Wildflowers I've Seen

Hairy Bittercress

(Cardamine hirsuta) – Small rosette, tiny white flowers, explosive pods; lawns/disturbed soils. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible (peppery greens like cress).

White Clover

(Trifolium repens) – Low creeping, white flower heads; lawns/fields. Autotroph + nitrogen-fixer.
Uses: Forage, soil improvement, edible flowers/leaves (tea).

Red Clover

(Trifolium pratense) – Upright, pink-purple flowers; meadows. Autotroph + nitrogen-fixer.
Uses: Forage, medicinal tea (traditionally for respiratory/skin support).

Common Dandelion

(Taraxacum officinale) – Yellow flowers, milky sap; ubiquitous. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible (leaves, roots, flowers), coffee substitute, liver tonic.

Wild Carrot/Queen Anne’s Lace

(Daucus carota) – Lacy leaves, white umbels; fields. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible root (young); caution—resembles poison hemlock.

Spring Beauty

(Claytonia virginica) – Pink-striped flowers; spring woods. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible tubers (“fairy spuds”).

*Daffodil NIB POISONOUS

(Narcissus spp.) – Bulb plant; ornamental. Autotroph.
Uses: Ornamental only; toxic.

*Lesser Celandine

(Ficaria verna) – Shiny leaves, invasive in moist woods. Autotroph.
Uses: Historically medicinal; toxic raw.

Cutleaf Toothwort

(Cardamine concatenata) – Spring mustard with deeply cut leaves and white-pink flowers. Rich woods. Autotroph; spring ephemeral.
Uses: Peppery edible greens/rhizomes.

Common Blue Violet

(Viola sororia / V. papilionacea) – Heart-shaped leaves, blue-violet flowers. Lawns/woods edges. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible flowers/leaves; ornamental; host plant for fritillary butterflies.

Oxeye Daisy

(Leucanthemum vulgare) – White daisy with yellow center. Fields. Autotroph.
Uses: Ornamental; minor edible use.

Yellow Trout Lily

(Erythronium americanum) – Spring ephemeral with mottled, trout-like leaves and nodding yellow lily flowers with recurved petals. Found in rich deciduous forests, often forming large colonies. Autotroph; spring ephemeral with underground corm; commonly mycorrhizal.
Uses: Limited—leaves and corms historically eaten in small amounts, but overharvesting is a concern; primarily valued as a native woodland wildflower and early pollinator resource.

Grape Hyacinth

(Muscari spp.) – Small bulb plant with dense blue flower spikes. Gardens. Autotroph; bulb storage.
Uses: Ornamental.

Greek Anemone

(Anemone blanda) – Low spring flower with daisy-like blooms. Gardens. Autotroph; tuberous.
Uses: Ornamental.

Small-Flowered Buttercup

(Ranunculus abortivus) – Tiny pale yellow flowers; moist woods. Autotroph.
Uses: Generally not edible (toxic compounds).

Plantain-leaved Pussytoes

(Antennaria plantaginifolia) – Low plant with fuzzy leaves, white flower clusters. Dry woods. Autotroph.
Uses: Minor traditional medicinal.

Purple Dead Nettle

(Lamium purpureum) – Small mint with square stems, fuzzy heart-shaped leaves (often purple-tinged), and pink-purple tubular flowers. Common in lawns and disturbed soils. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible (mild greens, tea); medicinal (anti-inflammatory, mild astringent).

Small Flowered Bitter Cress

(Cardamine parviflora) – Slender mustard with tiny white flowers; wet soils, stream edges. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible peppery greens (less commonly used than other Cardamine).

Squirrel Corn

(Dicentra canadensis) – Finely divided leaves, white heart-shaped flowers with yellow tips; small corn-like bulblets underground. Woodland ephemeral. Autotroph; spring ephemeral.
Uses: No common edible use; toxic.

Dutchman’s Breeches

(Dicentra cucullaria) – Fern-like leaves, white “pant-shaped” flowers. Rich woods in early spring. Autotroph; spring ephemeral.
Uses: Ornamental; toxic.

Sharp-lobed Hepatica

(Hepatica acutiloba) – Small woodland plant with 3-lobed leaves and early blue/purple/white flowers. Dry to mesic woods. Autotroph; evergreen basal leaves; mycorrhizal associations common.
Uses: Ornamental; limited historical medicinal use.

*Periwinkle

(Vinca minor) – Low evergreen vine with glossy leaves and blue-purple flowers. Shaded groundcover. Autotroph; spreads vegetatively.
Uses: Ornamental; mildly toxic.

Bloodroot

(Sanguinaria canadensis) – Spring ephemeral with single white flower and deeply lobed leaf; red sap in rhizome. Rich woods. Autotroph; spring ephemeral.
Uses: Traditional medicinal/dye; toxic if ingested improperly.

Moss Phlox

(Phlox subulata) – Low, mat-forming plant with needle-like leaves and bright pink/purple/white flowers. Dry, rocky slopes and gardens. Autotroph; spreading groundcover.
Uses: Ornamental; pollinator support.

Rue Anemone

(Thalictrum thalictroides) – Delicate spring woodland plant with whorled leaves and small white to pink petal-like sepals (often mistaken for wood anemones). Found in rich deciduous forests. Autotroph; spring ephemeral.
Uses: Primarily ornamental and ecological value; not considered edible (mildly toxic like many in the buttercup family).

Blue/Woodland Phlox

(Phlox divaricata) – Loose clusters of pale blue to lavender flowers; soft leaves. Moist woodlands. Autotroph.
Uses: Ornamental; early pollinator plant.

Carolina Vetch

(Vicia caroliniana) – Climbing vine with pea-like white to pale flowers. Woodland edges. Autotroph + nitrogen-fixer.
Uses: Wildlife forage; minor edible potential (like other vetches, use caution).

Azure Bluet

(Houstonia caerulea) – Tiny delicate plant with pale blue flowers and yellow centers. Lawns, open woods. Autotroph.
Uses: Ornamental; aesthetic/ecological value.

Smooth Yellow Violet

(Viola eriocarpa) – Woodland violet with yellow flowers and heart-shaped leaves. Rich woods. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible leaves and flowers.

Virginia Bluebells

(Mertensia virginica) – Smooth blue bell-shaped flowers that emerge pink; lush foliage. Floodplains, moist woods. Autotroph; spring ephemeral.
Uses: Edible leaves when young (mild); ornamental; important pollinator plant.

Jacob’s Ladder

(Polemonium reptans) – Woodland plant with ladder-like pinnate leaves and clusters of blue, bell-shaped flowers. Found in rich, moist deciduous forests and floodplains. Autotroph; often forms mycorrhizal associations.
Uses: Ornamental; historically used in herbal medicine (mild sedative/anti-inflammatory), though not commonly used today.

Purple Cress/Limestone Bittercress

(Cardamine douglasii) – Spring mustard with pale pink to purple flowers and slender stems; often found in rich woodlands, especially over calcareous soils. Autotroph; spring ephemeral tendencies.
Uses: Edible peppery greens (similar to other Cardamine species).

Round-lobed Hepatica

(Hepatica americana) – Small woodland plant with 3-lobed leaves (rounded tips) and early spring flowers ranging from blue to purple, pink, or white. Found in dry to mesic deciduous forests. Autotroph; evergreen basal leaves; commonly mycorrhizal.
Uses: Primarily ornamental and ecological value; limited historical medicinal use; not considered edible.

Common Blue Violet

(Viola sororia) – Low-growing plant with heart-shaped leaves and blue-violet (sometimes white) flowers. Common in lawns, woodland edges, and open forests. Autotroph; spreads by seeds and rhizomes; often mycorrhizal.
Uses: Edible leaves and flowers (salads, teas, syrups); ornamental; important host plant for fritillary butterfly larvae.

Toadshade

(Trillium sessile) – Maroon to reddish flower sitting directly on leaves (no stalk). Woodlands. Autotroph; mycorrhizal.
Uses: Ornamental; not edible.

Star Chickweed

(Stellaria pubera) – Delicate woodland plant with opposite leaves and small white star-like flowers with deeply divided petals. Found in moist deciduous forests, especially in spring. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible greens when young (similar to common chickweed); also of ecological value as an early-season understory plant.

Spring Blue-Eyed Mary

(Collinsia verna) – Low spring annual with opposite leaves and small blue-and-white tubular flowers arranged in whorls along the stem. Found in rich deciduous woodlands, often in moist soils. Autotroph; spring ephemeral/early-season annual.
Uses: Primarily ecological and ornamental value; supports early pollinators.

Common Chickweed

(Stellaria media) – Small, moist shady areas. Autotroph.
Uses: Edible; medicinal (skin soothing).

Marsh Marigold

(Caltha palustris) – Bright yellow, buttercup-like flowers with glossy, rounded leaves; found in wetlands, stream edges, and floodplains in early spring. Autotroph; rhizomatous; wetland specialist.
Uses: Historically eaten as a cooked green (must be properly prepared to remove toxins); toxic raw. Also valued as an ornamental wetland plant and early pollinator resource.

Cream Violet

(Viola striata) – Slender woodland violet with pale cream to white flowers marked with purple veins; prefers moist, rich forests and floodplains. Autotroph; often mycorrhizal.
Uses: Edible leaves and flowers; ecological value as a native understory species.

Northern Blue Violet

(Viola septentrionalis) – Low-growing violet with heart-shaped leaves and blue to purple flowers; found in woodlands and shaded habitats. Autotroph; often mycorrhizal.
Uses: Edible leaves and flowers; ornamental; supports pollinators and butterfly larvae.

Golden Ragwort

(Packera aurea) – Basal rosette with rounded to heart-shaped leaves and clusters of bright yellow daisy-like flowers on tall stems; found in moist woods, floodplains, and wetlands. Autotroph; rhizomatous.
Uses: Primarily ornamental and ecological (pollinator support); contains toxic alkaloids— not edible.

Roundleaf Ragwort

(Packera obovata) – Similar to golden ragwort but with more distinctly rounded basal leaves; grows in drier woodlands and rocky slopes. Autotroph; rhizomatous.
Uses: Ornamental/ecological value; toxic (pyrrolizidine alkaloids), not edible.

Drooping Trillium

(Trillium flexipes) – Woodland perennial with three broad leaves and a nodding (drooping) white flower on a curved stalk; petals may age to pink. Found in rich deciduous forests. Autotroph; mycorrhizal; slow-growing perennial.
Uses: Ornamental and ecological value; not edible (like other trilliums, can be harmful and often protected).

Dwarf Larkspur

(Delphinium tricorne) – Early spring woodland plant with deeply divided leaves and spikes of blue to purple flowers with backward-pointing spurs. Found in rich deciduous forests. Autotroph; spring ephemeral.
Uses: Toxic (contains alkaloids); not edible. Occasionally noted in traditional medicine, but generally avoided; valued for its ecological role and pollinator support.

Creeping Phlox

(Phlox subulata) – Low, mat-forming plant with needle-like leaves and abundant pink, purple, or white flowers in early spring; common on dry, rocky slopes and in gardens. Autotroph; spreading groundcover.
Uses: Ornamental; supports early pollinators.