Wild Florida Photo
Nature Photography by Paul Rebmann
This member of the rhododendron family is known by numerous names.
In addition to those listed above, it is called Florida pinxter, hoary azalea, and wooly azalea. Limited to the panhandle and the northern counties of the peninsula in Florida, Rhododendron canescens is found throughout much of the southeastern United States. The species name is Latin for naked-flowered and refers the fact that the flowers often appear in the spring before the leaves are fully expanded.
This distinctive plant extends throughout most of the eastern United States except the extreme northern part of the country and the southern tip of Florida.
The single leaf is divided into seven or more leaflets forming a semicircle. The fleshy stalk, known as a spadix, extends beyond the sheathing spathe and bears small sessile flowers. GREEN DRAGON produces clusters of small berries that are red when mature.
This common springtime wildflower has grasslike leaves shorter than the winged flower stems and blooms of up to about an inch across.
Some sources list Sisyrinchium angustifolium and S. atlanticum as separate species while others have them as synonyms for the same species.
The brightly colored bands on this slender snake are amazingly good camouflage.
This specimen was hard to spot as it paused atop the leaves once it moved into the shade. Micrurus fulvius is similar in coloring to several non-venomous snakes, the Scarlet snake and the Scarlet Kingsnake race of Milk snakes, but the bands are in a different color sequence. There are several rhymes intended to remember which color order to avoid, but mistakes can be deadly. The best feature for identification is that the Coral snake has a blunt black snout and both of the Scarlets have a pointed red snout. Adults are typically 24 inches long, which was the approximate length of this one.
The common and specific names of this plant come from the often lyre shaped basal leaves, which can be either green or green mixed with purple.
In Florida, Salvia lyrata can bloom all year but is most noticable in early spring along roadsides. In addition to ruderal sites, S. lyrata can also be found in wooden areas and thickets.
This plant can be found in shallow water throughout the southeastern United States up through the mid-Atlantic and as far north as New York state and Massachusetts.
The large leaves grow above and sometimes floating on the water from stout rhizomes in the mud. The tiny yellow flowers cover the tip of a clublike structure that grows separate from the leaves. GOLDEN CLUB is midly poisonous if injested and all parts of the plant can cause skin irritation. However, the roots and seeds can be eaten if properly handled and prepared. The name NEVERWET comes from the characteristic of the leaves to shed water.