Native Wildflower Scavenger Hunt

June 20, 2025

Summer is here and it’s the perfect time to celebrate the little creatures that keep our world blooming. Pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and flies help plants grow and reproduce, including the foods we eat every day! In fact, as much as one-third of the food and drink we enjoy depends on pollinators.

One way that we can support our busy, buzzing buddies how they support us is by learning about native wildflowers, the natural wonders growing in Minnesota that are a local pollinator’s ideal companion. Plus, since these plants are well-suited for our ecosystem, you might be able to spot more of them outside than you’d think!

Take a Walk on the Wild(flower) Side

We’ve created a Native Wildflower Scavenger Hunt with our young cooperators in mind. Grab a walking pal, slather on the sunscreen, and print off or screenshot our checklist to see what beauties you can find on your next hike.

Purple Coneflower

A favorite of bees and butterflies, these flowers have a cone-shaped center with 15 to 20 pink to light purple petals that droop and curl downward. They have hairy stems with leaves that feel rough, are scattered, and get smaller towards the top.
Blooms: June to October

Black-eyed Susan

These sunny flowers are part of the sunflower family (and it shows)! They’re bright yellow with a dark “eye” in the middle. While much smaller than your typical sunflowers, they thrive in full sun like their cousin.
Blooms: June to October

Yarrow

Yarrow comes in tons of colors, like white, pink, red, and yellow. You’ll be able to recognize them by tightly packed clusters of tiny flowers and fern-like leaves. These persistent perennials are drought-resistant, and easy to spot once you know the look.
Blooms: June to September

Wild Blue Phlox

Look for five-petaled blue or purple flowers in small clusters. Each petal has a narrow base that forms a little tube, and the leaves on its stem grow in pairs. These flowers bloom early, making them especially important for pollinators waking up in the spring!
Blooms: April to June (but you might see them all summer)

Milkweed

Milkweed is a pollinator MVP, as it is the only source of food for monarch caterpillars. You can tell it’s milkweed by its tall stems, orb-like clusters of small flowers, and oval leaves growing opposite each other. If you (gently) break a leaf or stem, you’ll see the milky sap for which it is named.
Blooms: June to August

Goldenrod

A go-to flower for late summer pollinators, goldenrod has bright, yellow flowers clustered in pyramid-like shapes on top of its stems. One plant can hold hundreds of tiny flowers, and you’ll often find it buzzing with bees and beetles.
Blooms: July to September

Want to do more to help pollinators? Here’s a few simple ways you can support our small yet mighty friends:

Plant native wildflowers in your yard or at school (be sure to check with an adult first).
If you can, skip the pesticides!
In the spring, leave your yard waste and fallen leaves on the ground until nighttime temps reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit on average. This gives pollinators shelter when the weather is still too cold for them.
Put out a shallow dish of water with stones and twigs where bees and butterflies can land to give them a spot for a hydrating refresher.