Flower Friday: Coralbean
Also known as Cardinal spear or Cherokee bean, Coralbean (Erythrina herbacea) is a semi-deciduous to evergreen woody shrub. It produces red tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
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“Flower Friday” is a weekly profile of a different Florida native wildflower.
Flower Friday: Firebush
Firebush (Hamelia patens) is a hardy, fast-growing and showy evergreen shrub to small tree. It produces clusters of bright orange to red tubular flowers that are filled with nectar. The blooms vary in length, attracting both butterflies and hummingbirds.
Flower Friday: Virginia pepperweed
Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum) is a member of the mustard family and is edible to humans. It is also the host plant for the checkered white and great Southern white butterflies. Bees love it, too!
Flower Friday: Butterweed
Butterweed (Packera glabella) (formerly Senecio glabellus) is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in early spring. It grows in dense stands that illuminate moist roadsides and river edges. It also occurs naturally in alluvial forests and wet, disturbed sites and attracts a variety of pollinators.
Flower Friday: Oblongleaf twinflower
If you are tired of mowing, watering and fertilizing the lawn, and fighting chinch bugs and other lawn pests, consider replacing your turf grass with Oblongleaf twinflower (Dyschoriste oblongifolia), an easy-to-care-for native groundcover. It occurs naturally in dry to moist sandhills, flatwoods and mixed upland forests and attracts bees and butterflies, including the malachite and white peacock. It is also a host plant for the common buckeye.
Flower Friday: Creeping woodsorrel
No, it’s not a shamrock. It’s Creeping woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata), a ground-hugging native with distinct clover-like leaves and sunny yellow flowers. It may bloom any time of the year, but it flowers and fruits most in spring. The flowers attract bees, flies and small butterflies. Creeping woodsorrel is common along roadsides and in urban landscapes and disturbed areas. It often gets a bad wrap as a “weed,” but its spreading, low-growing habit make it an excellent groundcover option.