Also known as Golden creeper and Coughbush, Beach creeper (Ernodea littoralis) is an evergreen low-growing, mat-forming shrub found on dunes, beaches and coastal hammock edges throughout Central and South Florida. It produces flowers and fruits year-round. The nectar attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, while the berries provide food for birds and small wildlife.
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.
Every day, the pressure to produce food for our growing population increases. Yet, while more people depend on crop pollinators, the wildflowers that sustain them are vanishing. JOIN US IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE Since 2001, the Florida Wildflower Foundation has nurtured the awareness, understanding and enjoyment of Florida’s native wildflowers through conservation, restoration and stewardship.…
Scorpionstail (Heliotropium angiospermum) is a shrub-like plant with unique white flowers that bloom year-round. Its nectar attracts a variety of butterflies including the Miami blue (Hemiargus thomasi) and Schaus’ swallowtail (Heraclides aristodemus). The plant occurs naturally in coastal hammocks and strands, and ruderal or disturbed areas.
Join us at Mead Botanical Garden on October 20 for a free, family-friendly event featuring a native plant sale, guided hikes, workshops, live music, food trucks and kids’ activities. All proceeds benefit Mead Garden’s ecological restoration projects.
Snowberry is a robust evergreen vinelike shrub that occurs naturally in pine rocklands, shell mounds and coastal strands and hammocks. Its fragrant flowers typically bloom spring through fall, but may bloom year-round. This plant is a larval host for the Miami blue butterfly and Snowberry clearwing moth. Its flowers provide nectar for a variety of insects, and its berries are consumed by birds and other wildlife.
Goldenrod soldier beetles (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) are pollinators and predators of pesky garden pests. They are found throughout Florida and most of the United States. Their populations peak in late summer and early fall, perfectly timed with the bloom of goldenrod. These common beetles prefer sunny spots with rich nectar sources, such as gardens, fields and roadsides.
Also known as Water hyssop, Herb-of-grace is a creeping, mat-forming perennial that occurs naturally in coastal hammocks and swales, salt marshes, freshwater marshes and swamps, and along river, stream and ditch edges. It typically blooms spring through fall, but may bloom year-round. It attracts a variety of small pollinators, and is a larval host plant for the White peacock butterfly.
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.
Brake for wildflowers – Florida’s stunning fall bloom is a great reason to explore state and national parks and other public lands. Here are the hottest of hot spots throughout the state.
White twinevine is an evergreen twining vine with large clusters of fragrant flowers. It is a larval host plant for Monarch, Queen and Soldier butterflies and an important nectar source for bees and wasps. Flowers typically bloom in summer and fall, but may bloom throughout the year. The plant occurs naturally in swamps, moist hammocks, coastal strands and wetland edges.
Seaside goldenrod’s conspicuous golden blooms can be seen on dunes, in tidal marshes and bogs, in sandy flatwoods, along roadsides, and in disturbed areas in Florida’s coastal counties. It attracts butterflies and other pollinators with its nectar, and also attracts birds that are searching for insects.
As a Florida Wildflower Foundation board member, David Price brings deep knowledge accumulated over a diverse horticultural career.
Nothing clouds the beauty of the brilliant blue skyflower! This herbaceous perennial wildflower goes largely unnoticed — that is, until its bright blue blooms appear. The flowers tend to open in the morning and fade toward the end of the day, so it’s best to look for them early in the day. You’ll find them blooming in wet roadside ditches in the Eastern Panhandle, and in other wet areas throughout the peninsula.
Pine-hyacinth is an endemic perennial wildflower found in moist flatwoods, sandhills and prairies throughout much of the Florida peninsula. It typically blooms in spring through fall. Its flowers attract a variety of pollinators, while its fruit provides food for many birds and small wildlife.