USDA Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers

Eastern Region

inland lake in July in Michigan.
Inland lake in Michigan in July. Photo by U.S. Forest Service.

sand cherry.
Sand Cherry (Prunus pumila). Moquah Pine Barrens, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Photo by Jeff Cate.

big and little bluestem in December along a National Forest road.
Big and little bluestem in December. Photo by U.S. Forest Service.

The region is rich in Native American history and culture. French voyagers and English explorers traveled the region's truly huge water bodies, such as the Ohio River, Mississippi River, and the Great Lakes. They initiated missionaries, fur trading, and timbering.

Islands of green in a sea of people, the Eastern Region is the most geographically, ecologically, and socially diverse area in the United States. Regional boundaries contain 20 states with over 43% of the nation's population, making it the most urban. Nine of the top 20 metropolitan areas in the U.S. are within the Region's boundary. National Forest boundaries include 24 million acres of land, although only one of every two acres within these boundaries is National Forest land. Management of the 12 eastern National Forests is thus extremely complex.

The Eastern Region is rich in water with over 10,000 lakes, 15,000 miles of streams, and 2 million acres of wetlands. The 12 million acres of national forest system lands are among the largest contiguous blocks of public lands. They are very rich in biological diversity and harbor 550 Regional Forester Sensitive Plants and 13 federally threatened or endangered plants. Community types include: boreal forests; tall grass prairie; pine barrens; shoreline along three Great Lakes; central hardwood forests; glades; bogs; Appalachian foothills; the White Mountains; some of the most extensive virgin forests in the eastern U.S., and so much more.

Wildflower Viewing Areas for the Eastern Region

Viewing Area National Forest or Grassland Region State
National Scenic Byway: State Route 59 Allegheny Eastern Pennsylvania
Argonne Experimental Forest Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Barksdale Ponds Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Bearsdale Creek and Hyatt Springs Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Diamond Roof Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Drummond Woods Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Elk River Valley Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Hagar Mountain Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Headwater Lakes Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Lauterman Lake Trail Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Moquah Pine Barrens Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Namekagon Fen Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
St. Peters Dome / Morgan Falls Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Twin Lakes Bog and Pine Forest Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Yellow River Ice-Walled Lake Plain Chequamegon-Nicolet Eastern Wisconsin
Pennington Bog Chippewa Eastern Minnesota
Stony Point on Leech Lake Chippewa Eastern Minnesota
Dukes Demonstration Forest Walking Nature Trail Dukes Experimental Forest Eastern Michigan
Gorge Trail Finger Lakes Eastern New York
Leicester Hollow Green Mountain Eastern Vermont
Rochester Ranger District Gardens Green Mountain Eastern Vermont
Au Train Songbird Trail Hiawatha Eastern Michigan
Grand Island National Recreation Area (NRA) Hiawatha Eastern Michigan
Munising Ranger District Native Garden Hiawatha Eastern Michigan
Pointe Aux Chenes Natural Area Hiawatha Eastern Michigan
St. Ignace Ranger District Native Plant Garden Hiawatha Eastern Michigan
Boone Creek Special Area Hoosier Eastern Indiana
Charles C. Deam Wilderness Hoosier Eastern Indiana
Clover Lick Special Area Hoosier Eastern Indiana
Haskins Tract Hoosier Eastern Indiana
Tell City Ranger District Pollinator Garden Hoosier Eastern Indiana
Chittenden Pollinator Gardens Huron-Manistee Eastern Michigan
Idlewild Barrens Huron-Manistee Eastern Michigan
Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary Huron-Manistee Eastern Michigan
Glade Top Trail Mark Twain Eastern Missouri
Grasshopper Hollow Natural Area Mark Twain Eastern Missouri
Greer Spring Trail Mark Twain Eastern Missouri
Western Star Flatwoods Mark Twain Eastern Missouri
Prairie Creek Woods Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Eastern Illinois
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area Monongahela Eastern West Virginia
Cranberry Mountain Nature Center: Native Plant and Pollinator Garden Monongahela Eastern West Virginia
Dolly Sods Monongahela Eastern West Virginia
Highland Scenic Highway Monongahela Eastern West Virginia
Mylius Trail Monongahela Eastern West Virginia
Bergland Cultural Heritage Center Native Plant and Pollinator Garden Ottawa Eastern Michigan
Black River Harbor Area Ottawa Eastern Michigan
Imp Lake Trail Ottawa Eastern Michigan
Ottawa Visitor Center Native Plant and Pollinator Upland and Wetland Gardens Ottawa Eastern Michigan
Wolf Mountain Hiking Trail Ottawa Eastern Michigan
Bell Smith Springs Recreation Area Shawnee Eastern Illinois
LaRue Pine Hills Shawnee Eastern Illinois
Pounds Hollow Ecological Area Shawnee Eastern Illinois
Simpson Township Barrens Shawnee Eastern Illinois
Echo Lake Campground Hiking Trail Superior Eastern Minnesota
Fall River Patterned Fen Superior Eastern Minnesota
Kawishiwi Native Garden Superior Eastern Minnesota
Magnetic Rock Superior Eastern Minnesota
Oberg Mountain Trail Superior Eastern Minnesota
Stub Lake Trail Superior Eastern Minnesota
Lake Vesuvius Rock House Trail Wayne Eastern Ohio
Wildcat Hollow Trail Wayne Eastern Ohio
Androscoggin Ranger Station White Mountain Eastern New Hampshire
Black Mountain White Mountain Eastern New Hampshire
Lincoln Woods Native Plant Pollinator Garden White Mountain Eastern New Hampshire
Mount Washington White Mountain Eastern New Hampshire
Saco Ranger Station Viewing Garden White Mountain Eastern New Hampshire
Sawyer Pond Trail White Mountain Eastern New Hampshire
White Brook Fen White Mountain Eastern New Hampshire

Rare Plant Conservation Success Stories

Wildflower Links

Wildflower Photographs

red columbine.
Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). Huron-Manistee National Forest. Photo by Larry Stritch.

wild ginger.
Wild ginger (Asarum canadense). Monongahela National Forest. Photo by T.G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database.

pawpaw.
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Hoosier National Forest. Photo by Wayne Owen.

blue bead lily.
Blue bead lily (Clintonia borealis). Ottawa National Forest. Photo by T.G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database.

bunchberry.
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis). Superior National Forest. Photo by Erin Heep.

pink lady's slipper.
Pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule). White Mountain National Forest. Photo by T.G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database.

White lady's slipper.
White lady's slipper (Cypripedium candidum). Midewin Tall Grass Prairie. Photo by T.G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database.

squirrel corn.
Squirrel corn (Dicentra canadensis). Monongahela National Forest. Photo by T.G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database.

yellow coneflower.
Yellow coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa). Mark Twain National Forest. Photo by T.G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database.

hepatica.
Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba). Green Mountain National Forest. Photo by Diane Burbank.

Northern plains blazing star.
Northern plains blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis). Chequamegon National Forest. Photo by Larry Rantula.

gaywings.
Gaywings (Polygala pauciflora). Allegheny National Forest. Photo by Penny Stritch.

purple pitcher plant.
Purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea). Chippewa National Forest. Photo by Rhonda Stewart.

fire pink.
Fire pink (Silene virginica). Wayne National Forest. Photo by T.G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database.

star flower.
Star flower (Trientalis borealis). Finger Lakes. Photo by Penny Stritch.

nodding wakerobin.
Nodding wakerobin (Trillium flexipes). Shawnee National Forest. Photo by Penny Stritch.

Canadian violet.
Canadian violet (Viola canadensis). Hiawatha National Forest. Photo by Larry Stritch.

bird's-foot violet.
Bird's-foot violet (Viola pedata). Mark Twain National Forest. Photo by Larry Stritch.

U.S. Forest Service
Rangeland Management
Botany Program
1400 Independence Ave., SW, Mailstop Code: 1103
Washington DC 20250-1103

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Location: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/eastern/index.php
Last modified: October 10, 2012