Where to find native Minnesota wildflowers

Bunchberry flowers at Jay Cooke State Park.
Bunchberry flowers at Jay Cooke State Park.
Courtesy of Kelly Povo

If you want to see native Minnesota wildflowers this weekend, you should head to Jay Cooke or Banning state parks. That's the expert recommendation of writer Phyllis Root and photographer Kelly Povo.

The two are the authors of "Searching for Minnesota's Native Wildflowers: A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between," published by University of Minnesota Press.

On a recent wildflower road trip, Root and Povo saw trillium, large-flowered bellwort, marsh marigolds, jack in the pulpit, bluebead lilies, starflowers, bunchberries and Canada mayflowers at those two state parks.

Butterwort flower
A carnivorous butterwort flower.
Courtesy of Kelly Povo

And if you want to see a rare carnivorous plant, go to Gooseberry Falls State Park on the North Shore of Lake Superior and look for a butterwort.

The wildflower enthusiasts discussed their passion with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.

To listen to their conversation, click the audio player above.

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