Friends of Cedar Creek

Guide to Cedar Creek

Discovering Wildflowers

Mary Anna Feitler

Blackeyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta (Heather Baker)

The Cedar Creek valley, part of Indiana’s Central Till Plain Natural Region, has good growing conditions for wild plants: glaciated terrain with generally forested vegetation, often poor drainage (clay soils intermixed with gravels from moraine deposits), temperatures from -20F to 90F, yearly moisture averaging 38.3 inches.

The Cedar Creek region is now considered to be in USDA Hardiness Zones 6a and 6b. The minimum temperature is now higher than mid 20th century minimum temperatures. As a result, we can expect warmer weather plants from further south to survive winters in the Cedar Creek area. As the climate changes and temperatures warm, some native plants we now see only occasionally may become more common, and seasons will be extended: earlier spring and later fall. While suggested blooming times will be relatively similar, we can expect to see different flowers, even different weather and rain patterns.

When we can identify and name specific wildflowers to look for in each season, we are more likely to find, enjoy, and protect them. So have fun learning both English and (sometimes quirky-sounding) Latin names as you identify these wildflowers in the diverse woods and meadows of the Cedar Creek valley. Children also like learning these names (and may find the wildflowers faster than you can). Be sure to explain why wildflowers must not be picked.

Click on the common wildflower names to view a variety of online resources!

White native flowers - spring

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
Canada Violet, Viola canadensis
Chickweed, Stellaria media
Cut-leaved Toothwort, Dentaria laciniata
Dutchman's Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria
False Solomon's Seal, Similacina racemosa
Goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis
Large-flowered Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum
Mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum
Rue Anemone, Anemonella thalictroides
Shepherd's Purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris
Spring Cress/Bitter Cress, Cardamine bulbosa
Star Chickweed, Stellaria pubera
Squirrel Corn, Dicentra canadensis
Wood Anemone, Anemone quinquefolia

Large-flowered Trillium (Carol Roberts)

White native flowers - late spring to early summer

Arrowwood, Viburnum dentatum (shrub)
Bedstraw/Cleavers/Goosegrass, Galium aparine
Black Chokeberry, Pyrus melanocarpa (shrub)
Common Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana
Early Meadow Rue, Thalictrum dioicum
Maple-leaved Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium (shrub)
Miterwort, Mitella diphylla
Poison Ivy, Rhus radicans (vine, skin irritant!)
Smaller Pussytoes, Antennaria neodioica
Sweet Cicely, Osmorhiza claytoni
Thyme-leaved Speedwell, Veronica serpyllifolia
Virginia Waterleaf, Hydrophyllum virginianum
White Baneberry, Actaea pachypoda
White Clover, Trifolium repens (note: non-native)
White Sweet Clover, Melilotus alba
Whitlow Grass, Draba verna
Wild Raisin/Witherod, Viburnum cassinoides (shrub)

Eradicate these non-native (white/flowering) invasives:

Garlic Mustard, Alliaria petiolata
Japanese Honeysuckle vine, Lonicera japonica
Multiflora Rose, Rosa multiflora

White native flowers - summer

Black Cohosh/Bugbane, Cimicifuga racemosa
Bladder Campion, Silene cucubalus
Boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum
Buttonbush, Cephaleanthus occidentalis (shrub)
Catnip, Nepeta cataria
Elderberry, Sambucus canadensis (shrub)
Common Moonseed, Menispermum canadense (vine)
Common Nightshade, Solanum americanum
Enchanters Nightshade, Circaea quadrisulcata
Honeywort/Wild Chervil, Cryptotaenia canadensis
Horse Nettle, Solanum carolinense
Moth Mullein, Verbascum baltaria
Peppergrass/Poor-man's Pepper, Lepidium virginicum
Pokeberry, Phytolacca americana
Queen Anne's Lace/Wild Carrot, Daucus carota
Rattlesnake Master, Eryngium yuccafolium
Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina (shrub)
Stickseed, Hackelia virginiana
Thimbleweed, Anemone virginiana
Turtlehead, Chelone glabra
Virginia Knotweed, Polygonum virginianum
Virgin's Bower, Clematis virginiana (vine)
Water Hemlock, Circuta maculata (poisonous)
White Snakeroot, Eupatorium rugosum
White Vervain, Verbena uticifolia
Wild Balsam Apple/Wild Cucumber, Echinocystis lobata (vine)

Yellow flowers - spring

Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara
Common Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale
Common Winter Cress, Barbarea vulgaris
Lesser Celandine/Creeping Buttercup, Chelidonium majus (Invasive!)
Marsh Marigold/Cowslip, Caltha palustris
Pussy Willow, Salix discolor (shrub)
Spicebush, Lindera benzoin (shrub)
Wood Poppy/Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum
Yellow Lady's Slipper, Cypripedium calculus

Yellow flowers - late spring to early summer

Butter-and-eggs, Linaria vulgaris
Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara
Common Buttercup, Ranunculus acris
Common Cattail, Typha latifolia
Common Cinquefoil, Potentilla simplex (trailing plant)
Golden Ragwort, Senecio aureus
Lance-leaved Coreopsis/Tickseed, Coreopsis lanceolata
Marsh Marigold/Cowslip, Caltha palustris
Trout Lily/Dogtooth Violet, Erythronium americanum
Yellow Hawkweed, Hieracium pratense
Yellow Wood Sorrel/Sour Grass, Oxalis europaea (non-native)

Yellow flowers - summer

Birdsfoot Trefoil, Lotus corniculatus
Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta
Clammy Ground Cherry, Physalis heterphylla
Common Buttercup, Ranunculus acris
Common/Great Mullein, Verbascum thapsus
Evening Primrose, Oenothera biennis
Goldenrod, Solidago astereae
Jewelweed/Pale Touch-me-not, Impatiens pallida
Moneywort, Lysmachia nummularia (trailing)
Prairie Coneflower, Ratibida pinnata
Purslane, Portulaca oleracea
Spiny-leaved Sow Thistle, Sonchus asper
Velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti
Wild Lettuce, Lactuca canadensis
Wild Senna, Cassia hebecarpa
Yellow Flag, Iris pseudacorus

Orange flowers - summer

Canada Lily, Lilium canadense
Daylily, Hemerocallis fulva (non-native)
Jewelweed/Spotted Touch-me-not, Impatiens capensis
Orange Hawkweed, Hieracium aurantiacum
Wood Lily, Lilium philadelphicum

Red flowers- spring

Wild Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis

Red flowers - summer

Bee Balm/Oswego Tea, Monarda didyma
Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis

Red-brown flowers - spring

Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum
Nodding Trillium, Trillium cernuum
Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus
Toadshade/Sessile, Trillium Trillium sessile
Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense

Round-lobed hepatica (Carol Roberts)

Pink flowers - spring

Round-lobed Hepatica, Hepatica americana
Shooting Star, Dodecatheon media
Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica
Wild Geranium, Geranium maculata

Pink flowers - summer

Canada Thistle, Circium arverse (non-native, invasive)
Deptford Pink, Dianthus armeri
Herb Robert, Geranium robertianum
Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea
Spotted Joe-Pye Weed, Eupatorium maculatum

Purple flowers - summer

New York Ironweed, Vernonia noveboracensis

Lavender flowers - late spring

Monkeyflower, Mimulus ringens
Wild Bergamot, Monarda fistulosa

Blue flowers - spring

Bluets, Houstonia caerulea
Common Blue Violet, Viola papilionacea
Dog Violet, Viola conspersa
Ground Ivy/Gill-over-the-ground, Glechoma hederacea (invasive)
Long-spurred Violet, Viola rostrata
Periwinkle, Vinca minor (extremely invasive)
Round-lobed Hepatica, Hepatica americana
Spring Larkspur, Delphinium tricorne
Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica
Wild Blue Phlox, Phlox divaricata

Blue flowers - late spring

Chicory, Cichorum intybus
Great Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica

Wild geranium (Carol Roberts)

Green flowers - spring

Ginseng, Panax quinquefolium
Green Dragon, Arisaema dracontium
Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum
Lamb's Quarters/Pigweed, Chenopodium album
Smooth Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum biflorum

Green flowers - late spring to early summer

Carrion Flower, Smilax herbacea (vine)
Common/Broad-leaved Plantain, Plantago major
Giant/Great Ragweed, Ambrosia trifida
Narrow-leaved/English Plantain, Plantago lanceolata
Stinging Nettle, Urtica dioica

Green flowers - late summer to fall

Climbing False Buckwheat, Polygonum scandens (vine)
Fireweed/American Burnweed, Erechtites hieracifolia

More to Explore . . .

Ecoplexity. http://www.ecoplexity.org.
"Goldenrod." Carol Gaham. The Fox Tale. Vol. 41, Issue 3. Fox Island Alliance. http://foxislandalliance.org.
The Friends of the Wildflower Garden, Inc. http://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org.
Indiana Plant & Wildflower Society. http://www.inpaws.org.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. https://www.wildflower.org.
Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org.
University of Michigan College of Literature. http://climbers.lsa.umich.edu.
Urban Ecology Center. http://urbanecologycenter.org.
USDA Plant Database. https://plants.usda.gov.
Wildscreen USA. http://www.arkive.org.