Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Chapman’s Blazing Star is one of 16 species of Liatris listed in the Florida Atlas of Vascular Plants. It has a patchy distribution throughout the state in scrub, sandhills and dunes  The basal rosette appears in the early spring and flowers begin to appear in late August several weeks before other blazing stars start to flower.  By early October most of the flowers of this short-lived perennial have gone to seed and the leaves have withered and turned brown. Liatris chapmanii is fairly easy to recognize because the flowers grow down stalk and are often interspersed with the upper leaves.  The stout flower stocks are usually about three feet tall.  Dense clusters of bright lavender flowers and buds cling tightly to the flower stalk. During its month of blazing glory, L. chapmanii is a magnet for butterflies and bees. Chapman’s Blazing Star is only offered for sale by a few native plant nurseries, or at native plant sales....

When scheduling Butterfly Holiday trips to all parts of the world, I always leave open the months of September and October. During this time, the greatest diversity and number of butterflies and many other N.E. Florida pollinators are attracted to  flowering plants in the Genera: Carphephorus , Liatris , Dalea , Vaccinium , Dioda , Elephantopus , Bidens , Lachnanthes , and  others. Southern Dogface on Liatris pauciflora When conditions are right, in the dry pinelands and sand hill areas in Julington-Durbin Preserve, Ralph E Simmons and Jennings State Forests, acres of Summer Farewell ( Dalea pinnata ) can be in bloom attracting multitudes of butterflies and other Northeast Florida pollinators. Summer Farewell ( Dalea pinnata ) There are eight native Dalea species growing in Florida. Three are vouchered in Northeast Florida, D. carnea , D. carnea var. albida , and D. pinnata , with D. pinnata being the most common. Summer Farewell ( Dale...

All FNPS members are invited to join the Pawpaw chapter of FNPS, Saturday, October 14, 2017, for an  all-day,  driving/walking, field trip in the Ocala National Forest!   Dr. Susan Carr will guide us, as we explore 1- 3 year old, fire-managed, longleaf pine sandhill areas near Salt Springs. Dr. Susan Carr    Trip participants should wear field clothes, and bring their own lunch, as well as drinking water, insect repellent, and Florida-appropriate weather gear.   Dr. Susan Carr and David Anderson Participants should expect to travel over several miles of rough dusty forest roads. The reward of possibly spotting a fox squirrel, RCW nest trees, and of course, great understory of plant diversity in Fall bloom, makes it worth the effort!  For more details, FNPS members should contact trip coordinator, Sonya Guidry: guidry.sonya@gmail.com

Yucca plants are evergreen plants with interesting, usually spiky, leaves that bloom into bunches of flowers. There are  over 20 species of yucca  and three are native to Florida. These are the Spanish Bayonet, Moundlily Yucca, and Adam's needle. Spanish bayonet (Yucca aloifolia)  Photo credit: Shirley Denton Growing yucca plants in Florida is a great way to encourage indigenous plants to thrive, while benefiting birds and pollinators. If you grow native Florida plants, they also require less TLC because they're in their natural environment. Here’s what you need to know about Yucca plants. The three species of Yucca plant that are indigenous to Florida are beautiful ways to encourage a more creative and healthy garden. Here's how to identify them so you can choose the one that feels perfect for your garden and needs. 1. Spanish Bayonet (Spanish Dagger) This evergreen plant is marked by sharp tips and two-foot leaves. It can reach up to 20 feet in he...

Submitted by Jean Evoy, a 30-year veteran of FNPS. She has been active in several chapters including Miami-Dade, Serenoa, and Mangrove. Southern Bee Blossom flower, photo by Jean Evoy Southern Beeblossom is a common wildflower of roadsides, fields, dunes and open woods in Florida.  It used to be called Gaura angustifolia , but a few years ago the evening primrose family underwent extensive revisions and G. angustifolia , was renamed Oenothera simulans along with several other species of that were included in the genus Gaura. Crimson moth larva, J Evoy Southern Beeblossom has slender, branched, hairy stems that may reach six feet. The leaves are reduced on the upper parts of the plant and tiny flowers are found near the ends of wand-like stems. The flowers are white when they open in the evening.    They become pinkish the following day before withering.   As the name beeblossom indicates, the flowers are attractive to many insects, including be...

FNPS Conference Field Trip Highlight:  Adams Ranch Day: Thursday, May 18 at 9 am. Leaders: Anne Cox and Lee Ann Simmons Rainbow over Adams Ranch,  Bud Adams/Photographer Adams Ranch is a working cattle ranch with a long history of conservation. It is the model of a successful ranch that is also protecting and preserving environmentally sensitive lands. The ranch helps to preserve the rivers, swamps, marshes, prairies and wooded areas that are on its land, and in doing so protects critical habitat for native wildlife, such as bald eagles, alligators, bobcats, turkey, hawks, owls, Caracara and so much more. Caracara, Donna Bollenbach/Photographer This family owned business, established in 1937 by Alto Adams Sr, and his son Alto “Bud” Adams, Jr., is committed to preserving the natural vegetation, wildlife and its Florida heritage through environmental stewardship and a program of total ranch management. The ranch has won numerous conservation awards incl...

Submitted by Tom Palmer, Hernando Chapter . Edited by Valerie Anderson Jack-in-the-Pulpit, photo by Tom Palmer Jack-in-the-Pulpit ( Arisaema triphyllum ) emerges in floodplain forests in most of Florida at the beginning of spring. The plant’s Latin name refers to its three prominent leaves that spread above the spathe that is the “pulpit” from which the common name (also known as Parson-in-the-Pulpit) derives. Purple splotched spathe. Photo by Tom Palmer The spathe ranges from green to purple. The plant also includes a cluster of red berries that ripen later in the year. This plant is widespread, growing all over the Eastern United States and as far north as Nova Scotia. However the plant is not uniformly distributed and sometimes may be absent or infrequent in suitable habitat. Arisaema triphyllum was once divided into two species ( A. triphyllum and A. acuminatum ) based on morphological differences described by Small and others. It was originally desc...

Submitted by Donna Bollenbach Registration is now open for the 2017 FNPS Conference. If you know you’re going, you should register early. If you’re undecided, I'm going to try to persuade you! Consider this a sneak preview of what’s in store for you…. Reason #1: There’s Nothing Like It South Florida Water Management Photo of Kissimmee River Restoration Florida Native Plant Society President, Catherine Bowman sums it up: There is nothing like it :  You will be in a place of awe inspiring, thought provoking, energizing beauty in the heart of Florida.  The Kissimmee River and Everglades Restoration Areas will extend before you to the south, as the headwaters of the St. Johns River, with its restoration projects and recreational opportunities, flow to the north.  River Ranch, once a cattle trail stop, then a dude ranch, is now a comfortable resort in this rustic, history-rich part of Florida. From River Ranch, the Florida Trail will take you ...

Berlandiera subacaulis Submitted by Jean Evoy, a 30-year veteran of FNPS. She has been active in several chapters including Miami-Dade, Serenoa, and Mangrove . Lobed basal leaves and hairy stems, photo by Jean Evoy There are a lot of plants that say “spring”, but one of my favorites is the endemic Florida Greeneyes, Berlandiera subacaulis, named for Jean-Louis Berlandier, a Swiss Physician who collected plants in the early 1800s. Greeneyes, photo by Jean Evoy Seedhead of the Greeneyes photo by Jean Evoy This drought tolerant plant grows throughout most of the Florida peninsula in sandhills, dry flatwoods, and disturbed sites in acid to neutral sandy or loamy soils.  The related Soft Greeneyes, Berlandiera pumila, grows in  the Florida panhandle and south to Marion and Volusia Counties. Greeneyes flowers are a common sight along roadsides in central Florida. This short-lived perennial can be grown from root division or seeds that are quite easy t...

Submitted by Devon Higginbotham Devon's quest to find a stateside location for an FNPS Native Plant Tour, brought her and her husband to North Alabama, where they found the natural areas and plants to be as diverse as anywhere in Florida, and the people just as dedicated to preserving them. You too can discover our native plant neighbors on the  FNPS NORTH ALABAMA NATIVE PLANT TOUR ,  APRIL 17 – 22ND, 2017. Though I’ve travelled throughout the United States, it never seems to be enough.  The United States is so huge, and every state and region has its own unique features; sugar white beaches, rocky cliffs, huge peaked mountains, rolling hills, prairies and alpine meadows.   Every state is diverse, and each season brings different wildflowers and foliage. Spring is nothing like fall, winter or summer. Newly emerging leaves in spring are translucent, ephemeral, pale green.  Fall evolves to the crisp oranges, reds and yellows. I want to see it all...