Field notes from the author of 60 Hikes Madison and Hiking Wisconsin
bladder campion blue blue flower blue iris blue wildflowers colombine flower fall fuschia hiking invasive lilies of wisconsin may apple mayapple berries mayapple leaf native nonnative northern iris orange wildflowers perennial pink prairie pointers prairie smoke photo purple purple avens photo purple flowers purple shooting star purple wildflowers red red trillium red wildflower river spring strawberry flowers summer violet violets white white shooting star flowers white wildflowers wild strawberries wild violets wisconsin state flower wisconsin trillium yellow yellow wildflower
Appears: Spring
Native to Wisconsin
Found in sandy soil over limestone bedrock with decent sunlight. It is an endangered plant and only grows in the Great Lakes region, and that even sparingly. One reliable place to see a Dwarf Lake Iris in Wisconsin is at The Ridges Sanctuary in Door County in Baileys Harbor. The tiny flower is about 1.5 inches in diameter and it skirts the line between purple and blue.
