Seminole Pumpkin (Cucurbita moshata) is called the wild squash of the Everglades. This is a native Florida pumpkin which the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes cultivated before the Spaniards arrived in the 1500’s. They would plant the seeds at the base of dead trees and allow the vine to grow upward with the fruit hanging down…
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Aristolochia, is a genus of woody vines commonly called, Dutchman’s Pipe or Pipe Vines. This is due to the shape of the flower resembling a pipe in many species. It is also called Calico Flower, because the pattern on the flower resembles calico fabric. Many butterfly enthusiasts in South Florida grow this vine for the larval…
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The genus Bauhinia, is named after 16th century Swiss-French identical twin brothers who were botanists, Johann and Caspar Bauhin. Appropriately named, because the leaves of Bauhinia, are two-lobed and perfectly symmetrical. This particular species blooms year round with pink and white whispy flowers, and is an excellent nectar source for butterflies, especially, the Giant Swallowtail. As a…
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The last couple of weeks have brought more normal daytime and nighttime temperatures back to South Florida, along with some substantial rainfall. This has brought spring to the region, and with it, many plants have started to come out of their winter dormancy. Looking around the nursery, the Cochlospermum vitifolium(Buttercup Tree), Petrea volubilis var. albiflora…
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Perhaps the best known butterfly in North America is the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus). South Florida is very lucky this time of year, and not just for our mild climate. While most of the United States is in the middle of a frigid winter, with its Monarch Butterfly population safely hibernating in the Oyamel Fir…
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