October 7, 2022

This plant is Euphorbia cyathophora

Also known as Dwarf Poinsettia or Painted Leaf

It's in the same family as rubber and tapioca

Which, when combined, make a terrible aperitif!

Location: Fort Pierce Inlet State Park

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EUCY

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 6, 2022

This plant is Lantana involucrata

It's also called Button Sage

It's native and hurricane wind resistant

And to birds, it's fruit is all the rage!

Location: Fort Pierce Inlet State Park

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/lantana-involucrata

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 5, 2022

Shown here are two life stages of Blue Curls,

At the top, how it looks as a bud. 

With water, sun and little more time

It becomes a bloom that sticks out its tongue!

Location: My house, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-trichostema-dichotomum/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 4, 2022

This plant is Fringed Passionflower

It's kind of hairy and bears red fruit

It was introduced and is spreading in Florida

And (alledgedly) has a narcotic in its roots.

Location: Fort Pierce Inlet State Park

Sources: https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Passiflora+ciliata

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 3, 2022

This plant is known as Beach Bean

It's commonly used for dune stabilization

Its seeds and seed pods are poisonous

But it is effective ground-cover vegetation. 

Location: Fort Pierce Inlet State Park

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/canavalia-rosea

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 2, 2022

This is a plant called Coinvine,

It is a climbing legume

The yellow flower here's a Cowpea photobomb

The Coinvine has small, but showy white blooms.

(David and I spent a long time trying to figure out this plant. David thought it was Coinvine, but Coinvines have white flowers. I thought it was a Cowpea, which has yellow flowers. It wasn't till I got home and started researching it that I realized we were both correct!)

Location: Fort Pierce Inlet State Park

Sources: https://garden.org/plants/view/124650/Coin-Vine-Dalbergia-ecastaphyllum/

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VILU3

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

October 1, 2022

I am a Black-and-white Warbler

You usually find me high up in trees

Where I like to hunt bugs and insects

But I breed on the ground amongst fallen leaves.

Location: Riverside Park, Vero

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-and-white_Warbler/overview

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson