All plants are organized roughly by color.
Butterfly Milkweed
Latin Name: Asclepias tuberosa
Family: Apocynaceae
Bloom Time: June-July
Indian Grass
Latin Name: Sorghastrum nutans
Family: Poaceae
Bloom Time: September-February
Wild Senna
Latin Name: Cassia hebecarpa
Family: Caesalpiniaceae
Bloom Time: July-August
Lance-Leafed Coreopsis
Latin Name: Coreopsis lanceolata
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: May-August
Praire Coreopsis
Latin Name: Coreopsis palmata
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: June-August
Tall Coreopsis
Latin Name: Coreopsis tripteris
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Blanket Flower
Latin Name: Gaillardia aristata
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: June-July
Downy Sunflower
Latin Name: Heliantus mollis
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: August-September
Western Sunflower
Latin Name: Heliantus occidentalis
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Yellow Coneflower
Latin Name: Ratibida pinnata
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: June-August
Black-Eyed Susan
Latin Name: Rudbeckia hirta
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: June-September
Brown-Eyed Susan
Latin Name: Rudbeckia triloba
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-October
Roundleaf Groundsel
Latin Name: Packera obovata
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: April-June
Rosin Weed
Latin Name: Silphium integrifolium
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Compass Plant
Latin Name: Silphium laciniatum
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Cup Plant
Latin Name: Silphium perfoliatum
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Praire Dock
Latin Name: Silphium terebinthinaceum
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Early Goldenrod
Latin Name: Solidago juncea
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-August
Stiff Goldenrod
Latin Name: Solidago rigida
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: August-September
Meadow Rue
Latin Name: Thalictrum aquilegiifolium
Family: Ranunculaceae
Bloom Time: May-July
Golden Alexanders
Latin Name: Zizia aurea
Family: Apiaceae
Bloom Time: May-June
Yellow Giant Hyssop
Latin Name: Agastache nepetoides
Family: Lamiaceae
Bloom Time: July-October
Prickly Pear Cactus
Latin Name: Opuntia humifusa
Family: Cactaceae
Bloom Time: June-July
Round-Headed Bushclover
Latin Name: Lespideza capitata
Family: Fabaceae
Bloom Time: August-September
Blue Flax
Latin Name: Linum perenne
Family: Linaceae
Bloom Time: May-June
Leadplant
Latin Name: Amorpha canescens
Family: Fabaceae
Bloom Time: June-July
Lupine
Latin Name: Lupinus perennis
Family: Fabaceae
Bloom Time: May-June
Hoary Vervain
Latin Name: Vebena stricta
Family: Verbenaceae
Bloom Time: May-September
Ohio Spiderwort
Latin Name: Tradescantia ohiensis
Family: Commelinaceae
Bloom Time: June
New England Aster
Latin Name: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: August-October
Wild Bergamont
Latin Name: Monarda fistulosa
Family: Lamiaceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Cylindrical Blazing Star
Latin Name: Liatris cylindracea
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Rough Blazing Star
Latin Name: Liatris aspera
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: July-October
Purple Coneflower
Latin Name: Echinacea purpurea
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: June-July
Large Beardtongue
Latin Name: Penstemon grandiflorus
Family: Plantaginaceae
Bloom Time: May-June
Hairy Beardtongue
Latin Name: Penstemon hirsutus
Family: Plantaginaceae
Bloom Time: May-June
Illinois Bundleflower
Latin Name: Desmanthus illinoensis
Family: Fabaceae
Bloom Time: June
Culvers Root
Latin Name: Veroniocastrum virginicum
Family: Plantaginaceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Praire Phlox
Latin Name: Phlox bifida
Family: Polemoniaceae
Bloom Time: May
Foxglove Beardtongue
Latin Name: Penstemon digitalis
Family: Plantaginaceae
Bloom Time: April-June
Wild Quinine
Latin Name: Parthenium integrifolium
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: May-August
False Boneset
Latin Name: Brickellia eupatoroides
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: August-September
Rattlesnake Master
Latin Name: Eryngium yuccafolium
Family: Apiaceae
Bloom Time: July-September
Ox-Eye Daisy
Latin Name: Leucanthemum vulgare
Family: Asteraceae
Bloom Time: June
White Wild Indigo
Latin Name: Baptisia lactea
Family: Fabaceae
Bloom Time: June-July
Thimbleweed
Latin Name: Anemone cylindrica
Family: Ranunculaceae
Bloom Time: June-July
Goat’s Rue
Latin Name: Tephrosia virgniana
Family: Fabaceae
Bloom Time: May-August
Praire Dropseed
Latin Name: Sporobolus heterolepis
Family: Poaceae
Bloom Time: August-October
Buffalo Grass
Latin Name: Bouteloua dactyloides
Family: Poaceae
Bloom Time: June-August
Common Milkweed
Latin Name: Asclepias syriaca
Family: Apocynaceae
Bloom Time: June-July
Little Bluestem
Latin Name: Andropogon scoparius
Family: Poaceae
Bloom Time: August-February
Big Bluestem
Latin Name: Andropogon gerardii
Family: Poaceae
Bloom Time: September-February
Resources
For more information or questions about the Dow Wildflower Sanctuary, contact Dr. Ann Fraser at afraser@kzoo.edu.
Many of the photos of plants were obtained from the Prairie Nursery website, a commercial nursery that has a wealth of online learning resources on native plants. For more information about the flowers located within the Wildflower Sanctuary, an in-depth database is currently being developed.
To learn more about Michigan native plants, how to grow them, and their importance for sustaining biodiversity, check out these sites:
Kalamazoo Area chapter of Wild Ones is a local volunteer organization that promotes native landscapes through education, advocacy, and collaborative action.
The Missouri Botanical Gardens website has a database of over 7500 plant species
Wild Ones Native Garden Designs design plans for native gardens in Michigan and beyond.
The University of Michigan’s Herbarium website has in-depth information and maps of native Michigan plant species
Kalamazoo’s own Hidden Savannah Nursery, which sells and has information on native Michigan plants
The Homegrown National Park is a grassroots call-to-action to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks.