Known also as Dense blazing star, Marsh blazing star and Spiked blazing star, Dense gayfeather (Liatris spicata) is an erect herbaceous perennial with striking spikes of purple flowers. It occurs naturally in mesic to wet flatwoods, seepage slopes, bogs, savannas and roadside ditches. It blooms in late summer through fall and is an excellent attractor of butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects.
Florida yellow flax is a demure perennial wildflower found in sandhills and flatwoods throughout the state. It typically blooms summer through fall but may bloom year-round. It is attractive as a larval food to butterflies and moths, including the variegated fritillary.
Rubbervine is an evergreen flowering vine that occurs in southern Florida’s mangrove swamps and coastal hammocks. Its white to pinkish-white flowers appear in spring through fall, but may bloom year-round if temperatures remain warm.
Lanceleaf blanketflower is a short-lived perennial wildflower with compound, solitary blooms. It occurs naturally in sandhills and xeric flatwoods. It typically blooms in summer through early fall and attracts a variety of pollinators.
Saltmarsh morning glory is a trailing perennial vine found in Florida’s salt, floodplain and glade marshes, mangrove swamps and ruderal areas. Its showy blooms appear in summer and fall. The large nectaries and flowers attract many insects, but it is most visited by bees. Like other members of the Ipomoea genus, Saltmarsh morning glory blooms in the morning and begins to wilt and close up by afternoon, hence the common name “morning glory.”
Alligatorlily (Hymenocallis palmeri) is a perennial wildflower endemic to cypress swamps, marshes, wet prairies, savannas and moist open flatwoods in Florida’s central and southern peninsula. It also occurs in Duval and Bradford counties and is sometimes found in roadside ditches. Its striking white flowers are primarily pollinated by Sphinx moths.