A wildflower tour of the Iowa Great Lakes region

Jeff Ewoldt grew up in northwest Iowa, currently practices law in Des Moines, and has always had a keen interest in nature and conservation. He thanks Lora Conrad for her dedication and assistance in providing identifications of most of the species shown here.

The Iowa Great Lakes region is known as one of Iowa’s preeminent tourist destinations, where recreational opportunities abound on the glacier-carved chain of lakes that most summertime visitors and year-round residents call “Okoboji.” During the growing season, the area is also a haven for wildflowers. While visiting last month, I observed many native plants in the region’s numerous nature preserves and along undeveloped shorelines.

On that particular weekend, the initial draw to northwest Iowa wasn’t the Lakes, but rather the Clay County Fair in Spencer, my hometown. I managed to find a few wildflower photo opportunities on the fairgrounds, particularly at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ display outside of the Sundholm Environmental Cabin.

This was just a prelude to the many additional wildflowers observed when, on Saturday, September 14, I ventured north into Dickinson County, my only plans being (1) to find some tacos for lunch; and (2) enjoy the outdoors.

My first stop was the Lower Gar State Recreation Area, a sliver of undeveloped woodland adjacent to Lower Gar Lake, the southernmost lake in the chain (which takes its name from a type of fish). There, near the shorelines of both Lower Gar and neighboring Lake Minnewashta, I saw many fine examples of our native panicled aster, as well as blue wood aster, one or more species of wild rose, water smartweed, nodding beggarticks, and sumac. While there were still some bare spots among the woods—the apparent aftermath of June floodwater—I was pleased to see that in most places the plant life had survived the deluge.

Panicled aster (Symphyotricum lanceolatum):

Blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium):

Wild rose, probably Rosa blanda given the absence of prickles, with its bright red rose hips, the accessory fruit that develops after the rose petals drop:

Water smartweed (Persicaria amphibia), a much prettier plant than the more common Pennsylvania smartweed.

Nodding beggarticks (Bidens cernua), commonly found near water:

A species of sumac, possibly smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), often one of the earliest species in the region to show vibrant Fall color.

Lower Gar lakeshore scene:

After traipsing around Lower Gar, I proceeded farther north along the Iowa Great Lakes Spine Trail to an area known as the “Causeway,” where East Lake Okoboji meets the West Lake underneath the Highway 71 bridge. This area also marks the boundary between the towns of Arnold’s Park and Okoboji, as announced by a large stone monument in the parking lot of Clair Wilson Park.

The space in front of the sign was seeded with New England asters and some fading purple coneflowers, but I was more intrigued by the hardy bursts of yellow swaying in the breeze along the East Lake’s rocky shore. These turned out to be stiff-leaved goldenrod. Also spotted among the veritable bramble growing up through the rocks was a colony of gray-headed coneflowers, sowthistle, and some truly magnificent specimens of mullein standing six feet tall or more.

New England asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae):

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea):

Three views of Stiff-leaved goldenrod (Solidago rigida):

Gray-headed or Prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

Sowthistle tangled among various vines and other species:

Two views of common Mullein (Verbascum sp.):

My next stop on this impromptu wildflower excursion was the Templar State Recreation Area along the expansive western shore of Big Spirit Lake, largest of the Iowa Great Lakes. From the 1890s until the late 1970s, the site was occupied by a massive hotel privately owned and operated by the Knights Templar for their members and families. Fire destroyed the original hotel, its replacement was demolished in 1977, and a portion of the land was sold to the state the following year. The original monolithic arched gateway to the property, crowned with Spanish tile, remains standing and is a local landmark.

On the day I was there, the gate was flanked by diminutive asters and a marshy area full of sawtooth sunflowers that seemed to soar high in the sky between the sun and my camera.

Asters hugging the ground near the Templar Park main gate.

Sawtooth sunflowers (Helianthus grosseserratus):

After this brief stop I resumed my trek northward past Big Spirit and made a foray into Jackson County, Minnesota, albeit barely. The entry across the state line in this sleepy little spot is easy to miss; there are no giant signs welcoming you with fanfare to a new state. The only indication is when the perfunctory county road signs change from Dickinson County M49 to Jackson County Highway 2.

A couple of hundred yards farther lay an unmarked preserve, which during my visit was literally buzzing with activity as all kinds of pollinators swarmed the various species filling the wetland between Big Spirit and Little Spirit Lakes. The ones I selected to photograph were native hoary alyssum, blue vervain, yarrow, prairie coneflower, partridge pea, more sawtooth sunflowers, some additional, as-yet unidentified species of helianthus, and non-native bull thistle which the bumblebees seemed particularly fond of.

Hoary alyssum (Berteroa incana):

Blue vervain (Verbena hastata):

Two views of yarrow (Achillea millefolium):

Prairie coneflower:

Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata):

Sawtooth sunflower:

Some sunflower (Helianthus) species (they can be difficult to distinguish):

Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), a noxious weed. These were especially attractive to bumblebees.

To cap off this Iowa Great Lakes floral tour, I ventured back across the state line, returning to Iowa, and visiting Mini-Wakan State Park. This region of Big Spirit Lake offered an especially scenic view, with a large expanse of water lilies growing in the shallow north bay of the lake, a small flock of white pelicans in the distance, and big billowy cumulus clouds floating overhead.

Growing between the roadway and the shoreline was another variety of goldenrod that, according to Lora Conrad (administrator of the Iowa wildflower enthusiasts Facebook group), appeared to be seaside goldenrod. If her identification is correct, it is a species that has not been officially observed in either Iowa or Minnesota.

A variety of goldenrod, possibly seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens):

Two views of water lilies in the north bay of Big Spirit Lake.

The view from the dock at nearby Mini-Wakan State Park.

Finally, here is a small collection of wildflower photos I took at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Spencer during the final weekend of the 2024 fair.

Royal catchfly (Silene regia), an interesting and attractive species often planted here, even though it’s not listed as native to Iowa (it is native to Illinois and Missouri).