Sign up for iNaturalist!
How to join in the fun: Simply add your wildflower observations with a photo using the iNaturalist.org website or iPhone/Android app and it’ll show up on this leaderboard if it meets the rules below. The person with the most species observed wins a flat of native plants! If two people end with the same number of species, you will rejoice in your shared victory (and split the flat or we’ll figure something out)!
Botany newbie and/or dumbphone user? No worries! We will help identify any plants you see, and you can upload photos through the website without need for a smartphone. Just snap a photo and upload it to iNaturalist.org and identify as best as you can, even if that’s just “violet” or “plant.” Here is a helpful guide with photos and descriptions of all the species on the list (and potential sighting locations ;).
Help others get to research grade by confirming their observations!
Rules
- 1. Species must be on the List of Spring Wildflowers in the Chicago Wilderness Region (download CSV)1
- 2. Observation must be in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, or Michigan
- 3. Must be observed between the dates of April 3rd, 2014 and May 31st, 2014
- 4. Observation must be research grade. That means it must be “wild” and that you need a photo, date, species identification, location, and for someone else to confirm your observation!
| Family | Scientific Name | Common Name |
|---|---|---|
| Ranunculaceae | Actaea pachypoda | white baneberry |
| Ranunculaceae | Actaea rubra | red baneberry |
| Primulaceae | Androsace occidentalis | western rock-jasmine |
| Ranunculaceae | Anemone acutiloba | sharp-lobed hepatica |
| Ranunculaceae | Anemone caroliniana | Carolina thimbleweed |
| Ranunculaceae | Anemone multifida | Pacific anemone |
| Ranunculaceae | Anemone patens | pasqueflower |
| Ranunculaceae | Anemone quinquefolia | wood anemone |
| Asteraceae | Antennaria neglecta | field pussytoes |
| Ranunculaceae | Aquilegia canadensis | wild columbine |
| Brassicaceae | Arabidopsis lyrata | lyre-leaved rock cress |
| Araceae | Arisaema dracontium | dragon arum |
| Araceae | Arisaema triphyllum | Jack-in-the-pulpit |
| Aristolochiaceae | Asarum canadense | Canadian wild ginger |
| Fabaceae | Baptisia bracteata | plains indigo |
| Scrophulariaceae | Besseya bullii | kitten tails |
| Brassicaceae | Boechera laevigata | smooth rock cress |
| Araceae | Calla palustris | bog arum |
| Ranunculaceae | Caltha palustris | marsh-marigold |
| Agavaceae | Camassia scilloides | atlantic camas |
| Brassicaceae | Cardamine bulbosa | spring cress |
| Brassicaceae | Cardamine concatenata | cutleaf toothwort |
| Brassicaceae | Cardamine diphylla | broadleaf toothwort |
| Brassicaceae | Cardamine douglassii | purple cress |
| Brassicaceae | Cardamine pensylvanica | Pennsylvania bittercress |
| Brassicaceae | Cardamine pratensis | cuckooflower |
| Berberidaceae | Caulophyllum thalictroides | blue cohosh |
| Ericaceae | Chamaedaphne calyculata | leatherleaf |
| Saxifragaceae | Chrysosplenium americanum | American golden saxifrage |
| Montiaceae | Claytonia virginica | spring beauty |
| Lamiaceae | Clinopodium arkansanum | limestone calamint |
| Plantaginaceae | Collinsia verna | spring blue-eyed Mary |
| Comandraceae | Comandra umbellata | bastard toadflax |
| Orobanchaceae | Conopholis americana | American cancer-root |
| Ranunculaceae | Coptis trifolia | threeleaf goldthread |
| Papaveraceae | Corydalis aurea | golden corydalis |
| Papaveraceae | Corydalis micrantha | slender corydalis |
| Orchidaceae | Cypripedium acaule | pink lady’s slipper |
| Orchidaceae | Cypripedium candidum | small white lady’s-slipper |
| Ranunculaceae | Delphinium tricorne | dwarf larkspur |
| Papaveraceae | Dicentra canadensis | squirrel corn |
| Papaveraceae | Dicentra cucullaria | Dutchman’s breeches |
| Primulaceae | Dodecatheon meadia | eastern shooting-star |
| Brassicaceae | Draba reptans | Carolina draba |
| Ranunculaceae | Enemion biternatum | false rue anemone |
| Ericaceae | Epigaea repens | trailing arbutus |
| Apiaceae | Erigenia bulbosa | harbinger of spring |
| Liliaceae | Erythronium albidum | small white fawnlily |
| Liliaceae | Erythronium americanum | trout lily |
| Limnanthaceae | Floerkea proserpinacoides | false mermaid |
| Rosaceae | Fragaria virginiana | mountain strawberry |
| Rubiaceae | Galium aparine | cleavers |
| Ericaceae | Gaultheria hispidula | creeping snowberry |
| Geraniaceae | Geranium maculatum | spotted geranium |
| Rosaceae | Geum triflorum | prairie smoke |
| Rosaceae | Geum vernum | spring avens |
| Saxifragaceae | Heuchera richardsonii | prairie alumroot |
| Violaceae | Hybanthus concolor | eastern greenviolet |
| Ranunculaceae | Hydrastis canadensis | goldenseal |
| Boraginaceae | Hydrophyllum macrophyllum | largeleaf waterleaf |
| Boraginaceae | Hydrophyllum virginianum | Virginia waterleaf |
| Hypoxidaceae | Hypoxis hirsuta | yellow star grass |
| Berberidaceae | Jeffersonia diphylla | twinleaf |
| Boraginaceae | Lithospermum canescens | hoary puccoon |
| Boraginaceae | Lithospermum caroliniense | hairy puccoon |
| Boraginaceae | Lithospermum incisum | narrowleaf puccoon |
| Boraginaceae | Lithospermum latifolium | woodland puccoon |
| Asparagaceae | Maianthemum canadense | wild lily-of-the-valley |
| Asparagaceae | Maianthemum racemosum | false solomon’s seal |
| Asparagaceae | Maianthemum stellatum | star-flowered lily-of-the-valley |
| Menyanthaceae | Menyanthes trifoliata | bog-bean |
| Boraginaceae | Mertensia virginica | virginia bluebells |
| Saxifragaceae | Mitella diphylla | twoleaf miterwort |
| Caryophyllaceae | Moehringia lateriflora | grove sandwort |
| Orobanchaceae | Orobanche uniflora | naked broomrape |
| Oxalidaceae | Oxalis violacea | violet woodsorrel |
| Orobanchaceae | Pedicularis canadensis | wood betony |
| Polemoniaceae | Phlox bifida | cleft phlox |
| Polemoniaceae | Phlox divaricata | blue phlox |
| Polemoniaceae | Phlox pilosa | prairie phlox |
| Plantaginaceae | Plantago cordata | heartleaf plantain |
| Berberidaceae | Podophyllum peltatum | mayapple |
| Polemoniaceae | Polemonium reptans | Jacob’s ladder |
| Polygalaceae | Polygala senega | Seneca snakeroot |
| Asparagaceae | Polygonatum biflorum | Solomon’s seal |
| Asparagaceae | Polygonatum pubescens | hairy Solomon’s-seal |
| Rosaceae | Potentilla simplex | common cinquefoil |
| Ranunculaceae | Pulsatilla patens | eastern pasqueflower |
| Ranunculaceae | Ranunculus abortivus | small-flowered crowfoot |
| Ranunculaceae | Ranunculus fascicularis | early buttercup |
| Ranunculaceae | Ranunculus flabellaris | yellow watercrowfoot |
| Ranunculaceae | Ranunculus hispidus | bristly buttercup |
| Ranunculaceae | Ranunculus rhomboideus | prairie crowfoot |
| Ranunculaceae | Ranunculus sceleratus | celeryleaf buttercup |
| Papaveraceae | Sanguinaria canadensis | bloodroot |
| Iridaceae | Sisyrinchium albidum | white blue-eyed grass |
| Iridaceae | Sisyrinchium angustifolium | narrow-leaved blue-eyed grass |
| Iridaceae | Sisyrinchium atlanticum | eastern blue-eyed grass |
| Iridaceae | Sisyrinchium campestre | prairie blue-eyed grass |
| Iridaceae | Sisyrinchium montanum | strict blue-eyed grass |
| Caryophyllaceae | Stellaria pubera | star chickweed |
| Araceae | Symplocarpus foetidus | eastern skunk cabbage |
| Apiaceae | Taenidia integerrima | yellow pimpernel |
| Asteraceae | Tetraneuris herbacea | lakeside daisy |
| Ranunculaceae | Thalictrum dioicum | early meadow-rue |
| Ranunculaceae | Thalictrum thalictroides | rue-anemone |
| Saxifragaceae | Tiarella cordifolia | heartleaf foamflower |
| Commelinaceae | Tradescantia ohiensis | bluejacket |
| Myrsinaceae | Trientalis borealis | starflower |
| Melanthiaceae | Trillium flexipes | nodding wakerobin |
| Melanthiaceae | Trillium grandiflorum | large white trillium |
| Melanthiaceae | Trillium nivale | snow trillium |
| Melanthiaceae | Trillium recurvatum | prairie trillium |
| Colchicaceae | Uvularia grandiflora | large-flower bellwort |
| Colchicaceae | Uvularia sessilifolia | sessile bellwort |
| Valerianaceae | Valeriana edulis | sand violet |
| Violaceae | Viola affinis | sand violet |
| Violaceae | Viola blanda | sweet white violet |
| Violaceae | Viola canadensis | canada violet |
| Violaceae | Viola cucullata | marsh blue violet |
| Violaceae | Viola labradorica | alpine violet |
| Violaceae | Viola lanceolata | white bog violet |
| Violaceae | Viola macloskeyi | small white violet |
| Violaceae | Viola pallens | smooth white violet |
| Violaceae | Viola pedata | bird’s-foot violet |
| Violaceae | Viola pedatifida | prairie violet |
| Violaceae | Viola pubescens | downy yellow violet |
| Violaceae | Viola rostrata | long-spurred violet |
| Violaceae | Viola sagittata | arrowleaf violet |
| Violaceae | Viola sororia | woolly blue violet |
| Violaceae | Viola striata | cream violet |
Prizes
The person with the most species will get a NativeScape Combo Kit, donated by Pizzo Native Plant Nursery. The kit will contain 38 native plants of your choice (two or three species of what is available) to create a Sun, Shade, or Rain Garden.
| Achievement | Username |
|---|---|
| Most Species Observed | See Above for a Running Tally |
| First to find Erigenia bulbosa, the harbinger of spring | illinoisbotanizer on April 9th in Giant City State Park |
Please let us (habitat2030@gmail.com) know if you have any questions, comments, or ideas!
1Contact us if you think something should be added or removed. I’ve limited it to species within the Chicago Wilderness region because this is where the vast majority of Habitat 2030 members live.