Latitude

Carolina Wild Petunia

Don't worry, this post is not a map quiz or a geocache exercise. Rather, I wanted to emphasize what a difference in latitude can mean for plants and trees. The home base for Wildflower Blog Central is in the Pacific Northwest at 45.5229 degrees north. On our recent trip to the Tampa Bay, Florida area at 27.9506 degrees, I was able to capture a host of wildflowers, mostly distinct from the Northwest ones, but a few surprising similarities were evident. Of course for plant habitats, many other factors come into play, such as elevation, local climate, and soil composition.

The area we visited in Florida is near the Gulf of Mexico. Although technically not considered "sub-tropical" because that starts at 23.5 degrees, it's close. That, combined with the nearby warm gulf waters, make for a lush plant habitat.

We were in the area about 10 days in early May and most of my plant notes were made in two locales: gulf coastal and inland forest. There were quite a few things blooming as well as birds galore. It's easy to see why Florida is known for its birding trips. The weather was sunny and warm every day, except one, which started with an impressive lightning storm at 6 AM. That day was rainy and overcast the entire day, which is typical for the end of spring.

The two main native trees we saw in our limited time were the large Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana), most brimming with Spanish Moss;* and the sturdy Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii), which can grow in sandy soil just feet from salt water. The oaks are evergreen and grow widely throughout the southeast. The pines were extensively harvested for early ship building along the East coast. A third native, more of a bush than a tree, is the Scrub Palmetto (Sabal etonia), which grows just about anywhere in the state.

As for blooming wildflowers, we spotted a mix of native and non-natives in both habitat areas we visited. And we were lucky to be in the area when Osprey families were feeding their young. These busy parents, were coming and going all day long, keeping the fresh fish coming! Link to Our Bird Gallery.

Two natives that were growing in the sunnier areas were the Carolina Wild Petunia (Ruellis caroliniensis) and the Romerillo (Bidens alba). Shown at the top of this page, the Carolina Wild Petunia is not a petunia at all, but does thrive in open woodlands in the entire state. Romerillo, an Aster family member, is considered by some to be invasive as it is so prolific in recently disturbed areas.

     

Another Aster member, Creeping Oxeye (Sphagneticola trilobata) is non-native but lives in the same places as the Romerillo. Shown above, right, it was used extensively as a ground cover but escaped cultivation some time ago.

The next discovery is an unusual looking but common native in the area. The Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) has three intensely blue petals on each flower, perched on a 2 ft. high grass like stem. They open in the morning, until early afternoon, when they close up. We saw these growing along roads and near our home base as well.

   

We were surprised to find Narrowleaf Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) doing abundantly well at Honeymoon Island State Park, just 1/3 mile from the gulf. This native is very similar to the Idaho Blue-Eyed Grass that grows in our area.

     

   

A climbing vine unique to the area is the non-native Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). They took up residence in several old oaks that have more sun exposure where we stayed. Their blossom's sweet scent was strong, almost intoxicating.

  

     

      

Another surprise non-native growing close to the ground in shady, treed areas was the Pink Wood Sorrel (Oxalis debilis). It is similar to the Redwood Sorrel we find in the Northwest, except the flowers are pink. And the native Florida Hedge Nettle (Stachys floridana) is quite similar to our locally common Cooley's Hedge Nettle.

Pink Wood Sorrel

Florida Hedge Nettle

Not to leave out the remarkable coastal habitat, the ever present Mangroves and Sea Grapes were seen in abundance at Honeymoon Island State Park. The impressive Mangroves can actually live in salty, brackish water. The Mangrove name is generic for a host of plants that live in tropical, coastal areas. On our Florida visit we saw Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) growing virtually in the beach water. These plants are so unique, they deserve an entire post, so stay tuned!

The Sea Grapes (Coccoloba uvifera) are native to most tropical beaches in southern Florida and the Caribbean. With its large, colorful leaves, you can easily identify Sea Grapes from a distance. These plants were blooming during our stay; later in the summer, the grapes will mature and turn purple. Those can be eaten or made into jelly or even wine!

The author with Red Mangroves. Gulf of Mexico behind.

Sea Grape Plants on the beach.

Colorful red veins highlight each leaf.

We also found a beautiful, jade-like plant growing in the beach sand with dime-sized purple blossoms. Its identity eludes us at this time. We'll have to visit the park ranger next time for this one!

As you can imagine, there were many more plants and flowers begging for attention in all the natural places we visited. To keep this post a reasonable length, we'll save those for another post. So to close it out today, here's a few of our favorites. Hover your mouse or finger over the image to see the name and status.

     

     

* You may know Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is really not a true moss. Rather it is a flowering angiosperm plant in the bromeliad family. And although it is not a parasitic plant on its host tree, it can reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches the host leaves. Before you grab some off a tree for packing material, keep in mind this "moss" is shelter for many critters, including rat snakes and several bat species.

Links:

Honeymoon Island State Park

Florida Bird Gallery