Quick answer: 85 native Wisconsin plants have a recorded bloom range that includes April.
85 species
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beech Fagus grandifolia · 31 states
- American bladdernut Staphylea trifolia · 28 states
- American hazelnut Corylus americana · 34 states
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana · 33 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- American sycamore Platanus occidentalis · 28 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Birdfoot violet Viola pedata · 34 states
- Bitternut hickory Carya cordiformis · 28 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black walnut Juglans nigra · 33 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Bur oak Quercus macrocarpa · 33 states
- Canada anemone Anemone canadensis · 29 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Chinkapin oak Quercus muehlenbergii · 30 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Common blue violet Viola sororia · 37 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis · 12 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis · 25 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Eastern white pine Pinus strobus · 28 states
- Feathery false Solomon's seal Maianthemum racemosum · 45 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans · 31 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Longbract wild indigo (cream false indigo) Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea · 19 states
- Marsh marigold Caltha palustris · 28 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Nannyberry Viburnum lentago · 25 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern red oak Quercus rubra · 33 states
- Northern white cedar Thuja occidentalis · 21 states
- Ohio buckeye Aesculus glabra · 20 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia · 30 states
- Paper birch Betula papyrifera · 28 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Pin oak Quercus palustris · 27 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple meadow-rue Thalictrum dasycarpum · 17 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red maple Acer rubrum · 33 states
- Red pine Pinus resinosa · 13 states
- Richardson's alumroot Heuchera richardsonii · 11 states
- Scarlet oak Quercus coccinea · 28 states
- Shagbark hickory Carya ovata · 34 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Sugar maple Acer saccharum · 34 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Swamp white oak Quercus bicolor · 23 states
- Tamarack Larix laricina · 17 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Wild blue phlox Phlox divaricata · 36 states
- Wild geranium Geranium maculatum · 33 states
April in a Wisconsin native garden
April is one of Wisconsin's busiest bloom months, with 85 of the state's 177 native plants flowering (the peak is May).
41 start blooming in April, including American basswood, American beech and American bladdernut. 5 finish in April, including American sycamore, Bloodroot and Eastern cottonwood, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
60 of them grow in full or partial sun and 62 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Birdfoot violet and Bloodroot to trees such as American basswood and American beech. For wildlife, 61 support pollinators, 55 provide food or cover for birds and 35 are caterpillar host plants.
76 of the 85 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Common yarrow, Eastern hop-hornbeam, Sundial lupine: 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr