440 acres adjacent to the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida/IFAS
Fall is here. One of the first “snowbirds” to arrive is the belted kingfisher. A sturdy and stocky bird, belted kingfishers most often are spotted perching near estuaries, streams, ponds, rivers, or lakes. They plunge from their perch to catch…
Our first fall walk at ORCA was on the morning of 9-29-2019 with Susan Warmer, Pat Cramer, Dotty Workman, Dotty Noble, Lori Greene, Terry Greene, Pat Bowman, George Cooper, and Dorene McLeod participating. We hiked to the Observation Tower and…
In the picture above carrotwood (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) grows from inside a very thick variegated arbicola (Schefflera arboricola ‘Trinette’) hedge, demonstrating its invasiveness. This plant continues to “volunteer” at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area and other natural areas, even though it…
Poachers pilfer saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) berries from natural areas in the fall. Berries begin to ripen in August. Evidence of such theft in 2014 at the south Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area is shown above. One saw palmetto can produce…
Terry Greene (Class of 2019) asked about this tiny blue-flowered plant that we saw at Treasure Shores Park growing amid beach dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis). It is a dayflower, most likely common dayflower (Commelina communis). Each flower lasts only a…
Partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) is full of flowers along Oslo Road, at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, at Treasure Shores Park (where the pictures above was taken), and throughout Indian River County mostly in sunny, dry places. Supposedly, European explorers…
Mackenzie Bell, a graduate student at the University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, hoped to find a salty solution to control Brazilian pepper, (Schinus terebinthifolia), a pervasive and pernicious exotic pest plant that infests hundreds of thousands…
Terry Greene (Class of 2019) spotted this pretty pink lantana flowering at Treasure Shores Park on our walk on 7-13-2019. It mostly likely is the lantana (Lantana strigocamara), also know as shrub verbena. This plant has been named a category…
Snowberry or milkberry (Chioccoca alba) is a common sprawling hammock shrub that is pictured above on our 7-13-2019 trip to Treasure Shores Park along with wild coffee (Psychtoria nervosa). Like wild coffee, snowberry is at its best in light shade…
The butterfly orchids (Encyclia tampensis) at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) are beginning to form seed pods. A group of 12 people braved the heat to take an orchid walk on Sunday, 7/21/2019, and were well-rewarded with lots of…
Moonflowers, a fast-growing & high-climbing native morning glory vine, were abundant at the Denton Trail when we visited on 6-13-2019. Our leader Jane Schnee (Class of 2010) spoke about how swiftly these vines had grown up into tall trees. Tropical…
White indigo berry (Randia aculeata) is flowering now at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) on the sunny edges of the mosquito control dikes. This sturdy, somewhat salt tolerant native plant also can be found growing on Orchid Island and…
Wild bushbean (Macroptilium lathyroides) is a pretty, but invasive, member of the pea family, Fabaceae. Also called phasey bean, this weedy plant of disturbed areas has been designated a Category #2 invasive exotic pest plant by the Florida Exotic Pest…
Terminology matters! St. Augustine grass (Stenataphrum secundatum) – no matter what you think about its landscape use — is not an invasive exotic pest plant. St. Augustine grass, according to the Florida Plant Atlas, is native. The Florida Plant Atlas…
Peppervine (Nekemias arborea) was prodigious along the Denton Trail when we visited there on June 13. Thanks to Jane Schnee (Class of 2010) for showing us this lovely trail along the St. Sebastian River, accessed from a small parking lot…
Hairypod cowpea (Vigna luteola) is a delicate and fast-growing native vine that some folks characterize as weedy. Other common names for this plant include cowpea, hairy cowpea, wild cowpea, and yellow vigna. Its genus name, Vigna, honors Italian professor Dominicus Vigna…
Florida sensitive brier (Mimosa quadrivalvis) is not your typical pea. It is thorny, very thorny. To be technically correct, it is prickly. Prickles grow from the epidermis of the plant and, as a result, can grow anywhere on a plant.…
Donna Winter (Class of 2016) shared the wonderful photos of mangrove rubbervine (Rhabdadenia biflora) shown above. This high-climbing, very vigorous vine clambers over mangroves and other vegetation, so some folks describe it as weedy. Under moist conditions, It can colonize…
Plant species matter! Blue porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) is native to Florida, according the Florida Plant Atlas. Nettleleaf velvetberry (Stachytarpheta cayennensis) is listed as a category #2 invasive pest plant by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPP) and was, until…
Fran Robinson (Class of 2018) sent this photo of a gall on her white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica) plant. This gall likely is the handiwork of a gall midge (Neolasioptera verbesinae). Its species name, verbesinae, speaks to its fidelity to the genus Verbesina.…
Originally posted on Treasure Coast Natives:
Never say never. The dogmatic answer to that frequently posed question is a comforting “no” echoed throughout garden publications. Here is a typical statement from the New Mexico State University Horticultural Guide H-167: “Lichens…
It’s an orchid. That should be a wonderful addition to your yard! Right?? No, Chinese crown orchid (Eulophia graminea) is a Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Category #2 invasive exotic pest plant, Many thanks to Donna Winter (Class of 2016)…
When we visited the Ansin Tract Conservation Area on 3-30-2019, we saw false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) growing along the St. Sebastian River and in other moist places. This plant goes by variety of common names: Bastard false indigo, bastard indigo,…
Stinging hairs cover the leaves, stems, flowers, and seed capsules of tread-softly (Cnidoscolus stimulosus). Also known as finger-rot, the hairs of this native plant contain irritating compounds that cause intense stinging and itching. A nasty rash of red pustules often…
When we visited Captain Forster Hammock Preserve on a marvelously breezy day, 4-13-2019, we saw lots of butterflies and lots of “peas”. The pea family, Fabaceae, includes about 20,000 species of trees, shrubs, vines, and herbs in more than 700…
We saw lots of butterflies when we visited the Captain Forster Hammock Preserve on 4/13/2019 including this white peacock butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) nectaring on common beggarticks (Bidens alba), as were an abundance of julia butterflies. Common beggarticks is a preferred nectar…
Julia butterflies (Dryas iulia) were amazingly abundant at the Captain Forster Hammock Preserve when we visited there on 4-12-2019. Near to the parking lot, they were sipping nectar from snow squarestem (Melanthera nivea) shown above. Nearer to Highway A1A, these…
As we walked from the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory Boathouse to to the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) on 3/30/2019, we saw lots of striking spikes of scarlet flowers radiating up from within the vegetation along the road. The coralbean…
Jane Schnee (Class of 2010) identified purple bushbean (Macroptilium atropurpureum) growing up a cabbage palm at the Ansin Tract Conservation Area, before she led a walk for us there on 4/6/2019. This perennial vine with a swollen taproot can grow…
Donna Winter (Class of 2016) identified this beautiful bay lobelia (Lobelia feayana) growing in a very moist area near the canoe launch that is adjacent to the Ansin Tract Conservation Area visited on 4-6-2019. Bay lobelia flowers are tiny (1/4-…
Vin Gemmetti (Class of 2019) had on his phone a photo of a vine that he wanted identified. It is one of the twelve species of greenbrier (or catbrier) found in Florida and is shown above in a photo taken…
On 4-6-2019 this group visited the Ansin Tract Conservation Area, a 29-acre property near the headwaters of the St. Sebastian River to check out the new trails and the wetland crossover bridge recently installed by Indian River County … One…
Twoleaf nightshade (Solanum diphyllum) produces lots and lots of fruits. Each dime-sized fruit ripens to be orange-yellow and contains lots of tiny, tan, flat, kidney-shaped seeds that can produce lots of seedlings … The common name for this plant and…
As we returned to the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL) parking lot after an Invasive Plant ID talk, we looked up and spied red wild pines (Tillandsia fasciculata) showing the coloration for which they are named. Cardinal wild pine is…
Common names of plants sometimes can be confusing. Mexican pricklypoppy (Argerome mexicana), pictured above in the historic cow pens at Treasure Hammock Ranch, is a native annual, even if some of its many common names says that it’s Mexican. Goatweed,…
Donna Winter (Class of 2016) shared this great closeup of a white peacock butterfly (Anartia jatropha) that she saw at the Toni Robinson Waterfront Trail (TRWT). This beautiful butterfly is present throughout the year and tends to fly low to…
