 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Great blue lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
🌼 Blooms in IA: August–September
1,069 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Grey-headed coneflower
Ratibida pinnata
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
1,059 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Virginia springbeauty
Claytonia virginica
🌼 Blooms in IA: March–May
1,000 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Carolina horsenettle
Solanum carolinense
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
993 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Virginia bluebells
Mertensia virginica
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
993 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Bird's-foot trefoil
Lotus corniculatus
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–August
964 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Purple crownvetch
Securigera varia
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–September
944 IA sightings on iNaturalist
White clover
Trifolium repens
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–October
918 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Rattlesnake master
Eryngium yuccifolium
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–September
902 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Arisaema triphyllum
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
901 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Blue phlox
Phlox divaricata
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
896 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Black raspberry
Rubus occidentalis
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
895 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Roses (genus Rosa)
Rosa
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–July
840 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Cup plant
Silphium perfoliatum
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–August
838 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Dame's rocket
Hesperis matronalis
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–June
825 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Virginia waterleaf
Hydrophyllum virginianum
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–June
799 IA sightings on iNaturalist
American germander
Teucrium canadense
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
775 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Compass plant
Silphium laciniatum
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
728 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Creeping thistle
Cirsium arvense
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–September
722 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Leadplant
Amorpha canescens
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–September
696 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Swamp milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–August
695 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Red columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–June
671 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Sharp-lobed hepatica
Hepatica acutiloba
🌼 Blooms in IA: March–May
668 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Wild geranium
Geranium maculatum
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–June
662 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Velvetleaf
Abutilon theophrasti
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
643 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Common motherwort
Leonurus cardiaca
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
619 IA sightings on iNaturalist
False sunflower
Heliopsis helianthoides
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–October
617 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Multiflora rose
Rosa multiflora
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–June
603 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Canada anemone
Anemonastrum canadense
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–July
564 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Prairie trillium
Trillium recurvatum
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
556 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Chicory
Cichorium intybus
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–October
542 IA sightings on iNaturalist
American jumpseed
Persicaria virginiana
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–September
539 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Poison hemlock
Conium maculatum
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–July
537 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Wild parsnip
Pastinaca sativa
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–August
523 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Blue vervain
Verbena hastata
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–September
519 IA sightings on iNaturalist
White fawnlily
Erythronium albidum
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
509 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Purple prairie clover
Dalea purpurea
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
498 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Cutleaf coneflower
Rudbeckia laciniata
🌼 Blooms in IA: August–September
489 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Yellow sweetclover
Melilotus officinalis
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–July
481 IA sightings on iNaturalist
New England aster
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
🌼 Blooms in IA: August–October
471 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–September
464 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Brown-eyed susan
Rudbeckia triloba
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–September
455 IA sightings on iNaturalist
False rue anemone
Enemion biternatum
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
453 IA sightings on iNaturalist
American black elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–July
447 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Common dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–June
426 IA sightings on iNaturalist
White sweetclover
Melilotus albus
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
425 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Rue anemone
Thalictrum thalictroides
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
425 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Bittersweet nightshade
Solanum dulcamara
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–September
407 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Common yarrow
Achillea millefolium
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–July
406 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Prairie false indigo
Baptisia lactea
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–August
394 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Low smartweed
Persicaria longiseta
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
389 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Culver's root
Veronicastrum virginicum
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–August
384 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Largeflower bellwort
Uvularia grandiflora
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
376 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Common selfheal
Prunella vulgaris
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–September
376 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Ghost pipe
Monotropa uniflora
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
369 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Catnip
Nepeta cataria
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
364 IA sightings on iNaturalist
White campion
Silene latifolia
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–October
364 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Asiatic dayflower
Commelina communis
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–October
354 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Flower-of-an-hour
Hibiscus trionum
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–October
340 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Pointed-leaved tick-trefoil
Hylodesmum glutinosum
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
335 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Cut-leaved toothwort
Cardamine concatenata
🌼 Blooms in IA: March–May
330 IA sightings on iNaturalist
White vervain
Verbena urticifolia
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–September
320 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Virginia stickseed
Hackelia virginiana
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
317 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Guelder-rose
Viburnum opulus
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
312 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Foxglove beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–June
309 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Eastern redbud
Cercis canadensis
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
302 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Siberian squill
Scilla siberica
🌼 Blooms in IA: March–April
300 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Musk thistle
Carduus nutans
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
296 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Bull thistle
Cirsium vulgare
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
293 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Spotted lady's thumb
Persicaria maculosa
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
293 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Jacob's ladder
Polemonium reptans
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–May
291 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Prairie rosinweed
Silphium integrifolium
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–September
289 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Common soapwort
Saponaria officinalis
🌼 Blooms in IA: July–October
286 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Stiff-leaved goldenrod
Solidago rigida
🌼 Blooms in IA: August–September
282 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Illinois bundleflower
Desmanthus illinoensis
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
280 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
🌼 Blooms in IA: June–August
278 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Henbit deadnettle
Lamium amplexicaule
🌼 Blooms in IA: March–May
278 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Solomon's plume (false Solomon's seal)
Maianthemum racemosum
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
278 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Long-leaved groundcherry
Physalis longifolia
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
277 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Canadian lousewort
Pedicularis canadensis
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
268 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Ohio spiderwort
Tradescantia ohiensis
🌼 Blooms in IA: May–July
267 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Hoary puccoon
Lithospermum canescens
🌼 Blooms in IA: April–June
264 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Field thistle
Cirsium discolor
🌼 Few flowering records in IA
263 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Orange daylily
Hemerocallis fulva
🌷 Grown in Iowa gardens
159 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Common sunflower
Helianthus annuus
🌷 Grown in Iowa gardens
97 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Purple lilac
Syringa vulgaris
🌷 Grown in Iowa gardens
36 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Daffodil
Narcissus pseudonarcissus
🌷 Grown in Iowa gardens
4 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Garden peony
Paeonia lactiflora
🌷 Grown in Iowa gardens
2 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Garden tulip
Tulipa gesneriana
🌷 Grown in Iowa gardens
1 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Bigleaf hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla
🌷 Grown in Iowa gardens
0 IA sightings on iNaturalist
Iowa bloom calendar
Show the full bloom calendar (flowers with 15+ Iowa flowering records, earliest bloomers first)
Darker = more flowering sightings that month. Based on iNaturalist research-grade observations in Iowa marked “Flowering,” as of October 17, 2026. Garden flowers have few records because research-grade data leaves out planted ones.
How we picked these flowers
We started from iNaturalist's research-grade sightings in Iowa, most-observed first, left out grasses, sedges, trees and other plants with tiny or wind-pollinated flowers (plus poison ivy), kept at most three species per genus, and added Iowa's official flowers and popular garden flowers that iNaturalist users record growing in Iowa. Every flower needs a CC0 or CC BY photo.
Rare plant list: Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3)
Invasive plant list: Iowa noxious weeds (Iowa Code § 317.1A)