A Wildflower Among Weeds

The change in North Florida temperatures from cooler to warmer is making many winter weeds more noticeable as they begin to flower and form seed. Not all of these plants should be considered for mowing or hand pulling. There are several wildflowers that grow in landscape beds and thinning areas of lawns and can be enjoyed before consistent heat returns.

One very delicate wildflower that is just forming flowers now is the Toadflax, Linaria canadensis. The leaves are very small and grow low on the ground. Thin flower stalks grow several inches and are topped with light purple flowers. Although toadflax pops up in beds and lawns don’t be so quick to pull it out. This wildflower is a host to the Buckeye butterfly, one of our earlier visitors to gardens. If you look closely you may even see the tiny black, spiny caterpillar eating toadflax leaves. Visit the UF publication on the Buckeye butterfly to learn more.

Toadflax flowers are delicate and offer a little color when in mass during our late winter season. Photo by Beth Bolles, UF IFAS Extension Escambia County.
0


Posted: March 2, 2018


Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, HOME LANDSCAPES, Natural Resources
Tags: Butterfly, Weeds, Wildflowers


Subscribe For More Great Content

IFAS Blogs Categories