Minnesota’s ‘plant detectives’ search for rare wildflowers

Minnesota is home to more than 1,700 vascular plant species, of which over 300 are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern. Many of these species’ subpopulations need a revisit due to outdated or incomplete records of population distribution and health.

When rare plants are hiding under our noses in a sea of lush green, we turn to passionate volunteers to aid in the search. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) and the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (UMLA) partnered together to launch the MN PlantWatch program in 2023. 

This community science initiative uses the power of volunteers across the state to collect survey data and seeds from rare plant populations. MN PlantWatch volunteers take on the role of plant detectives to search for Minnesota’s rare plants in their natural and historic habitats, collecting information on population distribution, health, habitat, and threats. 

The information gathered on MN PlantWatch surveys is used to update the state’s rare features database, known as the Natural Heritage Information System. Updated information better informs and supports conservation and management needs, education, and research of our rare species.

Eyes in the Field: How Volunteers Become Plant Detectives

Survey efforts take us far and wide across this ecologically rich and diverse state, from the northern peatlands in search of delicate orchids in deep sphagnum moss hummocks to the bluffs of the southeast in search of cliffside specialists. 

On a pleasant morning this past August, we found ourselves at Pembina Trail SNA in Polk County, a beautiful mosaic of prairie. Gentiana affinis var. affinis (pleated gentian) is the target of our search efforts, a special concern species that was last recorded on this site over forty years ago. It is predominantly a western species, but the toe of its range dips into northwest Minnesota, in the footprint of historic Lake Agassiz. 

The Blue Discovery That Made Scientists Giddy

In Minnesota, this beautiful gentian enjoys lowlands in native prairies and saline wetlands. The MN PlantWatch team of staff and volunteers set off in search of suitable habitat, equipped with species ID guides and optimism. 

Our eyes scan the sprawling prairie of waving grasses and vibrant flowering forbs speckling the landscape. We move across dozens of acres, forming a systematic grid as we search high and low for our target species. Its short stature challenges our keen eyes, but not for long! 

A volunteer spots a tiny bright blue cluster of flowers nested low amongst the densely packed tall prairie grasses. The team gathers around the newly located pleated gentian and examines its distinguishing features; petals joined together at the base of the flower with small pale “freckles” on the upper surface. 

Giddy with excitement, we search the remaining survey area and document the population’s extent.

Fast forward to September, we return to Pembina Trail SNA to collect a small percentage of seed from the pleated gentian population. We follow our previously recorded GPS points to the general area, but it is up to our keen eyes to relocate each plant. 

When Bugs Beat Scientists to the Prize

This time, we train our eyes with a new mental search image, one that is far less colorful. Staff and volunteers sift through brown, withering grasses to relocate our target, only to find that something has found our hidden plants before we do. 

Larvae claimed the pleated gentian pods as their temporary home and feasted on most of the seed! We carefully inspect every seed pod picked for collection to avoid bringing back any hungry hitchhikers. 

Following our adventure at Pembina Trail SNA, we collected seed from two additional pleated gentian populations in the region. 

Collecting from multiple locations preserves a greater genetic diversity that is found in populations across a species’ geographic range. 

Banking on Diversity: Why Multiple Locations Matter

We aim to collect seed from at least 50 individual plants within a population to better capture a representative range of local genetic variability, while limiting impact to natural reproduction. 

Seeds collected by MN PlantWatch are taken to the UMLA’s Rare Plant Seed Bank. A team of staff and volunteers carefully cleans, counts, and tests the seeds for viability. Seeds are then stored in the long-term seed bank or used for purposes such as propagation or outplanting research. 

From Seed Bank to Second Chances

The Plant Conservation Program often conducts this research to better understand conditions needed to grow plants from the collected seed and how to reintroduce plants into natural habitats. Native plant reintroductions can help strengthen existing populations or possibly restore populations that were lost in the wild.

In 2025, MN PlantWatch volunteers and staff updated records of 92 plant populations and banked seed from over 42 populations! 

To date, MN PlantWatch staff have trained 120 volunteers.