Latin name:Phlox divaricata (Woodland Phlox / Wild Blue Phlox)
Bloom time: April through May in Michigan (lasting 3–4 weeks)

Wild Blue Phlox is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan and the southern Upper Peninsula. It is well adapted to moist deciduous forests, tolerates acidic soils, and will self-sow and spread slowly through rhizomes, creating drifts of spring color. It is an important early spring nectar source, used as a host plant by at least 8 moths and butterflies.

Woodland Phlox blooms as other shade perennials are just starting to grow, and its sweetly scented flowers attract butterflies, bees, and moths for nectar and pollen. Unlike most of Michigan's spring ephemerals, its foliage is semi-evergreen, forming low mats that persist through the growing season.