Quick answer: 77 native Illinois plants have a recorded bloom range that includes March.
77 species
- Allegheny serviceberry Amelanchier laevis · 17 states
- American alumroot Heuchera americana · 20 states
- American elm Ulmus americana · 31 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Black ash Fraxinus nigra · 19 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black oak Quercus velutina · 30 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Canada yew Taxus canadensis · 18 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Creeping phlox Phlox subulata · 23 states
- Crossvine Bignonia capreolata · 16 states
- Dwarf crested iris Iris cristata · 17 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Narrowleaf blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium · 21 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Possumhaw Ilex decidua · 17 states
- Post oak Quercus stellata · 28 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Pussy willow Salix discolor · 18 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red buckeye Aesculus pavia · 15 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- River birch Betula nigra · 28 states
- Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea · 28 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Shingle oak Quercus imbricaria · 18 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Slippery elm Ulmus rubra · 30 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth alder Alnus serrulata · 23 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 23 states
- Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua · 26 states
- Three-flower melic grass Melica nitens · 17 states
- Trailing arbutus Epigaea repens · 24 states
- Twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla · 15 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia spiderwort Tradescantia virginiana · 24 states
- Virginia springbeauty Claytonia virginica · 28 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
- Wild hyacinth (Atlantic camas) Camassia scilloides · 20 states
- Willow oak Quercus phellos · 23 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
March in an Illinois native garden
March is a quieter month in Illinois: 77 of the state's 289 native plants flower in March, compared with 174 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
66 start blooming in March, including Allegheny serviceberry, American alumroot and American holly. 4 finish in March, including Loblolly pine, Pussy willow and River birch, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
44 of them grow in full or partial sun and 57 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like American alumroot and Birdfoot violet to trees such as Allegheny serviceberry and American elm. For wildlife, 55 support pollinators, 54 provide food or cover for birds and 37 are caterpillar host plants.
62 of the 77 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying American alumroot, Creeping phlox, Crossvine: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Mar-Jun
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Mar-Jun