Coreopsis flowers are like sunshine on a stem. Their bright, festive yellow petals look up to the sun and are especially striking when planted en masse. Our Master Gardeners have planted and tended a garden of these cheerful asters at the entrance to our main building, and they always bring a smile to my face.
Members of the genus Coreopsis, also known by perhaps the less appealing common name tickseed, are our state wildflowers. Being the state wildflower of a state named “la Florida” (land of flowers in Spanish) is quite the honor, but I think it meets the challenge. Wild, tough perennials, Coreopsis flowers can grow in a wide variety of habitats. While they are native to open savannas and generally do best in full sun, they can also grow in shade and part shade. They are extremely drought-tolerant and have one of the widest soil tolerances of any plant I’ve ever seen. According to the University of Texas’s Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, tickseed can grow in “Sandy, Gravelly, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Acid-based, (and) Calcareous” soils.
A dozen species of Coreopsis are native to Florida, including C. lanceolata (lanceleaf tickseed), C. floridana (Florida tickseed), and C. gladiata (coastalplain tickseed). The common name tickseed has nothing to do with actual arthropods, but rather a similarity in shape between ticks and the individual flower seeds. The Greek from which the term Coreopsis (“koris”=bug, “opsis”=view) derives is also a reference to the seeds. They are important to “bugs” in other ways, attracting pollinators such as butterflies, bees, wasps, and flies. They are also a food source for birds, beetles, and mammals like rabbits and deer.
Tickseed flowers will continue to bloom from April-June, especially if they’re frequently deadheaded. They drop seeds several weeks after blooming is over and will regrow in the same area, although they may need to be supplemented with additional seed after several years.
Coreopsis species make excellent roadside flowers and are the “poster child” for the both the Florida Wildflower Foundation and the Florida Department of Transportation wildflower program signage seen along some highways through the state.
By happy coincidence, I realized this is National Wildflower Week —so it’s the perfect time to plant, appreciate, or visit wildflower areas. Local venues for wildflower viewing include the pitcher plant bogs at Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park and Blackwater River State Forest, along with stretches of I-10 through Santa Rosa County.
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