Trying to identify that wildflower you found in your yard or on a field trip? The USF Atlas of Florida Plants is a terrific source of native wildflower and plant information where you can dig into a treasure of images and specimens, and it’s just a few mouse clicks away.
What did Hurricane Irma’s high winds mean to the spreading of plants? Will we see more plant movement as a result? The answers depend on a variety of factors.
“Fall is for planting” has been the unofficial promotional campaign of the nursery industry for many years. This slogan applies to sowing seeds of native wildflowers and grasses as well, at least here in Florida. Learn how to establish a planting of wildflowers, whether as a garden or converting some turfgrass to a low-maintenance meadow.
As summer progresses many of our fall-blooming wildflowers become tall and stately, forming backdrops and filling fence rows as they reach peak bloom from September through December. But this also is when storms increase, bringing intense waves of wind and rain. And there are always those unpredictable hurricanes. Here’s how one wildflower garden survived Hurricane Irma’s big blow and steps you can take to hopefully rescue your own plantings.
Central Florida gardeners will soon a have a new location to see and explore Florida’s native wildflowers and grasses. A no-mow wildflower meadow is being installed at the Orange County UF/IFAS Extension’s Exploration Gardens in Orlando, funded by the Florida Wildflower Foundation’s Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden grant. The meadow will be approximately 2,700 square feet and will include 25 species of Florida native wildflowers and grasses. Eventually, it will connect two sections of a planned native tree walk.
Halictidae, or sweat bees, are an extremely diverse group that are often abundant year round. Some are metallic green, others are smaller than a grain of rice, and nearly all are valuable pollinators.
Dr. Walter Taylor presents at the 2014 Florida Wildflower Symposium.