440 acres adjacent to the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida/IFAS
Migratory monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are beloved. Milkweed (Asclepias.sp.) is their larval food, so planting milkweeds is encouraged. 22 species of milkweed occur in Florida (and in different habitats). Pictured above is scarlet milkweed (Asclepais curassavica), also known as bloodlfower,…
Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolia) is among Florida’s worst invasive weeds, covering more than 700,000 acres. Who would defend it? Short-sighted beekeepers. Yes, European honeybees (Apis mellifera) and other pollinators visit Brazilian pepper when it blooms from August through October. Honeybees…
Mary Ester and George Bollis (Class of 2020) photographed the stunning flower shown above at the Osprey Preserve and asked me to identify it. It looked familiar, but I could not identify it. A plant friend identified it as blackeyed…
Mary Ester and George Bollis (Class of 2020) visited T.M. Goodwin Waterfowl Management Area located on the east side of the St. Johns River in southern Brevard County. There they photographed Virginia saltmarsh mallow (Kosteletzyka pentacarpos), which we see at the…
Today, July 26, 2020 is the International Day for the Conservation of Mangrove Ecosystems. This celebration of the value of mangrove ecosystems was started in 1995 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Mangroves grow in the…
Often seen along Oslo Road at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) is the white peacock butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) shown above in a photo taken on an orchid stroll on June 27, 2020. This low-flying tropical butterfly “uses” three common…
At a glance starrush whitetop (Rhyncospora colorata), shown above at the Toni Robinson Waterfront Trail on July 15, 2020, appears to be a daisy. What appear to be long petals are really showy bracts that attract pollinators. Many of its…
Just a few short days ago this plant “volunteered” near our front door. I saw this first 2 leaves, the cotyledon leaves, knew what they were, and dallied. It took just a few days for lots more leaves to emerge…
Seaside heliotrope (Heliotropium cuvassivicum), shown above at the Toni Robinson Waterfront Trail on July 15, 2020, is an occasional succulent of moist salty spots in Indian River County. Its native range extends through much of the Americas from Canada to…
Getting to see the gorgeous flowers of marsh gentian (Eustoma exaltatum) is always a delight. Its many common names — catchfly prairie-gentian, bluebell gentian, seaside gentian, blue marsh lily, small bluebell, and tulip gentian — belie its curious and extensive…
Just a glance at the pale pink flowers of Virginia saltmarsh mallow (Kosteletzyka pentacorpos) tell us that this plant is a member of the hibiscus (or mallow) family, Malvaceae. The united yellow stamens form a distinctive tubular column. Bees, butterflies,…
Common grape (Vitis rotundifolia) is a plant that we see very frequently at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area and elsewhere. On sunny trail edges and in disturbed areas it can grow quite zealously. All grape vines climb by tendrils and…
