Zebra longwing butterflies (Heliconius charitonia) are found throughout the state, but this common Florida butterfly is anything but ordinary! Their elongated wings make them easy to distinguish from other Florida natives, but their unique attributes don’t stop there.
The Florida Wildflower Foundation will begin a four-year project to evaluate economical and practical site preparation methods to minimize weed competition in wildflower sites planted from seeds, hoping to discover methods that lead to greater planting success.The project at Lake County’s Palatlakaha Environmental and Agricultural Reserve (PEAR) Park will be conducted in partnership with the county with cooperation from the Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research Institute at Florida Polytechnic University.
2018 has been a great year for wildflowers, and summer looks to be no exception. Unlike last summer, when many areas were dry, rain has been frequent enough to keep wildflowers blooming in showy displays. Learn where to find the best of summer’s showy displays.
The Florida Wildflower Foundation has awarded 2018 Seedlings for Schools grants to 33 schools in 18 counties across the state. Each grant includes wildflower plants, expert guidance from the Foundation, and curriculum resources, including the Foundation’s Wild About Wildflowers! Activity Guide. Teachers will receive plants in the fall and will be eligible to receive more plants in spring 2019 if their fall gardens are successful.
Chimney bees like the Mustached mud and Hibiscus bees are solitary ground nesters that have serious architectural talent! Both bees superficially resemble bumblebees in appearance. They’re fast flying, robust bees with dense yellow hairs on their thorax. (Hibiscus bees also have yellow hairs on their face.)
The pollinators we depend on are struggling. We can’t afford to lose them — they provide every third bite of food we eat. It’s up to us all to reverse their decline. But how? These new resources can help.
Dr. Walter Taylor presents at the 2014 Florida Wildflower Symposium.