Pelican Island, March 4, 2011

This is a posting of photos from Pelican Island NWR, that part of the refuge that is on the barrier island, off Jungle Trail, west of SR A1A. The refuge is in Indian River County, just across the southern border of Brevard. The posting is in two parts: Part 1 is plants outside the butterfly garden, and Part 2 is plants in the butterfly garden. The first part includes four plants new to the blog: tabebuia, cranesbill, strangler fig, and buttonwood.

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Part 1: Plants Outside the Butterfly Garden

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Caribbean trumpet tree (Tabebuia aurea, Bignoniaceae)

Not native

This tree was in the parking lot at Long Point Restaurant, where I stopped on the way to Pelican Island NWR.

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Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella, Asteraceae)

Native

Large patches of firewheel were near the path to the overlook at Pelican Island NWR overlook.

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Carolina cranesbill (Geranium carolinianum, Geraniaceae)

Native

A few patches of cranesbill were scattered about.

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Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum, Brassicaceae)

Native

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Eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans, Anacardiaceae)

Native

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Sand live oak (Quercus geminate, Fagaceae)

Native

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Strangler fig (Ficus aurea, Moraceae)

Native

A strangler fig is sometimes difficult to recognize when it's not strangling something. One clue is the yellow midrib on the leathery leaves. Of course, another clue is figs, which indicate at least that the tree belongs to the genus Ficus. Figs are unique in that the flowers form inside the fruit. The flowers are pollinated by tiny wasps.

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Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets were working on a paper nest suspended from a branch of a strangler fig tree.

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Boardwalk

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View from Boardwalk

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Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus, Combretaceae)

Native

A type of mangrove found near brackish water. The fruit resembles buttons and is the origin of the common name.

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Hercules-club (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, Rutaceae)

Native

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Pelican Island

The first National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1903 to protect brown pelican nesting grounds.

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Part 2: Butterfly Garden

It was raining on and off, which explains the water droplets in some of the photos. In the butterfly garden I found three wildflowers new to this blog: scorpionstail, buttonsage, and Florida pellitory.

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Butterfly Garden

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Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens, Caprifoliaceae)

Native

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Walter's groundcherry (Physalis walteri, Solanaceae)

Native

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East coast dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis, Asteraceae)

Native

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Tropical sage (Salvia coccinea, Lamiaceae)

Native

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Spotted beebalm, horsemint (Monarda punctata, Lamiaceae)

Native

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Lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata, Lamiaceae)

Native

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Scorpionstail (Heliotropium angiospermum, Boraginaceae)

Native

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Carolina wild petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis, Acanthaceae)

Native

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Oblongleaf twinflower (Dyschoriste oblongifolia, Acanthaceae)

Native

I believe I have correctly identified this flower. It had started raining again, so I didn't have time to poke around to get a good view of the entire plant.

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Buttonsage (Lantana involucrata, Verbenaceae)

Native

Three Lantanas can be found in this area. This is the only one of the three that is a native.

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Seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens, Asteraceae)

Native

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Canadian toadflax (Linaria canadensis, Plantaginaceae)

Native

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Southern beeblossom (Gaura angustifolia, Onagraceae)

Native

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Trailing indigo (Indigofera spicata, Fabaceae)

Not native

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Black medick (Medicago lupulina, Fabaceae)

Not native

Left: blossom with yellow inchworm; right: spiral seed pods.

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Florida Pellitory (Parietaria floridana, Urticaceae)
Native

I had originally labeled this as an "unidentified weed." However, Suzanne Valencia (who was the creator of the PINWR butterfly garden) came to my rescue on March 22, 2011, and identified this plant, as shown above. She reports that Florida Pellitory is a host plant for the Red Admiral butterfly. Thanks, Suzanne!

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Cruickshank Sanctuary, March 3, 2011

A quick look around to see if anything new. Found two wildflowers new to me: Apalachicola toadflax and pinebarren frostweed (aka rock-rose). I had also found the latter earlier in the day in Wickham Park. Sections had recently been burned, so I photographed those areas for a record of recovery.

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American white waterlily (Nymphaea odorata, Nymphaeaceae )

Native

Several water lilies were in bloom near the wooden bridge.

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Apalachicola toadflax (Linaria floridana, Plantaginaceae)

Native

I found a few of these wildflowers in dry, sandy soil near the beginning of the trail (west of the bridge). This species of Linaria has short spurs and long flower pedicels (stems). The other species of Linaria in Brevard Co. is L. canadensis, which has long spurs and short pedicels.

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Pineland scalypink (Stipulicida setacea, Caryophyllaceae)

Native

This is a tiny, wiry, nearly leafless wildflower. Stem leaves are minute, scale-like. Tiny, 5-petaled flowers at tips of stems. Bristly stipules occur at stem joints. Found in dry, sandy soils.

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Pinebarren frostweed, rock-rose (Helianthemum corymbosum, Cistaceae)

Native

I first put this down as a piriqueta, just like the one I had seen in Wickham Park earlier in the day. However, when I got home and looked at photos and descriptions of piriqueta, I realized this and the Wickham Park plant were something else. I finally identified it as rock-rose (called frostweed by the USF/ISB online plant atlas). Its main identifying characteristic of the blossom of this species is the large number of stamens, all tipped with orange anthers. They look like a circle of tiny matches.

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Netted pawpaw (Asimina reticulata, Annonaceae)
Native

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Rusty staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea, Ericaceae)

Native

One of three species of Lyonia in Brevard. This species and L. fruticosa both have leaves that have a rusty appearance on their underside. The flower stems also are rusty spotted. Flowers are bell-shaped, white with rusty spots. The edges of the leaves of this species are turned under; whereas, L. fruticosa leaf edges are not turned under.

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Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida, Ericaceae)

Native

This is the third Lyonia found in Brevard. It has urn-shaped, dark pink blossoms.

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Shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites, Ericaceae)
Native

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Wild pennyroyal (Piloblephis rigida, Lamiaceae)
Native

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Burn 1

Several sections of the sanctuary had recently undergone a prescribed burn, exposing sandy patches critical to scrub jay survival.

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Burn 2

 Palmettos and grass quickly grow back.

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Burn 3

Emerging bracken fern and redroot. The compressed leaves of redroot are distinctive.

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Burn 4

"Toasted" puffball fungi.

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Wickham Park, Early Spring, March 3, 2011

This was a quick tour of the park to see what's blooming in early spring. I especially like the bright green laurel oaks at this time of the year. Found one wildflower new to me: Frostweed or Rock-rose.

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Laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia, Fagaceae)
Native

The laurel oaks were close to their peak spring color on this day. The dull, old leaves were shed and replaced with shiny, new ones. Top left: A laurel oak greets visitors as they enter the park. Top right: A row of laurel oaks borders the southside of the front lake. Bottom: Close-up of new leaves.

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Carolina ash (Fraxinus caroliniana, Oleaceae)
Native

This ash is located near the entrance to the park office. There are a couple of small ash trees near the pavilions on the north side of the park. All the ashes are small, and some appear to be struggling.

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Walter's viburnum (Viburnum obovatum, Adoxaceae)
Native

This viburnum is on the east side of the park office, part of landscape plantings from years back.

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Bay lobelia (Lobelia feayana, Campanulaceae)
Native, Florida endemic

This is one of the first roadside wildflowers to pop up in the spring, usually in dense patches. They're short, less than 4 inches high. This wildflower and the next four were found along the unpaved road that runs north of the children's playground.

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Oakleaf fleabane (Erigeron quercifolius, Asteraceae)
Native

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Canadian toadflax (Linaria canadensis, Plantaginaceae)
Native

This is a common roadside wildflower in the spring, usually appearing in thin patches. There are two species of Linaria in Brevard Co. The other one is Apalachicola toadflax (L. floridana), which I've found in the Cruickshank Sanctuary. The two species can be separated by their spurs (L. canadensis has long spurs) and length of flower stems (L. canadensis has short stems).

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Fringed yellow stargrass (Hypoxis juncea, Hypoxidaceae)
Native

On this day the yellow stargrass was about as thick as I've ever seen it. This patch was near the playground. The tips of the petals have tufts of tiny hairs; maybe that's the reason for "fringed" in its name.

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Common yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata, Oxalidaceae)
Native

An early spring lawn invader.

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Netted pawpaw (Asimina reticulata, Annonaceae)
Native

Pawpaws are found along the trail on the east side of the Youth Camping Area.

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Wild pennyroyal (Piloblephis rigida, Lamiaceae)
Native

Pennyroyal is common along the trail on the east side of the Youth Camping Area.

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Pinebarren frostweed, rock-rose (Helianthemum corymbosum, Cistaceae)
Native

This was a new wildflower for me. I found only this one in Wickham Park, alongside the trail on the east side of the Youth Camping Area. Later on this day, I found a few more of them in the Cruickshank Sanctuary.

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Scrubland goldenaster (Chrysopsis subulata, Asteraceae)
Native, Florida endemic

This plant was previously misidentified as camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris). Roger Hammer correctly identified it as scrubland goldenaster (Chrysopsis subulata), June 3, 2015.

These are basal leaves of scrubland goldenaster. There are many of the young, hairy-leafed plants along the trail on the east side of the Youth Camping Area.

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