Wildflower enthusiasts rejoice! It’s that time of year again – the time in which the weather begins warming up and wildflowers of many sorts come bursting up from out of the ground. It’s a gorgeous time of year for sure, and if you want to get out and look for wildflowers this spring, we definitely don’t blame you. In fact, if we can make a suggestion, a must-see spot for wildflowers in Indiana in the next several weeks probably has to be in Charlestown State Park, in southern Indiana.

Charlestown State Park is in and of itself a great place to visit.
Alan Sheffield/Flickr
It's home to a variety of niche things that you'll love depending on your own interests: there's an abandoned theme park for those who love urban exploration, there's a lake for those who love swimming or water sports, and then there are wildflowers for those of us who are totally obsessed. Wildflowers in Indiana tend to go nuts in some years, displaying some of the most beautiful colors in the Midwest. Here are a few of our favorite flowers that you'll discover at Charlestown State Park.
Purple rockets, along with most of the flowers on this list, tend to bloom in March through April, though some might occasionally show up as late as May.
Cam Miller/Flickr
Interestingly, this particular flower is a member of the mustard family, though it's the only one that looks the way it does. No worries, little guy, every family needs a black sheep - and in this case, it's much more like a purple-flowered sheep, though the flowers do fade to a white color as they get older.
The white baneberry and its flowers are a common sight at the park and throughout southern Indiana during the spring.
Dan Mullen/Flickr
It's easily the most dangerous plant on this list, as the berries the flowers turn into as they mature are extremely poisonous. Due to their strange, bulbous appearance with a black dot in the center, the berries are also sometimes called "Doll's Eyes" (yikes). At least the flower is nice to look at before the berries come in.
Blue flowers seem to garner special attention, and for good reason - they're beautiful and the whole state of Indiana is full of them.
Franco Folini/Flickr
This particular variation of blue flowers is called blue-eyed grass, which is kind of misleading, considering it's not a grass at all. It's a flower in the Iris family, and the deep blues and royal purples of its flowers are astonishingly brilliant. You'll find them scattered all over Charlestown State Park.

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A very notable and popular flower you're likely to encounter at the park is definitely the wild columbine, which grows in stunningly bright oranges, reds, and golds.
JLS Photography - Alaska/Flickr
They tend to grow in clusters along Trail 6, so keep your eyes peeled and make sure to take that particular trail if you'd like to see them this year.
The weirdest (and, honestly, probably our favorite, just because it's so weird) wildflower you'll probably spot at Charlestown is called jack-in-the-pulpit.
Matthew Beziat/Flickr
Jack-in-the-pulpit is an odd-looking, cylindrical green flower that sometimes ends up with brown stripes or white on the inside. Since it's mostly green, it tends to blend in with other plants, but once you notice it you'll probably keep spotting it! It resembles a pitcher plant, which also grows in Indiana in another location, but it is not related and does not digest insects (the bees are safe in this case!).
Some of the wildflowers you'll encounter grow to enormous sizes, like the drooping trillium.
UGA CAES/Extension/Flickr
The leaves can get super-wide - almost a foot wide in some cases. The flowers are bright white with gold or greenish stamen.
Honestly, no matter where you go at Charlestown State Park, you're going to run into wildflowers that you know and love, and wildflowers that you might have never noticed before.
LouisvilleUSACE/Flickr
The park is easily one of the very best places for spotting wildflowers in Indiana. There are literally hundreds of more species that we definitely don't have the time to mention here, but trust us, they're all gorgeous in their own ways. Spring is a beautiful time full of new life.

Are you planning on hunting for wildflowers in Indiana this spring? Where are you going to go, and which flowers are your favorites? Tell us about them in the comments!

Looking for more flowery goodness? Check out this article about flower farms in Indiana!

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