Enjoy the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area
440 acres adjacent to the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida/IFAS
Yellowtop (Flaveria linearis) is a fabulous (usually) fall wildflower. It is a member of the daisy family, Asteraceae, though, at glance, you may not see the family resemblance. The round center of a what we think of as a conventional…
Bee balm (Monarda punctuata) attracts butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Look how pollen from the anthers of the bee balm sticks to the top of this bulky, native southern carpenter bee (Xylocopa micans), easily identified by its 'shiny hiney'. This…
Bee balm (Monarda punctata) is butterfly balm, too. Above a painted lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis) inserts its proboscis into one of the many speckled flowers of bee balm. Remember: What seem to be 'petals' are really bracts. Lots of tiny…
What appear to be petals on this bee balm (Monarda punctuata) are really bracts (modified leaves usually associated with a reproductive structure). The flowers themselves are white with purple dots, giving rise to common names like spotted bee balm and…
Enjoy the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area 