And cascading throughout Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens are magnolias, lilacs, cherries, viburnum, and perennials. You can also venture down to Hocking Hills State Park for the Wildflowers and Waterfall Hike, which happen every weekday from April 23-29.Ĭolumbus Blooms at Franklin Park Conservatory in ColumbusĪt central Ohio's preeminent outdoor floral exhibition, more than 125,000 tulips, narcissus, pansies, and other blossoming beauties are displayed throughout the botanical gardens. Several state parks - like Harrison Lake Sate Park in Fayette on March 27 and Rocky Fork State Park in Hillsboro on April 1 - will guide you along the trails in search for these signs of spring. If you're looking for some family-friendly flower fun, check out their Ohio's Spring and Summer Wildflower Activity Book.įor those explorers wanting to stretch their legs, try one of the Wildflower Hikes. You can also learn more by reading through the Wildflower Field Guide, and keep track of what you see with the Wildflower Checklist from the ODNR's website. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ( ODNR) highlights the best places for viewing wildflowers in the weekly Ohio Wildflower Bloom Report. Wildflower season starts in southern Ohio around late March and steadily progresses northward through the middle of May. While these wildflowers are endangered, you can usually find them in the wet prairies and marshes of southern and western Ohio. Or explore the trails at Sycamore State Park in Trotwood to a change to see Prairie Ironweed. Head to Beaver Creek State Park in Columbiana County to see White trilliums, a large white flower atop three green leaves. You can gaze upon tiny, pink-striped Spring Beauty ( Claytonia virginica) flowers at Goll Woods State Nature Preserve in Fulton County or the purple Sharp-lobed Hepatica ( Hepatica acutiloba) that all-too-briefly bloom at Caesar Creek State Park in Waynesville. But their delicate blossoms and the incredible colors of native wildflowers are well worth the effort.

The botanical names of Ohio's spring wildflowers– including Claytonia virginica and Hepatica acutiloba – often sound exotic, and their locations on the forest floor mean that you'll probably have to hike a trail or a hillside to find them. Photo credit: ODNR Wildflowers at Ohio State Parks and Nature Preserves Is there a more splendid sign that springtime has arrived than the bright and beautiful colors of the season's flowering bulbs and blossoms? Immerse yourself in the gloriously golden daffodils, take in a tantalizing array of tulips, and bask in beguiling wildflowers at these Ohio destinations.

Pretty flower scenery