Cruickshank Sanctuary, June 9, 2010

I found a lot of interesting wildflowers today at the Cruickshank Sanctuary. There were about a dozen flowering stalks of Adam's needles (member of yucca family) poking up above the scrub in the SW corner of the sanctuary. Tarflower was blooming profusely in the central section. The boggy area on the SE corner was especially productive. Two special treats today: a rare and endangered Curtiss' milkwort and a night hawk. Of course, there were scrub jays. Also, saw an osprey, red-bellied woodpeckers, mockingbirds, and heard bobwhites. Found four new wildflowers I had never seen before. I later identified one of them (wingleaf primrosewillow). Three remain unidentified.

Go to SpaceCoastEco for more information on the Cruickshank Sanctuary: directions, parking, what to do, where to eat, etc.

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 Curtiss' milkweed (Asclepias curtissii, Apocynaceae)

Native; Florida endemic; rare and endangered. According to Craig Huegel, this plant "occurs only in excessively well-drained sands with plenty of sunlight."

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Nighthawk

As I entered the sanctuary, I thought I heard the peent call of a nighthawk. I walked a little further and saw the nighthawk, floating and tilting, land on a pine branch over the trail. He was well-camouflaged, and he knew it because he stayed in that one spot for over two hours. I hadn't seen a nighthawk in 20 years, or more. Back home in north Florida, we used to sit on our front porch in the early evening and watch nighthawks do their aerial stunts. The two photos above were taken from opposite sides of the branch.

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Scrub jays
Saw and heard quite a few scrub jays. These two came near to investigate.

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Florida scrub roseling (Callisia ornata, Commelinaceae)
Native, Florida endemic

A beautiful and fragile flower. By 10 AM, the petals had shriveled and disappeared. When this was first posted, I labeled it as C. graminea, although that species is not listed as being found in Brevard. I now believe it is C. ornata (7/23/12). Main clue: The flower stalks extend above the leaves.

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Adam's needle (Yucca filamentosa, Agavaceae)
Native

Four flowering stalks can be seen in the upper-left photo. The base blades have peeling filaments along their edges and are not as stiff and dangerous as yucca.

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Rustweed (Polypremum procumbens, Tetrachondraceae)
Native

Once you know this plant, you see it everywhere.

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Shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites, Ericaceae)
Native; dry soils; Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina

I found a couple of plants that, instead of black berries, had pale blue berries. They were probably all the same species; the bluish ones were perhaps covered with a natural "bloom."

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Unidentified #1

A small plant with tiny white flowers. (Note: This plant has now been identifed as Pineland Scalypink, Stipulicida setacea, Caryophyllaceae Family. See post for August 16, 2010.)

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Unidentified #2

The second of three unidentified plants. Maybe the pinkish buds will open into a flower that will help in identification.

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Atlantic St.John's-wort (Hypericum tenuifolium, Clusiaceae)
Native
I have not positively identified this. It might be Coastalplain St.John's-wort (Hypericum brachyphyllum). The two are very similar.

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Fourpetal St.John's-wort (Hypericum tetrapetalum, Clusiaceae)

Two sepals are much larger than the other two. Sepals completely enclose petals before opening, look like praying hands.

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West Indian meadowbeauty (Rhexia cubensis, Melastomataceae)
Native; mosit soils; southeast US.
(Note spider legs near left center)

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Yellow milkwort (Polygala rugelii, Polygalaceae)
Native; Florida endemic; moist soils.

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Florida sensitive brier (Mimosa quadrivalvis var. floridana, Fabaceae)
Native

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Mohr's thoroughwort (Eupatorium mohrii, Asteraceae)
Native; dry soils; southern US.

(with a fierce-looking insect)

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Wingleaf primrosewillow (Ludwigia decurrens, Onagraceae)
Native; ditches, swamps, edges of ponds.

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Carolina redroot (Lachnanthes caroliana, Haemodoraceae)

Native; boggy areas.

Just beginning to bloom.

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Unidentified #3

[I believe I have now narrowed this one down to one of the knotweeds or smartweeds (genus Polygonum). Need more details to identify particular species. -- June 21, 2010.]

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Climbing hempvine (Mikania scandens, Asteraceae)
Native

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Rusty staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea, Ericaceae)
Native

Past blooming

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Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida, Ericaceae)
Native

Past blooming

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Gallberry (Ilex glabra, Aquifoliaceae)
Native

Trail on left is lined with gallberry and saw palmetto, both very common in pine flatwoods. That's a scrub jay sitting on the trail. Gallberry is past blooming.

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Tarflower (Bejaria racemosa, Ericaceae)
Native

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Largeflower rosegentian (Sabatia grandiflora, Gentianaceae)
Native

(Note the white spider behind the flower in the lower right photo)

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