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As of 2010, almost 500 of Florida's plant species receive some type of federal and/or state protection.
Unfortunately, this number continues to grow as the pressures of development increase on Florida's remaining wild lands.
Exotic or alien plant species are non-native plants which have been introduced intentionally or accidentally to a geographic region in which they did not previously exist. Because they are foreign to the locale, they are not kept in check by the local predators and competitors. Once naturalized in the ecosystems, they often become very invasive. These invasive species displace the native species that should inhabit the area. If a native plant disappears, all the insects, ...
One evening years ago, I saw that a monarch chrysalis was changing color, a sign that the adult butterfly was soon to emerge. I set up my tripod and camera in our garage and waited ... and waited ... and waited. At midnight, it seemed that the adult butterfly was definitely on the way. I waited some more. Then it was almost 2:00 a.m. in the morning. I would have been willing to stay up all night, but unfortunately I had to teach a class early the next morning and I knew that I just couldn't ...
One of the benefits of having a yard full of native plants is that you can easily observe the life histories of many insects including butterflies.
Many years ago, while walking through our yard, I spotted a monarch caterpillar hanging upside down from the leaf of a Fireflag (Thalia geniculata) ...
We live on a street in a rural comunity which probably resembles most towns in the United States where most of the yards resemble square patches of solid green grass with not much else, not even trees. On the weekends and in the cool of the evenings or mornings, the homeowners or their gardeners venture out with their noisy beasts that belch fumes of gas to spend their precious time to mow their expanse of grass.
Majestic flower! How ...
This beautiful spiderlily (Hymenocallis henryae) was one of several clumps that was growing in a flatwoods depression beside a highway in the Apalachicola National Forest. When we returned a few days later to show the lilies to other plant enthusiasts, one of the clumps had been dug up, leaving just a watery hole. ...
Very few people get to see the ...
No doubt about it. I am a bibliophile. Every room in our house is lined with bookshelves filled with books old and new. No matter how many books about wildflowers or butterflies I may have, there is always a new or previously undiscovered classic edition that I just have to have.
No matter how thorough or well-done a field guide or reference book is, it can't cover a subject entirely. This is especially true for wildflower books. First, I look in my favorite guides to see if there is ...
