440 acres adjacent to the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida/IFAS
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…
Invasive exotic pest plants plague natural areas, ornamental landscapes, agricultural operations, and pastures. Pictured above is tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum), which we saw when we visited Treasure Hammock Ranch on 3-3-2019. This heavily armed & sun-loving weed of pastures…
Sharp-eyed Trich Kruza (Class of 2015) spotted the tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) in the foreground of this photo taken at Treasure Hammock Ranch, where we visited on 3-3-2019. Lots of this weedy, non-native milkweed was flourishing in the pasture, but…
Butterweed (Packera glabella) is named for its butter-yellow flowers. Cressleaf groundsel is another name for the widespread wildflower that grows through the central and southern U.S. It also sometimes is commonly called yellowtop (but so are some other plants). Butterweed flowers…
This vine was dangling from a tree at Treasure Hammock Ranch when we visited on 3/3/2019 and likely would have gone unnoticed were it not for its signifcant fruits … From the outside the fruit resembles a good-sized avocado, but…
Rancher Mike Sexton graciously hosted a group of us at Treasure Hammock Ranch on Sunday, 3-3-2019 and showed us around his favorite pasture, where he played as child, in the midst of cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto) and live oaks (Quercus…
The devastating damage caused by the deadly combination of laurel wilt and the redbay ambrosia beetle is unmistakable and is shown above in a photo taken in May of 2008 on Highway A1A. This invasive disease carried by an invasive…
The Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory Volunteer Nature Stewardship Program started to “celebrate” National Invasive Species Week a bit early on 2/16/2019 with a talk by Dr. Amanda Hodges, University of Florida Associate Extension Scientist & Doctor of Plant Medicine Program Director,…
Florida privet (Forestiera segregata) is flowering again. Wild olive is another name for this sturdy native plant often found volunteering along mosquito impoundment dikes and in the midst of ornamental hedges underneath places where birds perch. Birds seem to love…
The weather for the hike to the Observation Tower on Saturday, 1-26-2019, was dank & drizzly, but we were rewarded by the brief presence of playful reddish egret, a species know for its clownish hurting behavior, and a much longer…
It’s tenuous … The scientific names of plants seems to change more and more — with the advent of DNA analysis. Seems like every time I look at the Florida Plant Atlas, the scientific name of the plant has been…
Tallow wood (Ximenia americana) has many common names such as tallow plum, tallow nut, sea seaside plum, and sea lemon. The fruits of this sprawling, thorny large shrub or small tree (to about 20′) are bright yellow drupes. Inside the…
Tallow wood (Ximenia americana) is a thorny sprawling shrub or small tree (usually) of dry places and is shown above along the beginning of the trail at the south Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area. Its genus name, Ximenia, honors Francisco Ximenez, a…
The Wabasso scrub, which we visited on 11/11/2018, is not all dry. In the midst of dry scrub pretty near the beginning of the trail was a fern-filled wetland. Since of focus was scrub and Florida scrub-jays, it was identified…
A plant gall is an abnormal outgrowth of plant tissue caused by a “gall-maker”, which could be an insect, mite, virus, nematode or fungus. The inter-relationship between plant and gall-maker is complex, very specific, and developed over eons. The relationship…
Live oak trees (Quercus virginiana) have been producing so many acorns this year that Florida Today has written a story about it. Live oaks produce acorns every year, but, when they produce an especial abundance, a “bumper crop”, it is…
Swamp fern (Telmatoblechum serrulatum) is prevalent in moist places at the Cypress Bend Community Preserve (CBCP), just like at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA). It is pictured above in dappled shade along the CBCP trail. Toothed midsorus fern is…
Donna Winter (Class of 2016) pointed out fourpetal St. Johns-wort (Hypericum tetrapetalum) at the Wabasso scrub on our walk there on 11/11/2018 led by Jane Schnee. Sometimes it is called St. Peter’s wort, mistekenly. We also have seen this plant…
Coastalplain goldenaster (Chrysopsis scabrella) was flowering fabulously when Jane Schnee led a Florida Scrub-Jay walk for us on 11/11/2018 at the Wabasso Scrub, a 110-acre conservation area owned by Indian River County. We also saw this plant at…
Donna Winter (Class of 2016) sent this marvelous close-up of a forked bluecurls (Trichostema dichotomum) flower that we saw at the Wabasso Scrub on a 11/11/2018 early morning visit led by Jane Schnee (Class of 2010). This plant is…
Wildlife photographer Bob Montanaro enchanted us with his updated program, The Secret Life of the Florida Scrub-Jay, on 11/10/2018. He explained that Florida Scrub-Jays require open, sandy areas with scrub oaks from 3 – 6′ tall and only 1 or 2 tall…
Inches matter! In Florida, a slight change in elevation can bring a dramatic change in plant community. This phenomenon is evident at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) and was obvious at the Cypress Bend Community Preserve (CBCP) when we…
Cooler “fall” temperatures finally arrived for a 10-27-2018 group walk at the Cypress Bend Community Preserve (CBCP), a 47.25 acre property owned by Indian River County on the beautiful banks of the St. Sebastian River. Nearly all (43 acres) of…
Unripe fruit graced the dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa) when we visited Cypress Bend Community Preserve on May 5, 2018. The Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) is home to shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinities) but not huckleberry. What is the difference between…
