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Meet board member Kody Smith
Kody joined the Florida Wildflower Foundation board in September 2021. He is the CEO and senior principal landscape architect at Dix.Hite + Partners.
Slimleaf pawpaw
Slimleaf pawpaw (Asimina angustifolia) is a deciduous flowering shrub found in flatwoods, scrub and sandhills from southeast Georgia into North Florida. It is a larval host for the Zebra swallowtail butterfly and Pawpaw sphinx moth.
Woolly pawpaw
Woolly pawpaw (Asimina incana ) is a deciduous flowering shrub found in pine flatwoods, scrubby oak ridges, open fields and pastures from southeastern Georgia into North and Central Florida. Other common names include Flag pawpaw and Polecat bush.
Smallflower pawpaw
Smallflower pawpaw (Asimina parviflora ) is a deciduous flowering shrub to small tree found in floodplain forests and hardwood hammocks throughout the Southeastern Coastal Plain from southern Virginia to eastern Texas.
Sweet pinxter azalea
Sweet pinxter azalea (Rhododendron canescens) has showy pinkish- to rose-colored flowers that bloom in spring. They attract a number of pollinators, including hummingbirds.
Frogfruit
Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) is both a versatile and vital wildflower. This evergreen perennial is low-growing and creeping, often forming dense mats of green foliage.
Florida’s spring-flowering tickseeds
In the spring, many Florida roadsides and natural areas are painted yellow with showy Coreopsis, commonly known as tickseed. Florida’s state wildflower, five of our 12 native species bloom in spring.
Spring “weeds” are for the bees!
While much of the country awaits No Mow May to leave the early spring wildflowers in urban areas for hungry pollinators, Florida more appropriately observes No Mow March! So before you get to work mowing or weeding, let’s look at some of the most common lawn “weeds” and learn a little more about them!
Lady lupine
Lady lupine (Lupinus villosus) is a stunning spring bloomer endemic to the Southeastern Coastal Plain. It thrives in the deep, well-drained sandy soils of sandhill habitats.
Invasive Plants in Florida
Florida is uniquely varied in its climate and growing conditions, allowing a huge variety of plants to thrive. But some of the plants common to our home landscapes are invasive species, many of which are now widespread in Florida’s natural areas.
Bearded grasspink
Bearded grasspinks (Calopogon barbatus) are the earliest bloomers of Florida’s four Calopogon species, generally starting in January and February. They occur in bogs, wet flatwoods, prairies and roadsides.
Trumpet creeper
Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) is a high-climbing woody vine so named because its showy flowers are trumpet-shaped. They bloom year-round and are very attractive to hummingbirds.
Cultivating Knowledge and Beauty: Seedlings for Schools Applications Open March 1
Our Seedlings for Schools program will begin accepting applications on March 1, 2024. This program empowers schools across Florida to cultivate vibrant wildflower gardens, fostering educational experiences and connections to nature that extend far beyond the classroom.
Meet board member Mona Johnston
Mona Johnston joined the Florida Wildflower Foundation board in September 2023, bringing with her an extensive knowledge and legacy of conserving South Florida’s native wildflowers.
Yellow pitcherplant
Yellow pitcherplants (Sarracenia flava) are one of Florida’s fascinating carnivorous plant species. They can be found in bogs and wet flatwoods in the panhandle.
WEBINAR — From Bunkers to Butterflies: Conservation of South Florida’s Lepidoptera at Zoo Miami’s Butterfly Lab
In this webinar, Tiffany Moore talks about our imperiled butterflies and moths and explain ways that we can all help in the conservation of Florida Lepidoptera by building our own gardens.
Rusty lyonia
Rusty lyonia ( Lyonia ferruginea) is a long-lived evergreen flowering shrub, so named for the many rust-colored hairs that cover the plant’s leaves, stems and trunk.
Cardinalflower
Cardinalflower (Lobelia cardinalis) is an aquatic wildflower with erect spikes of brilliant red blooms that attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.
Genetic research reveals rich diversity of lupines in Florida!
In a newly published study, researchers have defined three new species within Florida’s unifoliolate lupines and found further evidence supporting the naming of two previously described species that have not been consistently recognized as separate.
Buttonsage
Buttonsage (Lantana involucrata) occurs naturally along coastal strands, dunes, hammocks, and pinelands in coastal counties from Pinellas and Brevard south to Monroe and into the Keys.
Celebrating Micanopy’s Pollinator Victory Garden
Micanopy celebrated its 200th anniversary with a new Pollinator Victory Garden, supported by a Viva Florida grant. The garden will provide food, shelter and habitat for pollinators and be a centerpiece for this historic town.
Innocence
Although often overlooked, the diminutive white flowers and verdurous leaves of Innocence (Houstonia procumbens) are a welcome sight for anyone with the winter blues.
Pygmy pipes
Winter brings interesting blooms to North Central Florida’s hardwood hammocks, including the cryptic Pygmy pipes (Monotropsis reynoldsiae). With only around 10 populations currently known, this narrow range endemic species is listed as state-endangered.