Enjoy the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area
440 acres adjacent to the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida/IFAS
Diversity matters - at least to monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are the larval host plants for monarch butterfly. Pictured above along Oslo Road is a monarch butterfly nectaring on scarlet milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), a non-native, commercially available…
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,…
Growing in the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) parking lot amongst wild coffee (Psychotria nervosa) and last's week's Wednesday "weed", beggarticks (Bidens alba), is what some folks call tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica). Other common names include scarlet milkweed, Mexican milkweed, bloodflower,…
Butterflies likely are the best-loved bugs, but bees, beetles, mosquitoes, flies, and other insects pollinate our plants, as do bats, hummingbirds, and tropical birds. June 20 to June 26, 2016 is pollinator week. Butterflies tend to prefer to nectar on…
Enjoy the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area 