Christina Evans (cgstudios)'s Photos : Florida Native Plant Project

Florida Native Plant Project Galleries

Florida Native Grasses : Florida has many wonderful native grasses that are worthy of garden space, including Muhley Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) which has become a popular addition to plantings along roadways and in medians, as well as in home landscapes, due to its spectacular pink fall blooms. I grow it in my yard and love it, along with some of the tall Tripsacum dactyloides (Fakahatchee Grass) and a few short Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple Love Grass). My initial favorite was the less showy Tripsacum floridana, known in the landscape trade as Dwarf Fakahatchee Grass. It attracts wildlife. I was hooked on it the first spring I had it and saw a small flock of migrating Blue Grobeaks jumping up and down grabbing the seeds off the tall stalks and eating them on the ground. Those tall stalks remain after their seeds are gone and are a favorite perch for dragonflies. They also host Long-horned bees all summer -- I believe the females live in the ground, but the fuzzy males sleep on the grass stalks in large numbers at night. The same goes for the very interesting little scarab hunter wasps. Butterflies like to hang out in them for some reason, too -- and I have been able to find Ceraunus Blues there throughout the winter. Ditto for Citrine Forktail damselflies. It's only drawback is that it is somewhat "thirsty" and does not look at its best without moisture. In 2008 I added some grasses I hope will be happier when we have droughty conditions -- wiregrass, some lopsided Indian grass and some Pineywoods Dropseed. I have wildflowers interspersed with these grasses in an attempt to have a bit of the prairie here in suburbia. Whenever I want to take insect photos, I can sit in the midst of the grasses and flowers in my yard and just wait for something wonderful to show up. Quite a difference from the usual barren, boring St. Augustine lawn that requires lots of water, pesticides and fertilizers.

Florida Native Grasses

Shrubs - Baccharis : Click on thumbnail for a larger view of a photo.

Baccharis angustifolia -- Saltwater False Willow

Book Info: I could not find a lot on this shrub, but it is a relative of the much more common and widespread B. halimifolia, or Groundsel Tree (also called Sea Myrtle). Groundsel is usually seen in sunny, damp areas and is often overlooked until fall when the female plants are covered in white fluffy seed clusters. Size range is 10-12 feet and I would guess that B. angustifolia is similar in those characteristics. However it has very thin, linear leaves.

Personal Info: Though Groundsel is more common, my experience is with one Saltwater False Willow growing in my front yard. Beautifully green throughout the year with its delicate foliage, it often draws comments and questions from visitors. I cut it back fairly often in the summer and it responds very well. It is especially a joy for a few weeks in late fall when it flowers -- not because it is all that showy, but because it draws amazing numbers and wide variety of insects with masses of little cream colored flowers -- including many insects I rarely or never see at any other time. Wasps, bees, flies, flower flies, butterflies -- one October morning I found six Monarch butterflies hanging in it at once. It is fun to just sit and watch all the activity that goes on during a relatively short flowering time. The plant I have does not get wind-blown seeds, I'm guessing that is because it is a male plant.

Update: As much as I like this shrub, I had been told it was not long lasting. It had reduced bloom in fall 2007 and was not looking its best anymore so I removed it when doing some front yard renovation in early 2008 to try some different plants. I would still heartily recommend it and will happily add another sometime in the future.

Shrubs - Baccharis

Wildfowers - Pityopsis graminifolia : Click on thumbnail for a larger view of a photo -- click on the main photo for an even larger view.

Pityopsis graminifolia - Common Names: SIlky Golden-Aster, Silkgrass, Silver-Leafed Aster

Book Info: Variable size to 2 1/2 feet, Silvery grassy foliage, bloom time variable, sandy soil -- (books do not agree on some characteristics)

Personal Info: One plant added (accidently) to my yard in summer of 2005, Blooming heavily in fall (November), attracted a fair number of small pollinators, mostly bees. Attractive even when not in bloom -- will likely plant more.

Update: I added two more plants in 2006, but will likely never be without it now. During a very dry 2007 summer season, it did very well when other wildflowers were struggling and has spread itself around the front yard by seed and I think also underground. I can easily see where the name silkGRASS came from since it looks a lot like grass where it is coming up in numbers. I think it might make a wonderful groundcover and I'm happy to have it on my little "prairie", having seen it blooming in the midst of the grasses in fall at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. A bonus was that a few of the flowers bloomed nearly throughout the winter months.

This was one of the most asked about plants in my yard during the Pinellas chapter Florida Native Plant Society Yard Tour in September 2008 -- and it wasn't even blooming.

Wildfowers - Pityopsis graminifolia

Florida Native Wildflowers - Miscellaneous : This gallery contains photos of various native wildflowers. I have separate galleries for Carphephorus species and for Pityopsis graminifolia (SIlkgrass).

Please click on the thumbnails to view an image in a larger size and to read more about them.

Florida Native Wildflowers - Miscellaneous

Wildflowers - Carphephorus : Click on thumbnail for a larger view of a photo.

Common Names: Florida Paintbrush (C. corymbosus), and Deer Tongue (C. paniculatus)

Book Info: 3 feet, sandy, well-drained areas, blooming late summer and fall, sun. Will form large clumps over time.

Personal Info: A few plants of both varieties were planted in my yard during summer, 2005 and bloomed in the fall, with the Paintbrush slightly ahead of the Deer Tongue. Both attracted large numbers of pollinators while in flower -- the Paintbrush, in particular, attracted many butterflies. A butterfly would work a single plant with only three flowers for long periods of time, sometimes sharing it with large bumble bees. The Deer Tongue attracted large numbers of Halictid (green metallic) bees.

Wildflowers - Carphephorus

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