The Florida Wildflower Foundation nurtures the awareness, understanding and enjoyment of Florida native wildflowers through conservation, preservation and education.

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Tachinid fly by Jonnie Dietz

Know your native pollinators: Tachinid flies

With over 1,300 species in North America alone, Tachinid flies are an extremely diverse group, yet they are often overlooked. Once you spot one, however, you’re likely to start recognizing them everywhere. Keep your eyes peeled on both flowers and foliage for these hairy pollinators. Tachinid fly larvae are known parasitoids of many nuisance bugs. How they enter their hosts varies, but once inside, all tachinid larvae begin to consume their host internally. This may sound like a Halloween horror story, but Tachinid larvae are great at keeping garden pests in check.

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New State Wildflower license plate design

The State Wildflower license plate gets a makeover

The redesigned State Wildflower license plate, now available at county tax collector’s offices, sports a butterfly with two species of Coreopsis, Florida’s official wildflower. Having the fluttering insect as a key part of the new design helps raise awareness of beleaguered pollinators while illustrating the critical link between them and their vanishing wild habitats.

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UCF Arboretum prescribed fire

Nov. 18 Field trip to UCF Arboretum — SOLD OUT

Join us on Nov. 18 as we visit the UCF Arboretum. Learn about its history as well as the challenges it faces as a natural area surrounded by development. Take a leisurely hike through the Arboretum’s several habitats in search of some of the endemic, endangered and threatened species that call the Arboretum home.

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Florida Wildflower Foundation

What’s in bloom

See how Florida’s fabulous wildflowers change seasonably across the state. You’ll find just what you need to be a wildflower tourist, whether you’re on the road or a virtual explorer.

Photos from the field

View stream on flickr

Bloom map
Wildflower trips
Wildflowers on Flickr
Flower Friday
White indigoberry (Randia aculeata) by Bob Peterson (CC BY 2.0)

Flower Friday: White indigoberry

White indigoberry (Randia aculeata) is an evergreen flowering shrub or small tree found in pine rocklands and coastal strands and hammocks in Central and South Florida. Its fragrant flowers bloom year-round, attracting a variety of butterflies, including Schaus’ swallowtail (Papilio aristodemus). Its pulpy fruit provides food for many birds. The plant is the larval host plant for the Tantalus sphinx moth (Aellopus tantalus).

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Drive change – help pollinators thrive!

Pollinators are responsible for every third bite we eat and the reproduction of 85 percent of the world’s plants and trees. But they are in trouble. Development of Florida’s natural lands has robbed them of the wildflowers they need to survive.

But there is good news: You can help save pollinators by purchasing the State Wildflower license plate. Each time a State Wildflower plate is bought or renewed, the Florida Wildflower Foundation receives $15 to support native wildflower planting, education and research projects statewide. The plate is the only dependable source of revenue for Florida’s wildflowers and plants.

Do your part to support natural Florida’s future – get your tag today.

Helping millions of Monarchs by researching the effects of neonicotinoids on caterpillars.

Providing more than 3,000 wildflower plants annually for community park and school gardens.

Providing hands-on wildflower experiences to more than 1,500 students a year.

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Protect wildflowers

Want more wildflowers in your county? Learn about wildflower conservation programs and how they apply to your community. Be a wildflower champion!

Wildflower Resolutions

Since 2009, resolutions have been helping Florida’s counties and cities protect roadside wildflowers through management practices such as reduced mowing. Has your county adopted its Wildflower Resolution?

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FDOT Wildflower Program

In November 2016, the Florida Department of Transportation updated its Wildflower Management Program Procedure to include managing roadsides for pollinator habitat.

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Paths of Sunshine

In a first for Florida, a project to manage naturally occurring wildflowers – versus displays that have been planted – has been recognized for its success.

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