Two major vegetation zones are associated with the Saylorville Lake Recreation Area: bottom-land forest along the Des Moines River, south of the dam, and upland forest, from Saylorville Dam north to Big Creek Lake. These wooded landscapes are periodically interrupted by ponds, oxbows, streams, fields, parcels of planted and native prairie, roads, and the park-like camping and picnic sites within the complex. These diverse habitats provide the area with a variety of wildflowers throughout the growing season.

The Des Moines River corridor below Saylorville Dam, to the south, known as the the Ding Darling Greenway, is particularly rich in early spring flowers, which include intermittent stands of False Rue Anemone, Phlox, Waterleaf, and other species. Later into summer and fall these are replaced by a variety of sunflowers, Impatiens, and an occasional American Bellflower.

The area above the dam, to the north, is frequented by the scattered presence of wildflowers belonging to several plant families. Examples include Spring Beauty, Toothwort, Wild Strawberry, Pussytoes, Columbine, Flowering Spurge, Butter-fly Weed, Wild Bergamot, Compass Plant, and a variety of clovers, sunflowers, and asters.

The Saylorville Lake Recreation Area enjoys many visitors, and has numerous recreational facilities for water sports, camping, picnicking, hiking, and bicycling. A multipurpose/bicycle trail extends for a distance of about 25 miles along the east side of the river and lake. The trail leads from the Des Moines City Hall and Botanical Center, at its southern terminus, to the northeast shore of Big Creek Lake, at its northern terminus. A journey along this trail provides access to those habitats in which most of the wildflowers presented here have been observed. These habitats include woodlands, prairies, wetlands, fields, roadsides, and parks.

Many wildflower species present in the Saylorville Lake area also occur in Ledges State Park, which lies in the Des Moines River valley at the northern reaches of the Saylorville Lake flood plain, and in Dolliver State Park, in the Des Moines River valley in Webster County (see Technical References 5 and 7 ).

It is hoped that this web site will help the viewer become familiar with the wildflowers that occur in the Saylorville Lake Recreation Area as well as other natural settings along the Des Moines River.