Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, August 15, 2010

Crawled along Black Point Drive looking for wildflowers. Found bushmint (not native), which I had not seen on this drive before. All the others were familiar, so used the opportunity to try to get better photos of them.

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Lateflowering thoroughwort (Eupatorium serotinum, Asteraceae)

Native
   

 Moist, disturbed sites. Blooms summer, fall.

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Virginia saltmarsh mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos, Malvaceae)
Native

Swamps and marshes. Blooms spring, summer, fall.

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Wood sage; Canadian germander (Teucrium canadense, Lamiaceae)
Native

I initially misidentified this plant as tropical bushmint (Hyptis mutabilis). In September 2011, I was notified that the plant is actually wood sage (Teucrium canadense).

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Marsh gentian, seaside gentian (Eustoma exaltatum, Gentianaceae)
Native

Coastal dunes, wet marshes, and disturbed sites. Bloom spring, summer, fall. The plants I found on this day seemed much shorter than the ones found in early summer.

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Spotted beebalm, dotted horsemint (Monarda punctata, Lamiaceae)
Native

Disturbed sites. Blooms late spring, summer, fall.

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Capeweed (Phyla nodiflora, Verbenaceae)
Native

Damp, sandy soils. Blooms year round.

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Southern beeblossom (Gaura angustifolia, Onagraceae)
Native

Flowers small, on ends of wandlike spikes. Stems up to 6-ft long. Dry, disturbed sites, and pinelands. Blooms year round.

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American bluehearts (Buchnera americana, Orobanchaceae)
Native

Pinelands, disturbed areas, and meadows. Blooms year round.

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Camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris, Asteraceae)
Native

Plant is odiferous. Blooms year round.

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Plant Bug

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Showy milkwort (Polygala violacea, Polygalaceae)
Native

Blooms year round.

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Zarzabacoa comun, beggarweed (Desmodium incanum, Fabaceae)
Not native

Produces pods of hairy sticktights of 4 to 6 segments. Blooms year round.

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Spanish needles, beggarticks (Bidens alba, Asteraceae)
Native

Found in disturbed sites. Blooms year round. A popular flower with butterflies.

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Narrowleaf yellowtops (Flaveria linearis, Asteraceae)
Native

Only one tiny ray flower in each flower head. Found in wet areas, especially coastal areas. Blooms year round.

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