Florida Natives » Butterfly

Common Dayflower

FlaScenics — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:37:43 +0000

The rain this year has been good for the Common Dayflower. It is not a true native, and grows wild in many lawns (especially mine!). It spreads along the ground and roots easily, making it hard to eliminate from the landscape. But the tiny blue blossoms make what remain a bit more welcoming!

There is a native Dayflower, but it has 2 blue flower petals, with the third one white.

Common Dayflower - Commelina diffusa

Cardinal Flower

FlaScenics — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:19:38 +0000

Cardinal Flower is a Florida native plant that thrives in wet areas. If you canoe or kayak along the Wekiva, Withlacoochee or any of our other wild waterways during the summer, you’ll likely see this bright red flower along the shore. The flowers are so nice, that it has become a popular nursery plant, so you can easily purchase plants on-line to try them in your own garden. Just be sure to pick a moist shady area. It is a great hummingbird attractor too!

Cardinal Flower - Lobelia cardinalis

Tropical Puff

FlaScenics — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:18:37 +0000

This yellow flowering sensitive plant was found growing along the roadside near Ozello, Florida.

The sprawling, low growing creeper has leaves that will curl up when touched. Very similar to the pink Mimosa microphylla, but with no thorns and yellow round flowers. A member of the pea family, it is the larval host plant for the Ceraunus Blue butterfly.

Tropical Puff - Neptunia pubescens

Gulf Coast Swallow-wort

FlaScenics — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 21:22:37 +0000

This was another plant found last week on the roadside near Ozello, Fl. The Gulf Coast Swallow-wort is a native climbing milkweed. Clusters of small pale peachy colored flowers are along a twining vine with sparse slender leaves. More easily noticed because of the typical seed pods, and also as host plant for the Queen butterfly.

It prefers the brackish salty areas along the Florida coastal counties.

Gulf Coast Swallow-wort - Cynanchum angustifolium

White Seaside Gentian

FlaScenics — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:12:26 +0000

Last June I posted about the Seaside Gentian, a beautiful lavender flower with a purple center. This June I’m posting it again in its white flower form! These were found growing on the salty roadside sand in large groups near Ozello, Fl, along with their purple flowering relatives. If you want to try growing these at home, you’ll most likely have some luck with another Seaside Gentian relative known as Lisianthus in garden centers throughout summer.

White Seaside Gentian - Eustoma exaltatum

Purple Seaside Gentian - Eustoma exaltatum

Coastal Rosegentian

FlaScenics — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:50:54 +0000

These lovely pink flowers were found growing under the cypress trees along the Withlacoochee River. The flower color was hard to capture on camera. The pale pink flowers seem a bit white in most of my photos due to the deep shade they were in.

These are small plants that grow 6 to 12 inches tall. They prefer wet soils in shady areas.

The flower in the first photo is a bit unusual in that it has a bright pink lining on the yellow starburst center. Maybe a different variety?

Coastal Rosegentian - Sabatia calycina

Bastard False Indigo

FlaScenics — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:00:31 +0000

This large flowering shrub can grow upwards of 10′ or more. It is leafless during the winter, then sprouts out with new leaves in spring. The purple spikes of flowers also appear in spring attracting many insects & butterflies. It normally grows in moist areas in the wild, but can adapt to home garden conditions. An added bonus – it is the host plant for both the southern dogface sulphur and the silver-spotted skipper butterflies.

Bastard False Indigo - Amorpha fruticosa

Rockrose

FlaScenics — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:12:09 +0000

This native yellow flower can be found in the dry scrub areas throughout mid & south Florida. Also known as Florida Scrub Frostweed this small plant grows to about 15″ tall and blooms in Spring & Summer.

Rockrose / Florida Scrub Frostweed - Helianthemum nashii

Yellow Hatpins

FlaScenics — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:15:33 +0000

Yellow Hatpins aka Bantam-buttons grow in moist pinelands, ditches and marshes. The name hatpins describes the flower and stem perfectly. Long 12″ spikes with little yellowish-white flowers sprout from the grass like plant.

Yellow Hatpins - Syngonanthus flavidulus

Butterweed

FlaScenics — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:03:40 +0000

This annual flower likes to grow in moist soils, so it is usually found near wetlands, wet prairies, ditches and marshy forest edges. In early spring it sprouts up to about 2′ tall with clusters of buttery yellow flowers.

Butterweed - Packera glabella