Its wildflower season in Florida and Phlox floridana is the star of the show.
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Florida Phlox (Phlox floridana) is currently blooming across north central Florida
Along the spine of the Florida peninsula, in sandy fields and roadside swales,
Florida phlox (Phlox floridana) is in full bloom.
This native plant is lovely from a distance but it is really spectacular close-up.
Getting close to the phlox requires stopping one's car and getting out.
I received a lot of strange looks as I investigated these fields of phlox.
I like how there are a few pure white phlox mixed in with the dominant
purples and lavendars.
Mixed in with the phlox is a lot of India Mustard (yellow-flowering) also known as Leaf Mustard (Brassica juncea). The mustard is attracting the Checkered White Butterfly (Pontia protodice) commonly known as the Southern Cabbageworm Butterfly. In the image above I caught the flutter of one of these currently abundant butterflies.
The hosts of Checkered White larvae are herbs in the Mustard family (Brassicaceae).
The preferred host in the South is the Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum).
Below: A close up of a Checkered White drinking from some mustard blooms.
Below: There were a lot of wild beans in this swale but the Checkered White
was much more interested in the Mustard. Click on the image below for a large view.
You'll see many ripe string beans on the left side of the image.
Below: An extreme close up of a Checkered White on a mustard bloom.
These white butterflies with black spots were very abundant in all the fields of
phlox and mustard that I visited on a recent afternoon.
Wildflowers: Florida vs. California
The big difference between California and Florida wildflower seasons is that Florida's season lasts virtually year round. If Florida were to receive adequate moisture there would always be wildflowers in bloom. That moisture has been largely missing for the past decade as climate change has made Florida's climate hotter and drier a situation not dissimilar to climate change in California.
Bidens alba (Spanish Needles, Beggarticks) bloomed all winter where there was moisture
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Gaillardia in full bloom
Earlier-than-normal blooming of spring wildflowers in Florida is occurring more often, but this year stands out because some wildflowers are blooming nearly a month earlier than expected. The influence of extremely warm weather all winter and into spring was probably greatest in North Florida. Like February, March has been dryer and warmer than normal, which would speed up the time when mid- or late-spring wildflowers bloom, such as Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella). Already these species are in full bloom along the east coast.
Lyre Leaf Sage started blooming in late February
This also means that now is not too soon to be looking for wildflowers that normally would bloom in late April, such as Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium spp.), Lanceleaf tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata), Southeastern sneezeweed (Helenium pinnatifidum), Lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata), and Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis). The remainder of the spring weather is forecast to be hotter and drier than normal.
Venus Looking Glass (Triodanis biflora)
In Central and South Florida, temperatures are expected to be above normal in March 2021, with hotter than normal temperatures the remainder of spring. While rain is forecast to be below normal throughout spring, NOAA predicts that drought conditions will persist in a large portion of south Central Florida and are likely to develop in South Florida .
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra, ssp. canadensis) blooming this week at the Circle B Bar Reserve
Despite the heat and dry flowers are finding enough moisture from evening dew and occasional fog to bloom especially in ditches, near canals, and anywhere else that scant moisture is found.
Where to find wildflowers
in Central Florida
Given that outlook, the best places to see native wildflowers will be naturally moist areas, especially in March. Look for two of the showiest and most common wildflowers in moist sites — Leavenworth’s tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii) and Black-eyed Susan (in North Florida, it tends to occur in drier locations). Because March was warmer than normal, look for typical April and May bloomers a few weeks earlier than you otherwise would. For instance, Leavenworth’s tickseed and Black-eyed Susan are already blooming.
Bidens laevis (Burmarigold or Smooth Beggartick)
A good place to view showy stands of wildflowers that prefer moist sites is at the Circle B Bar Reserve on the northwest shore of Lake Hancock in Polk County (near Lakeland). A walk through the miles of trails at Circle B Bar last weekend revealed plenty of wildflowers blooming but there was also plenty of evidence of the ongoing drought as many normally wet areas were completely dry and cracked.
Because March was hotter than normal, Prairie iris (Iris hexagona) and Duck potato (Sagittaria spp.) are already flowers. If you get lucky, you might even spot the bright reddish spikes of the Leafless beaked orchid (Sacoila lanceolata).
Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is in bloom across North Florida near streams and wetlands.
Not near an area with naturally moist conditions? Head toward the coast. Blanketflower and Beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis) are showy native wildflowers that thrive in dry, sandy conditions. They can be bloom at any time of the year in South Florida, and typically start by early to mid-spring in the Panhandle. In Central Florida they already are in full bloom. Presumably they're able to extract enough moisture from sea spray to thrive and put on a magnificent flower show.
Pinxter (Mountain Azalea, Rhododendron canescens) abloom along the Rainbow River
The Science of Wildflowers
Blooming is dependent on a complex interaction of genetics (that is, the “blueprint” of how the plant is expected to perform) and the environment — mainly day length, temperature and soil characteristics, the most important of which is moisture. The influence of these environmental factors varies among wildflower species. To make this issue a bit more complex, the previous year’s weather can influence wildflowers the next year, especially those that reseed. Weather can affect seed dormancy; dormant seeds do not germinate until the factor(s) causing dormancy have been alleviated, which could take several months or more. Wildflowers producing a high level of dormant seed may not yield a good stand of plants the following year.
There's not much water in the St. Johns River Marshes, but its enough for these stands of 8-foot tall Swamp Sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius)
Click it, don't pick it!
Many of our native wildflowers reproduce only by seed. Picking a flower reduces the ability of that plant to reproduce and for that population of wildflowers to sustain itself. Instead, use wildflowers in your yard or in containers. Seed packets are available in the Florida Wildflower Foundation Flower Shop and from the Florida Wildflower Seed and Plant Growers Association. Florida native wildflower seed packets also may be available at native plant garden centers.
More reasons not to pick wildflowers:
Picking the flowers of any endangered or threatened species is illegal in Florida. For details, see Florida Statute 581.185 Preservation of native flora of Florida. Though under the current far-right Republican administration in Florida, environmental rules and statues are virtually meaningless as they are so widely ignored.
Meanwhile in California
Spring flowers have had a tough go of it the past few years in California. The climate isn't the most hospitable, and the gods had been stingy with rain in recent years. But this is the year that everything changed. Thanks to extra precipitation and some luck, the show is well worth seeing.
Some places are already reaching peak. The recent sight of hillsides turned orange and purple in Lake Elsinore's Walker Canyon caused a traffic jam on the 15 Freeway as drivers stopped to gawk at spring lowers, some exiting their vehicles to get a closer look.
Given everything wildflowers go through simply to survive—some bloom from seeds dormant for 50 to 100 years—they deserve our attention, if only to applaud the struggle for the beauty of it all.
Some of the best places to see the blooms:
This state park is the place to be right now to see wildflowers that have been popping since late-March. This out-of-the-way desert spot southeast of Temecula is having the best showing in 20 years.
Go now if you want to see the superbloom that's filling the desert with low-lying carpets of yellow and greened-up fields streaked with purple and white flowers. It will only last until mid-April.
Plentiful winter rains provoked vivid blooms, injecting color into the California desert this spring. The normally arid Anza-Borrego Desert sprang into bright yellow, pink, and violet hues in March 2017 as thousands of wildflowers opened up.
Carpets of desert dandelions, brittlebush, and sand verbena drew visitors to the nearby state park. From space, a hint of green betrayed the presence of this revived plant life. The top image, acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, shows the desert on March 23, 2017. Compared to an image taken at the same time in 2016 (below), the area is noticeably more verdant.
Such floral outbursts commonly occur after heavy rain falls on arid locales. For instance, in 2015, unusually strong rains caused wildflowers to bloom en masse in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Because such rains encourage growth of underbrush in a very hot, dry desert locales, they can increase the probability of fires in subsequent heat waves. In California’s Sonoran Desert, periods of heavy precipitation also have been found to drive up populations of mule deer.
California 190 takes you right through the heart of Death Valley. The ride from Panamint Springs to Stovepipe Wells is amazing. While there take the Hike Death Valley 2017 Challenge (#hikedeathvalley)
The east end of the park is covered with poppies and patches are starting to fill in around other areas. Other flowers such as goldfields, lupine, and lacy phacelia are also creating a mosaic of color that changes daily. The bloom will last until sometime in April. All depends on when and how hot and dry the weather turns.
Chino Hills is unique in that it provides refuge for both biodiversity and solitude to the visitors who enjoy their outdoor experiences. There is no other location in the LA Basin where people can drive a short distance and be swept away with scenic vistas, hike, bike or ride a horse on over 9-0 miles of trails. At 14,102 acres the park is managed as an open space habitat where all plant and animal life are protected.
The state earned the slogan "Golden" because of the golden poppy fields that cover hillsides each spring.
The California poppy, the state flower since 1903, remains one of the most beloved wildflowers around.
You'll find them along roadsides north and south of LA, but hot temperatures may end the show soon.
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