Malabar Scrub, May 20, 2015

This visit was mostly an endurance test--to see if I could walk all the way to the north end of Malabar Woods Blvd and back, a roundtrip of about 1.5 mi. I made it, but it was very tiring and hot. Found a couple of new flowers.

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Entrance to the red trail 

from the sanctuary entrance

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Axilflower (Mecardonia acuminata subsp. peninsularis, Plantaginaceae)

Native, Florida endemic

Found along the beginning of the red trail.

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Florida Yellow Flax (Linum floridanum, Linaceae)

Native

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Orange milkwort (Polygala lutea, Polygalaceae)

Native

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Showy milkwort (Asemeia violacea, Polygalaceae)

Native

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 Chapman's goldenrod (Solidago odora var. chapmanii, Asteraceae)

Native

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Horned bladderwort (Utricularia cornuta, Lentibulariaceae)

Native

A tiny, carnivorous plant growing in the wet, sandy areas along the west side of the pond.

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Lavender bladderwort; small purple bladderwort (Utricularia resupinata, Lentibulariaceae)

Native

This was a new plant for me. Another tiny, carnivorous plant along the west side of the pond.

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Lax hornpod (aka miterwort) (Mitreola petiolata, Loganiaceae). Native

A small, easily overlooked plant.

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Pineland heliotrope (Heliotrope polyphylum, Boraginaceae)

Native

This was a new plant for me. A string of yellow flowers in a graceful curve. Note how the tips of the older flowers have turned brown.

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 Largeflower rosegentian (Sabatia grandiflora, Gentianaceae)

Native

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Seaside primrosewillow (Ludwigia maritima, Onagraceae)

Native

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A sedge?

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Sweetbroom; licoriceweed (Scoparia dulcis, Plantaginaceae)

Native

"Plante Genest" was a 12th-century nickname for Geoffrey V, perhaps because his emblem was the plant, common broom, named planta genista in medieval Latin. Geoffrey's son, Henry II, was the first Plantagenet King of England.

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Foxtail grass

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Malabar Woods Blvd

looking south

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Scrub Jays

Two scrub jays came around looking for a handout. About 30 min. later, I spotted a lone scrub jay off in the distance. Also, saw two gopher tortoises.

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Shortleaf rosegentian (Sabatia brevifolia, Gentianaceae)

Native

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Southern beeblossom (Gaura angustifolia, Onagraceae)

Native

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Gopher apple (Licania michauxii, Chrysobalanaceae) Native

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Shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites, Ericaceae)

Native

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View of pond from north end.

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Yelloweyed grass

Xyris spp.

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Red trail

along west side of pond.

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Smooth waterhyssop, Herb-of-grace (Bacopa monnieri, Plantaginaceae)

Native

Found in wet ditch just outside sanctuary entrance.

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