440 acres adjacent to the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida/IFAS
Trich Kruza (Class of 2015) spotted this solo Florida scrub roseling (Callisia ornata) growing at the south Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA). Also known as pink spiderwort, this plant is endemic to scrubby habitats in peninsular Florida. This spring-summer annual…
Coinvine (Dalbergia ecastaphyllum) is a very aggressive woody native vine. Its common name refers to its nickel-sized seed pods. Each one contains a single seed … Coinvine grows on the landward edges of mangrove swamps and on sand dunes. It…
Thanks to Donna Winter (Class of 2016) for the magnificent photos above of a green anole (Anolis carolinensis) foraging in the flowers of American elder (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis), more commonly called elderberry. She took these photos at the Toni…
Florida pellitory (Parietaria floridana), a cool season annual, now carpets some of the disturbed areas in the mesic hammock at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA). Florida pellitory long has been present at ORCA but never to this extent. Though…
Thanks to Mary Ester and George Bollis (Class of 2020) for this beautiful photo of a red-waisted floral moth (Syngamia florella). This photo was taken at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area on 2/22/2020 during the final walk of the Florida…
Karen Schuster (Class of 2009) shared this photograph of a great southern white butterfly (Ascia monuste) that she took at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (PINWR). We also saw this butterfly on our field trip to the Winter Beach Salt…
Galls are the result of intimate, long co-evolved relationships between a gallmaker (often an insect) and a plant species (or related species). Galls come in a variety of shapes and sizes and usually are found on a particular part of…
Donna Winter (Class of 2016) shared the photos above cure-for-all (Pluchea carolinensis), a plant that we saw at the Winter Beach Salt Marsh on a field trip on 3/8/2020 led by Dave Fuss, Indian River Land Trust Director of Stewardship.…
Thanks to Dave Fuss, Indian River Land Trust (IRLT) Director of Stewardship, and newly hired Land Steward JD Hart, for leading a wonderful walk on Sunday, 3/8/2020, for us at the Winter Beach Salt Marsh. This 65+ acre property is…
At the end of a walk at Captain Forster Hammock Preserve (CFHP) on 2/29/2020, some of the laggards came across a prolific plant along the edge of the trail. Thanks to Donna Winter (Class of 2016) for finding out its…
Coralbean (Erythrina herbacea) sports striking spikes of tubular scarlet flowers throughout the winter and early spring. Hummingbirds and long-tongued butterflies nectar on its flowers. Flowering seems to be earlier on Orchid Island than on the mainland. This showy native plant…
Shown above is shoebutton ardisia (Ardisia elliptica), which despite ongoing efforts by volunteers and invasive plant control professionals, remains problematic at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) and elsewhere. This Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Category #1 invasive pest plant…
