All those April showers certainly brought forth the May flowers! Here’s a look at what bloomed during the month of May and into June.
Columbine Aquilegia canadensis
This native perennial shows up along the trail in a variety of colors—vibrant red, pink, purple, white, yellow, and orange—which cross-pollinate and hybridize to form new species easily. Bees, moths, hummingbirds and butterflies love visiting these beauties! Blooming from spring to early summer.
Blue False Indigo Baptisia australis
These tall blue perennials are in the Fabaceae family, making it a toxic relative to peas and beans! Native to North America, they attract many local pollinators and are a host plant for many butterflies, like the Wild Indigo Duskywing. Indigos only bloom for about three weeks, from late spring to early summer.
Dianthus Pinks D. plumerius
Low growing with a spicy aroma, these flowers are where the word “pink” actually comes from. Originally, the verb “to pink” referred to making a zigzag pattern, as seen on the edges of the petals of this flower. The color is named after the flower whose name described a shape, not a color! These are long-lasting bloomers, and can be seen from late spring until the first frost.
Bluejacket Spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis
Native to eastern and central North America, these have edible flowers and shoots that can be eaten raw, while the leaves can be cooked. The leaves can be used to soothe insect bites, similar to aloe vera. Each flower only lasts one day. They appear in clusters that open daily until early summer, but can rebloom if cut back.
Four O’Clocks Mirabilis jalapa
Fragrant pink blooms with a real old-fashioned cottagecore vibe. They are named Four O’Clocks because that is around the time of day when they bloom—unless it is cloudy, then they might bloom earlier! They flower from early summer until mid-fall.
Hubricht’s Bluestar Amsonia hubrichtii
This herbaceous perennial is native to the Ouachita Mountains in central Arkansas and Oklahoma, where it was discovered by Leslie Hubricht in the early 1940s. It produces clusters of blue, star-like flowers in spring.
Red Rothomagensis Lilacs Syringa x chinensis
These lilacs, which are monitored by Bloomingdale Trail Phenology volunteers, feature stunning fragrant flowers and large leaves.
What is phenology and why are the lilacs studied?
Phenology, to put it simply, is the study of recurring, periodical biological events like leaves growing, flowers blooming, and fruits ripening. Due to shifts in climate, these events can appear to occur earlier in the year, which in turn affects things like pollinators and can cause changes in our environment.
Phenology volunteers monitor lilacs and serviceberries along the trail to keep track of events and create data that can be used in climate studies. In fact, our data was used in a recent publication in the Agricultural and Forest Meteorology journal! The article, “Contrasting precipitation controls on autumn phenology across eastern and western U.S.,” was authored by Xiaolu (Grace) Li and colleagues and published in April 2026, according to Erin Zylstra, a research scientist at the National Phenology Network.
Keep an eye out for us up on the trail and be sure to ask about the plants and trees!
