Issuu

The Quarterly Journal of the Florida Native Plant Society

Tropical Milkweed and Monarchs ● Fairchild Conservation Team ● Pigeonwings and Butterfly Peas

Apply for an FNPS Grant Award

Endowment Research Grants

The Florida Native Plant Society maintains an Endowment Research Grant program for the purpose of funding research on native plants. These are small grants ($2,500 or less), awarded for a 1-year period, and intended to support research that forwards the mission of the Florida Native Plant Society, which is “to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.”

Conservation Grants

FNPS Conservation Grants support applied native plant conservation projects in Florida. These grants ($5,000 or less) are awarded for a 1-year period. These projects promote the preservation, conservation, or restoration of rare or imperiled native plant taxa and rare or imperiled native plant communities. To qualify for a Conservation Grant, the proposed project must be sponsored by an FNPS Chapter.

Dan Austin Award for Ethnobotany

The Dan Austin Award for Ethnobotany will provide up to $1,500 to graduate or undergraduate students who are studying Florida ethnobotany (the study of the relationship between peoples or cultures with plants native to Florida or Florida ecosystems). These can be current uses or historic uses.

Cornelia McNamara Grant

The Florida Native Plant Society has established a Cornelia McNamara Grant program for the purpose of funding applied research on native plants and habitats, particularly those that are rare or imperiled. These are small grants ($1,500 or less), awarded for a 1-year period, and intended to support research that will yield data to inform the management for, or restoration of native species and habitats.

Application guidelines and details are on the FNPS website at www.fnps.org – click on ‘What We Do/Awards and Grants’. Questions regarding the grant programs should be sent to info@fnps.org.

Application deadline for the 2023 Awards is March 3, 2023. Awards will be announced at the 2023 Annual Conference. Awardees do not have to be present at the Conference to receive an award.

Florida Native Plant Society 2023 Conference: Call for Research Track Papers and Poster Presentations

The Florida Native Plant Society Annual Conference will be held as a virtual meeting on April 29-30, 2023, and the Research Track of the Conference will include presented papers and a virtual poster session using the Whova platform. Poster presentations will be uploaded to the Whova site one week prior to the meeting (April 21, 2023).

Researchers are invited to submit abstracts on research related to native plants and plant communities of Florida including preservation, conservation, and restoration. Presented papers will total 20 minutes in length, including 15 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions.

Abstracts of not more than 200 words should be submitted as a MS Word file by email to Paul A. Schmalzer at paul.a.schmalzer@nasa.gov by January 15, 2023. Include your title, aff iliation, and address. Indicate whether you will be presenting a paper or poster. Details on preparing and uploading a virtual poster will be provided when the abstract is accepted.

$50,000 $40,000 $35,000 $10,000

It’s that time of year when FNPS members receive a letter encouraging us to contribute to the FNPS annual fund drive.

This year, your donation will have even more impact: FNPS board & staff will match your contribution dollar for dollar, up to $10,000.

Help FNPS drive our mission forward, so we can do more to preserve, conserve and restore the native plants and native plant communities you cherish.

Make your gift today, and double your impact. It’s like growing money!

FLORIDA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY ANNUAL FUND DRIVE

Staff

Executive Director ............................................Lynda Davis

Director of Communications and Programming ......................................Valerie Anderson

Director of North Florida Programs Lilly Anderson-Messec

Board of Directors

President ................................................................Mark Kateli

Vice President, Finance ................................Ann Redmond

Vice President, Administration .................David Martin

Treasurer ................................................................Susan Carr

Secretary ...............................................................Bonnie Basham

Council of Chapters Representative ...........Melanie Simon

Director ...................................................................Patricia Burgos

Director ...................................................................MaryAnn Camacho

Director ...................................................................Shirley Denton

Director ...................................................................Tim Keating

Director ...................................................................Eugene Kelly

Director ...................................................................Athena Phillips

Director ...................................................................Chris Moran

Director ...................................................................Virginia Overstreet

Director ...................................................................Sean Patton

Director ...................................................................Wendy Poag

Director ...................................................................Paul Schmalzer

To contact board members

FNPS Administrative Services: Call (321) 271-6702 or email info@fnps.org

Committee Chairs

Communications ...............................................Shirley Denton

Conservation .......................................................John Benton

Council of Chapters .........................................Melanie Simon

Education...............................................................Wendy Poag

Land Management Partners ......................Grace Howell

Policy & Legislation.........................................Eugene Kelly

Science....................................................................Paul Schmalzer

Society Services

Administrative Services................................Cammie Donaldson

Bookkeeping ........................................................Kim Zarillo

Editor, Palmetto ..................................................Marjorie Shropshire

Webmaster............................................................Paul Rebmann

MEMBERSHIP

Make a difference with FNPS

Your membership supports the preservation and restoration of wildlife habitats and biological diversity through the conservation of native plants. It also funds awards for leaders in native plant education, preservation and research.

Memberships are available in these categories: Individual; Multi-member household; Sustaining; Lifetime; Full-time student; Library (Palmetto subscription only); Business or Non-profit recognition.

To provide funds that will enable us to protect Florida's native plant heritage, please join or renew at the highest level you can afford.

To become a member:

Contact your local chapter, call, write, or e-mail FNPS, or join online at https://fnps.org

The purpose of the Florida Native Plant Society is to preserve, conserve and restore the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.

Official definition of native plant:

For most purposes, the phrase Florida native plant refers to those species occurring within the state boundaries prior to European contact, according to the best available scientific and historical documentation. More specifically, it includes those species understood as indigenous, occurring in natural associations in habitats that existed prior to significant human impacts and alterations of the landscape.

Follow FNPS online:

Blog: http://fnpsblog.blogspot.com/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/floridanativeplantsociety

Instagram: https://instagram.com/floridanativeplantsociety/ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/8016136

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@floridanativeplants

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fl_native_plant

YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/yx7y897d

Features

4 Tropical Milkweed: Harmful to Monarchs and Florida Ecosystems

While tropical milkweed may feed monarch butterflies in the short term, it is harmful to the species in the long term. Learn about native alternatives to this aggressive non-native plant. Article and photos by Lilly Anderson-Messec.

8 A Plant Conservation Program with Amazing Outreach

11 FNPS Botanical Crosswords Crossword puzzle by Mark Kateli.

14 Pigeonwings and Butterfly Peas

Whether you are a butterfly gardener or a gardener who would simply like to grow native vines for their beautiful flowers, Florida’s native butterfly peas and pigeonwings are attractive choices. Article and photos by Roger L. Hammer.

Palmetto

Editor: Marjorie Shropshire ● Visual Key Creative, Inc. ● palmetto@fnps.org ● (772) 285-4286 (ISSN 0276-4164) Copyright 2022, Florida Native Plant Society, all rights reserved. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without written consent of the editor. Palmetto is published four times a year by the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) as a benefit to members. The observations and opinions expressed in attributed columns and articles are those of the respective authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official views of the Florida Native Plant Society or the editor, except where otherwise stated.

Editorial Content

We welcome articles on native plant species and related conservation topics, as well as high-quality botanical illustrations and photographs. Contact the editor for guidelines, deadlines and other information.

ON THE COVER: White swamp milkweed (Asclepias perennis). Photo by Lilly Anderson-Messec.

Tropical Milkweed: Harmful to Monarchs and Florida Ecosystems

Article and photos by Lilly Anderson-Messec

The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently added the iconic monarch butterfly to their Red List as Endangered, which has garnered much attention for the species, but no actual protections1. Unfortunately, the species is not protected under the U.S. government’s Endangered Species Act – the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has found that adding the monarch butterfly to the list of threatened and endangered species is warranted but precluded by work on higher-priority listing actions2. The lack of any federal recovery plan for the monarch has made individual actions even more important, and many inspired and passionate people have taken up the cause by rearing monarchs in their own yards. However, collective aid for a species like this can be unintentionally harmful if not led by the latest science.

The reliance on non-native milkweed is proving to become just such an example. The red and yellow blooms of tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, are ubiquitous in Florida butterfly gardens. This non-native milkweed has exploded in popularity as demand for milkweed grows to support declining monarch populations. A tropical species native to Mexico, A. curassavica is very easy to propagate, so growers are able to quickly produce plant material to meet public demand for milkweed. It’s also very showy, blooming abundantly throughout the year and regrowing quickly after being decimated by hungry caterpillars. For these reasons, A. curassavica has become the only milkweed species readily available in U.S. garden centers.

Unfortunately, tropical milkweed has been spreading aggressively in Central and South Florida for many years and is now spreading in North Florida. Though not yet listed as invasive in Florida, tropical milkweed infests natural areas due to its fast growth and prolific re-seeding3, and this unchecked growth replaces native plants and disrupts the ecosystems wildlife rely on. The invasive quality of A. curassavica is just one of the reasons removing tropical milkweed from your yard is recommended. Unlike Florida’s native milkweed species, which naturally senesce (lose their leaves) in the fall, the lush green foliage of tropical milkweed will stay up all winter if not killed back by frost, and this has become another problem for the already imperiled monarch.

A protozoan parasite that evolved with monarch butterflies, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) lives on infected monarchs and is deposited on the plants they land on, especially when the butterflies lay eggs. The resulting caterpillars hatch and ingest OE as they eat the plant, and the parasite is able to replicate inside them. Those caterpillars will grow into butterflies infected with an increased load of OE that they will shed on other milkweed plants they land on, continuing the cycle 4

Many species across the animal kingdom have evolved with parasites – humans included. These parasites are often not too harmful to their host since their own survival depends upon their host’s survival. However, a sudden change in the host/parasite environment can disrupt this delicate balance, giving an advantage to one of the pair. If the parasite population accumulates beyond a certain threshold, it will disable or even kill its host. Monarchs evolved with OE and are naturally able to prosper while still carrying a small amount of the parasite. However, high OE levels in monarchs can cause them to fail to emerge from their pupal stage because they are too weak and unable to expand their wings fully.

Above: Monarch butterfly. Below: Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) has two distinct color forms.

Monarchs with slightly high OE loads can appear normal, though they are usually smaller in size. While they may survive with this burden, they don’t live as long and cannot fly well, and often die on their migration to Mexico4, 5 .

Florida’s native milkweeds naturally senesce in the fall and stay leafless and dormant through the winter, effectively cleaning the plant of the seasonal OE parasite load. When the leaves die back, the parasite dies along with them so that when butterflies return each spring and summer, they feed on fresh, parasite-free foliage. In contrast, tropical milkweed remains evergreen throughout the winter, allowing OE levels to accumulate on the plant. The following generations of monarch caterpillars that feed on those plants are exposed to dangerous levels of OE 4, 5 .

As w inters have become increasingly warmer in the Southeast, the invasive potential of A. curassavica is growing. Warmer winters also mean this species is less likely to be killed by frost and more likely to accumulate excessive OE on its leaves. Research has shown that warmer weather also increases the amount of cardiac glycosides in A. curassavica, which can be harmful to monarchs6 .

Tropical milkweed can also interfere with monarch migration and reproduction. In northern areas, it grows later into the season than native species do, and some studies have shown that the mere presence of tropical milkweed may confuse monarchs into breeding at a time when they should be migrating. Some evidence suggests the chemical composition of tropical milkweed may trigger this disruption of the natural migration cycle of the monarchs that interact with it8. This creates a trap for monarchs, as they are fooled into thinking that they have arrived in the safe wintering grounds of Mexico, when they have not – and the inevitable winter freeze kills them6, 7

With mounting evidence of the detrimental effects of tropical milkweed, many organizations involved in monarch

While tropical milkweed may feed monarchs in the short term, it is harmful to the whole species in the long term.

conservation, such as the Xerces Society and Monarch Joint Venture, have begun recommending against planting non-native milkweed – even going so far as to recommend NO milkweed if native species are not available. Many native plant nurseries have heeded the call to stop selling non-native milkweed species. Growers are still working to build adequate stock of native milkweeds to meet the ever-increasing demand. Though supplies of native species are limited, most agree that it is better to be without milkweed than to buy or sell tropical milkweed. Likewise, if you have it in your yard or notice it in natural areas, please consider removing it. While it may feed monarchs in the short term, it is harmful to the

whole species in the long term.

If you cannot find native milkweed species at your local garden center, request it! Be specific – ask for native Florida species by their scientific names, and choose ecotypes (plants adapted to the local environment). You can find a list of native plant nurseries and see what plants they carry at PlantRealFlorida.org – just click on ‘Retail Nurseries’, and select your county to see a map of nurseries in your area. It is best to call the nursery before you go to be sure of current availability, which may change daily. You can also search for a specific plant by clicking the ‘Plants’ link.

The Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative is an excellent resource for native Florida ecotype seeds, and they sell a few native milkweed species. Visit: http://www.florida wildflowers.com/categories/Seed-Packets/

Which Florida native milkweed should I choose?

Florida has 21 species of native Asclepias, also known as milkweeds. Many of these species are slow to mature and can be challenging to grow. However, a few species are well suited for home gardeners and are becoming more available in the horticultural trade. Please be patient with local nurseries and growers as they work hard to provide an increasing variety

The Florida Invasive Species Council (FISC)

Definition of Invasive Species: A species that (a) is nonnative to a specified geographic area, (b) was introduced by humans (intentionally or unintentionally), and (c) does or can cause environmental or economic harm or harm to humans.

FISC collects research and compiles a list of Category I invasive plants (currently disrupting native plant communities) and Category II plants (plants with the potential to disrupt native plant communities). 166 plants are currently listed as Category I or II invasives in Florida, and the list is updated every two years. See the list here: https://floridainvasivespecies.org/plantlist.cfm

Why is Asclepias curassavica problematical?

Although A. curassavica is not currently on the FISC invasive species list, its potential to become a problem in Florida is high. For example, The Institute for Regional Conservation has documented the presence of A. curassavica in 50 conservation areas in the southern portion of Florida, clearly indicating the plant’s ability to spread to natural ecosystems. https://regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/plants/PlantPage.asp?TXCODE=Asclcura

The UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas lists the plant’s status as “caution – manage to prevent escape” for South Florida. It also requests input from land managers and scientists to complete an evaluation of the species in Central and North Florida. https://assessment.ifas. ufl.edu/assessments/asclepias-curassavica/

of native species. It takes years to learn the best propagation methods and to accrue adequate stock to supply the enormous demand. The following native species are the easiest, fastest growing, and most likely to be available at this time. These species adapt relatively well to different growing conditions and provide adequate leaf matter for hungry caterpillars:

Pink swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

A robust plant with pink blooms, A. incarnata grows 4-6 feet tall. Of all the native milkweeds, it provides the largest amount of foliage for caterpillars. These plants regenerate leaf matter quickly during the growing season and have a short bloom season in late summer. They grow best in full sun with moist to wet soils that are rich in organic matter. This species is adaptable in my Tallahassee yard, doing well in part sun with average moisture and clay soil amended with compost. Sandy soils can also be amended with organic matter to improve moisture retention.

White swamp milkweed (Asclepias perennis)

This floriferous native milkweed usually only grows 12-24 inches tall, continually sending up stalks topped with white blooms that sometimes have a pink blush. A. perennis thrives in full sun and moist to wet soils, and can often be found growing directly in water. This species is also adaptable to quite a bit of shade, average moisture, and clay soils. Sandy soils can be amended with organic matter to improve moisture retention. The leaves provide substantial larval food for butterflies, and the constant flowers attract adult butterflies and many other pollinators.

Butterflyweed (Asclepias

tuberosa)

One of the most common and noticeable native milkweed species, butterflyweed’s clusters of electric orange blooms are seen on roadsides from Florida to Canada. When buying plants with such a large native range, it is essential to find material grown from localseedsourcesinyourregion–calledan“ecotype.”Thisspecies grows best in full to part sun and average to dry soils, and can be very drought tolerant once established. I’ve found these plants to be tough, low-maintenance, and adaptable to sandy or light clay soils. However, they are not as quick to rebound with fresh growth after caterpillars have munched them, and are often not the first choice for monarchs since they are low in the toxic alkaloids that protect monarchs from predation. Butterflyweed typically blooms in spring and will often rebloom later in the summer.

BUYER BEWARE

When purchasing any native plant at a nursery, it’s helpful to know what you are looking for and how to identify the plant before you buy – nurseries and growers make mistakes. Nonnative, and even invasive species are sometimes erroneously labeled “native”. Be especially careful when purchasing Asclepias tuberosa at large box stores that have been known to sell mislabeled tropical milkweed, A. curassavica, labeled as native butterflyweed, A. tuberosa. You can easily differentiate the two by looking at the leaves and stems (see comparison

Pink swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata).

White swamp milkweed (Asclepias perennis).

Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa).

References

1. IUCN. (2022, July 21). Migratory Monarch Now Endangered – IUCN Red List https://www.iucn.org/press-release/202207/migratory-monarch-butterfly-nowendangered-iucn-red-list.

2. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2020, Dec. 15). Endangered Species Act Listing for Monarch Butterfly Warranted but Precluded. https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2020-12/ endangered-species-act-listing-monarch-butterfly-warranted-precluded.

3. Institute for Regional Conservation, 2022 Floristic Inventory of South Florida. “Asclepias curassavica Naturalized in 50 Conservation Areas”. https://regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/plants/PlantPage.asp?TXCODE=Asclcura.

4. Wheeler, Justin. (2018, April 19). Xerces Society. Tropical Milkweed – a No-Grow https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow.

5. University of Georgia, Project Monarch Health. (2019). What is OE? https://www.monarchparasites.org/oe.

6. Faldyn, M.J., Hunter, M.D. and Elderd, B.D. (2018). Climate change and an invasive, tropical milkweed: an ecological trap for monarch butterflies. Ecology, 99, 1031-1038. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2198.

7. Satterfield, D.A., Maerz, J.C. and Altizer, S. (2015). Loss of migratory behaviour increases infection risk for a butterfly host. Proc. R. Soc. B., 282 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1734.

8. Majewska, A.A., & Altizer, S. (2019). Exposure to non-native tropical milkweed promotes reproductive development in migratory monarch butterflies. Insects, 10 (8), 253. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10080253.

photos above). Also, native A. tuberosa does not produce a noticeable amount of white, sticky latex sap when a leaf is broken, while A. curassavica will.

Few-flower milkweed, Asclepias lanceolata is another native species that can often be confused with tropical milkweed. It is not commonly available in the horticulture trade, but if you think you have found tropical milkweed in a natural area, make sure to confirm it is not actually A. lanceolata before you remove it. A. lanceolata flowers look very similar to A. curassavica flowers, but the leaves of A. lanceolata are much longer and more narrow, and the plants are generally more lanky and tall – see the photos above for a comparison of these species.

About

the Author

Lilly Anderson-Messec is a North Florida native botanist and ecologist who began working for the Florida Native Plant Society as the TorreyaKeepers Project Director in 2019 and is currently the FNPS Director of North Florida Programs. Lilly is also president of the FNPS Magnolia Chapter.

Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) can easily be differentiated from Florida's native butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa).

Florida native few-flower milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata) is sometimes confused with tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica).

Article by Raul Moas

A plant conservation program with amazing outreach

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s conservation team with a focus on the Connect to Protect Network

Amidst the greenhouses of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s nursery complex, a team of dedicated conservationists is actively working to save South Florida’s natural heritage. Unknown to even many native plant enthusiasts, the conservation team’s activities touch upon all aspects of plant and habitat conservation, including assessing areas for restoration needs; finding and tracking locally rare and endangered plant species; conducting ecological research; developing a dynamic seed bank focused on the endangered species of South Florida; helping local and state agencies and NGOs in planning and carrying out a host of restoration projects; researching, developing, and applying plant propagation techniques to our local flora; growing hundreds of plants (some never previously propagated) to supply the great need for native plant restoration; and, last but not least, operating the Connect To Protect Network (CTPN), a Fairchild initiative which has allowed the reintroduction of thousands of native plants into the private community, many unavailable anywhere else.

The Connect to Protect Network

Created in 2007, the CTPN was the brainchild of Dr. Joyce Machinski, then Fairchild’s Conservation Ecologist. CTPN’s goal: partner with private landowners to grow pineland plants on their properties, making existing tracts of suburban pineland more robust, and helping to connect the urban

Pineland lantana, Lantana depressa var. depressa. Fairchild's seed-bearing population holds promise for successful restoration in the wild. Photo by Raul Moas.

The conservation team in action at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne, Florida. Photo by Jennifer Possley.

spaces between fragmented preserves for the plants and wildlife within. Membership is free and includes private landowners, schools, and other public entities. New members are given a “Starter Kit” of five pineland plants and receive the CTPN newsletter, and invitations to periodic seminars. Over the years, CTPN has given out thousands of plants, free of charge, to its more than 1,500 members.

Through its monthly newsletters, CTPN highlights specific plants and restoration topics, offers advice and problem solving to its members, and advertises seminars and field trips. It has continued operating, even broadening its activities, through the pandemic. Due to this outreach, many homeowners have been able to establish new “mini-pinelands” on their property, or like the author, introduce native plants into an existing but impoverished pine rockland ecosystem.

Expanding on its original purpose, the CTPN has contributed plants to many larger community restoration initiatives, including the Palmetto Bay project on 184 Street and Old Cutler Road, Pinelands Church in Cutler Bay, and dozens of public and private schools. The group is actively propagating plants for larger projects on the horizon. As a result, many native pineland grasses and endemic (and endangered) understory plants, such as Miami leadplant (Amorpha herbacea var. crenulata), Blodgett’s silverbush, (Argythamnia argothamnoides), and Brickell-bush

(Brickellia mosieri ), have been planted on private and public lands, helping to ensure their survival. The school initiative has led to the establishment of many successful pineland plantings, in the process reaching a large audience by bringing thousands of students (and hopefully their parents) to awareness of pine rocklands, which were once the dominant ecosystem in Miami-Dade County.

It may come as something of a surprise that CTPN’s accomplishments and ongoing efforts are the product of a literal handful of very dedicated people, along with the help of a score or more of Fairchild volunteers. The current conservation team is profiled beginning on the next page.

Partial view of the native plant nursery at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. At any given time, several dozen species are being grown for the Connect To Protect Network, plant restorations, endangered plant projects, and propagation experiments. Photo by Raul Moas.

Endangered and endemic semaphore cactus (Consolea corallicola) growing in the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden nursery. Photo by Raul Moas.

The conservation team

Jennifer Possley

Leading and coordinating the many projects of the team is Jennifer Possley, Fairchild Conservation Program Manager for South Florida and the Caribbean. A native of Michigan who has been employed at Fairchild for over 20 years, Jennifer first became involved in South Florida through a Student Conservation Association/Americorps job in the Big Cypress. While her work with Fairchild now involves lots of administrative duties, she remains active in field work and other hands-on activities. She has an impressive track record in South Florida plant conservation, having led Fairchild’s efforts to conserve rare ferns native to South Florida and Puerto Rico, among many other projects. Jennifer has overseen the reintroduction of eight rare fern species in South Florida, and is working with Puerto Rican partners to begin rare fern pilot plantings there. She continues to supervise native fern propagation efforts at Fairchild. In the course of her varied travels and field work, she has become an accomplished nature photographer, and her work appears on many conservation websites. As conservation program manager, she is supervising more than two dozen projects at any given time, as well as managing grant applications and reporting. One of Jennifer’s goals is to see the conservation program, including CTPN, firmly established as a self-sustaining entity with long term funding.

Lydia Cuni

Working with Jennifer on many of the projects is Lydia Cuni, a conservation team field biologist since 2018. Lydia, a native Miamian with a Masters’ degree in Environmental Studies from Florida International University, became interested in local flora during her undergraduate studies. She developed field skills as a pine rockland and butterfly monitoring intern at Zoo Miami, and she occasionally volunteered with Fairchild while working with the National Park Service and during graduate school. Her Fairchild field work involves doing surveys for plants and insects, monitoring ongoing plant and habitat restoration projects, and seed collecting. Lydia’s biggest accomplishment at Fairchild thus far is her work on propagation and successful reintroduction of five highly

endangered endemic pine rockland plants (Brickellia mosieri, Linum carteri var. carteri, Linum arenicola, Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis, and Euphorbia deltoidea subsp. serpyllum) to four sites including the National Key Deer Refuge and three Environmentally Endangered Lands preserves in Miami-Dade County. Along with Sabine Wintergerst, she recently completed a two-year project looking at propagation of three local milkweed species (Asclepias verticillata, A. viridis, and A. tuberosa), two of which have rarely before been propagated in our region. She evaluated potential habitat for the endangered Miami blue butterfly in a project partnered with University of Florida, and is understandably proud to have had perfect attendance the entire 12 years in Miami-Dade County public schools.

Brian Harding

The field work and investigations of Fairchild’s conservation team are supported by an impressive nursery program, led by Conservation Horticulturist Brian Harding, a lifelong plant enthusiast and native of Gainesville, Georgia. Brian joined the Fairchild team almost four years ago, following formal training at University of Georgia and the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and subsequent commercial growing experience.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Fairchild conservation staff with rescued pine rockland plants. Photo by Jennifer Possley.

Jennifer Possley. Photo by Daniela Champney.

Lydia Cuni. Photo by Raul Moas.

Brian has used his energy and expertise to develop novel growing techniques that have resulted in the successful propagation of over one hundred native species, many of them rare or endangered, with more than two dozen species grown during his tenure for the first time ever. His investigations have involved every aspect of nursery work, – germination, vegetative propagation, potting media, pot structure, watering and fertilizer programs. Among his discoveries and technical breakthroughs are the use of narrow and deep tubes for the early stages of seedling growth, which allows early development of the deep root systems needed by most pine rockland plants (including the three species of milkweed mentioned above), the use of various mixtures of calcined clay, sand, limestone gravel, and potting soil to allow optimum root formation, and combined vegetative and seed propagation to reconstitute viable populations of endangered plants. His work has resulted in increased propagation efficiency, which in turn has allowed CTPN to offer a variety of previously unavailable plants to its members. In addition to the more common pineland species, Brian and the team of volunteers have successfully grown many rare or endangered species. Most recently, he completed a 2-year project which used sequential cutting and seed-propagation to grow pineland lantana, Lantana depressa var. depressa, a pineland endemic facing extinction in the wild from habitat fragmentation combined with genetic swamping from the non-native Lantana strigocamara. Choosing donor material from plants closest to phenotypical purity, and from separate sites, Brian ended up with a genetically robust and healthy population of seed-propagated pineland lantana, a first for this plant. Under Brian’s supervision Fairchild has also increased the absolute volume of natives grown, which allows FTBG to supply local restoration efforts. Among many other endeavors, Brian is currently growing ten species of endangered Florida and Caribbean cacti. This is his favorite

project to date, and he looks forward to eventually establishing a comprehensive Caribbean collection of the spiny plants.

Sabine Wintergerst

On the forefront of plant conservation is Dr. Sabine Wintergerst, a native of Germany, who did her post graduate work on animal behavioral ecology before becoming involved as a volunteer with Fairchild in 2017. Dr. Wintergerst joined Fairchild’s staff as Seed Lab Manager in 2019. As she explains, seed banks serve two purposes: first, storing and preserving the genetic material (seeds) of endangered or rare plants, and second, determining the conditions under which plants can be stored, frozen or otherwise, for how long, and, ultimately, how to successfully germinate the seeds. While perhaps not as glamorous as field work, the ability to successfully store seeds long term may be crucial to ensuring survival of some species, and for maximizing their genetic diversity. During Dr. Wintergerst’s time at Fairchild, the seed bank has expanded significantly; it now contains around 1.8 million seeds from more than 200 species (not only pine rockland species). Current seed lab projects include a multi-institutional study led by the Center for Plant Conservation and the National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation in Fort Collins, Colorado. The goal is to develop a non-invasive method to detect when seeds are starting to lose viability before they are actually dead. Also, Dr. Wintergerst has studied the effects of soil salinity on germination and survivorship of the federally endangered Keys partridge pea (Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis), research very applicable to other species endemic to the pine rockland of the lower Keys, all threatened by sea level rise. Dr. Wintergerst’s favorite and most satisfying project to date involved using smoke solutions to trigger the germination of usually hard to germinate species, including the federally threatened Blodgett’s silverbush (Argythamnia argothamnoides). She achieved a 95% germination success using solutions containing dissolved smoke from pine needle combustion, compared to only 5-10% success without. The use of smoke solutions will likely be crucial to the large-scale propagation of other fire-dependent species. Dr. Wintergerst’s goals for the seed lab: have a robust seed collection of all of the region’s threatened species with regular monitoring for seed viability, and establish standard protocols for germination trials and other

Brian Harding with some of the endangered cacti being grown for FTBG’s rescue and restoration initiative for South Florida and Caribbean cacti. Photo by Raul Moas.

Sabine Wintergerst (center) with interns Jennay and Melissa in the Seed Lab. Photo by Jennifer Possley.

procedures so that experiments can be repeated easily, and results are comparable.

Daniela Champney

Growing up, Daniela was often found outdoors in nature and in her family’s garden, so the concept of native plants isn’t foreign to this Swiss national. After relocating to Miami 11 years ago, she was happy to again dedicate lots of time to gardening. Her steep learning curve about our local plants began and she was lucky to meet a couple of leading native plant experts early on. Daniela started to volunteer with the Fairchild conservation team in 2017, working at the nursery, and joining the team on field trips to collect seeds and remove invasive species. This heightened her interest in conservation of Florida native plants and opened her eyes to the dire situation of native habitats. At the same time, she also began to take over some administrative tasks, like answering emails, signing up new CTPN members and maintaining the membership database. Daniela’s education and former career in business and wealth management helped her expand her role, leading to her current position as CTPN manager. Besides the administrative duties, she organizes and runs monthly plant distributions, helps schools to establish CTPN gardens, consults about plantings, and leads planting and maintenance workdays. Further, she represents the Network at outreach events, gives presentations, and assists with the monthly newsletter and CTPN related grant writing. She loves the wide variety of the position, from connecting with people to digging in the soil. Although she is now a part-time contractor, she dedicates the majority of her hours to the Network as a volunteer. During her time with CTPN, membership has grown by about 1,200 homeowner members and over 70 schools and organizations. After Covid initially halted many aspects of the program, she organized the first socially-distanced plant distribution two months into the pandemic, implementing an online system for members to choose the plants before arriving at the nursery for pickup. School gardens are also being established again, perhaps with an even greater appreciation for nature than before the pandemic.

“Another very rewarding project, is leading the large planting at Pinelands Church in Cutler Bay and seeing it thrive. I plan to do more installations like this,” says Daniela. It would be difficult to overstate the impact of Fairchild’s conservation professionals and volunteers on South Florida’s native plants. Happily, the team continues to grow, as two new biologists, Noah Frade and Emily Guinan, joined the Fairchild staff full time in October of 2021. Noah and Emily have quickly become a part of the busy program. Together, the conservation team’s extensive fieldwork, plant surveys, seed collections, innovative and aggressive plant propagation, development of a robust seed bank with its accompanying research, numerous practical research projects, support of on-site restoration efforts, along with the CTPN itself, make Fairchild a

leader in the reclamation of Southeast Florida’s nearly lost botanical heritage.

To learn more about Fairchild’s busy conservation team, visit www.fairchildgarden.org/conservationteam. For more information on CTPN and the requirements for joining, visit www.fairchildgarden.org/CTPN. (Note: CTPN participants must be residents of Miami-Dade or Monroe Counties)

About the Author

Raul Moas and his wife, Adele, have been interested in pineland plants since moving into their current home, which had small remnants of the original pineland understory, in 1992. Restoration has taken place over approximately one-fourth of the property since then, and at least half the pineland plant species in the yard were donations from the CTPN program. The property currently is part of the Miami-Dade County Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Covenant Program.

Daniela Champney (right) at the Palmer Trinity School pine rockland planting project. Photo by Leopoldo Llinas.

Pigeonwings and Butterfly Peas

L. Hammer

The genus Clitoria was described in 1753 by the Father of Binomial Nomenclature, Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778), because he thought the keel of the flower resembled female genitalia. Although there was outcry from fellow taxonomists of his time, the name was validly published and, in accordance with the rules of botanical nomenclature, could not be changed. However, the first botanist known to describe and illustrate a species of Clitoria was Jacob Breyne (1637–1697), when he described a plant collected in Indonesia, which he named Flos clitoridis ternatensibus, and which is now known as Clitoria ternatea, or Asian pigeonwings. It bears vivid blue flowers and was named for Ternate, an island in the Indonesian Maluku Island chain. It is naturalized in Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County Keys and is in the Florida nursery trade.

One species Linnaeus described was Clitoria virginiana, which was later changed to Centrosema virginianum in 1837 by English botanist George Bentham (1800–1884). Native-plant enthusiasts and butterfly gardeners know this familiar vine as the spurred butterfly pea. It can be found statewide in a variety of habitats, including pinelands, sandhills, scrub, forest margins, and dry clearings, as well

as along fencerows and other disturbed sites. Spurred butterfly pea is of interest to butterfly gardeners because it is a larval host plant of the long-tailed skipper, a common urban butterfly throughout all of Florida. As a landscape plant it can be grown on a fence, trellis, or allowed to scramble around on low shrubs or simply trail across the ground.

One other species calls Florida home and that is the endangered Centrosema arenicola, or sand butterfly pea (the name arenicola means “growing in sand”). It is endemic to Florida and is only known from Dixie, Columbia, and Duval Counties south to Manatee, Highlands, Osceola, and Brevard

Article and photos by Roger

Spurred butterfly pea (Centrosema virginianum).

Asian pigeonwings (Clitoria ternatea), is not native to Florida.

Counties. It has wider leaflets, paler flowers, and is much less known in cultivation than spurred butterfly pea.

Often sharing the same habitat with the two Centrosema species are two native members of the genus Clitoria. Sweetscented pigeonwings, Clitoria fragrans, is a statelisted endangered species and a federal-listed threatened species that is endemic to Marion, Lake, Orange, Polk, and

Highlands Counties. It was first described in 1926 by noted Florida botanist John Kunkel Small (1869–1938) and, as its species name implies, the flowers are fragrant.

The second native species found in Florida is Clitoria mariana, or Atlantic pigeonwings. It was first collected from the territory of Maryland in 1698, and has a natural range that covers a wide area from New York south throughout much of mainland Florida and west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Arizona, and New Mexico. It also ranges into the tropical Americas. Both Clitoria species serve as larval host plants for the longtailed skipper, hoary edge, and southern cloudywing butterflies, so they may be of interest to Florida butterfly gardeners, although neither species are commonly cultivated.

So, whether you are a butterfly gardener or a gardener who would simply like to grow some native vines for their attractive flowers, pay attention to Florida’s native butterfly peas and pigeonwings. The butterflies are a bonus.

References

Fantz, P.R. (2000). Nomenclatural Notes on the Genus Clitoria for the Flora North American Project. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

Hammer, R.L. (2018). Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers. Rowman & Littlefield FalconGuides, Helena, MT.

Minno, M.C., Butler. J.F., and Hall, D.W. (2005). Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Larval Host Plants. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, FL.

University of South Florida, Atlas of Florida Plants, Institute for Systematic Botany. (2022). https://floridaplantatlas.usf.edu.

About the Author

Roger L. Hammer is an award-winning professional naturalist, author, botanist and photographer. His most recent book is Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers Find him online at www.rogerlhammer.com

Sand butterfly pea (Centrosema arenicola).

Sweetscented pigeonwings (Clitoria fragrans).

Atlantic pigeonwings (Clitoria mariana).

FNPS Chapters and Representatives CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE E-MAIL

1. Broward Stephanie Dunn browardchapterfnps@gmail.com

2. Citrus Jeffrey Bippert jeffreythorne@outlook.com

3. Coccoloba Lucy Breitung lfbreitung@gmail.com

4. Conradina Martha Steuart mwsteuart@bellsouth.net

5. Cuplet Fern.............................................Alan Squires .................................................. asquires@cupletfern.org

6. Dade .......................................................... Kurt Birchenough....................................... kbirc001@fiu.edu

7. Eugenia ................................................... David L. Martin ............................................. cymopterus@icloud.com

8. Heartland ............................................... Gregory L. Thomas .................................... enviroscidad@yahoo.com

9. Hernando ............................................... Heather Sharkey ......................................... chbrady@tampabay.rr.com

10. Ixia ..............................................................Cate Hurlbut .................................................. catehurlbutixia@yahoo.com

11. Lake Beautyberry ............................. Patricia Burgos ............................................ patriciab1724@gmail.com

12. Longleaf Pine Kimberly Bremner kimee@mchsi.com

13 Magnolia Ethan Voegele voegelethan@yahoo.com

14. Mangrove Kate Borduas kateborduas@gmail.com

15. Marion Big Scrub Deborah Lynn Curry marionbigscrub@fnps.org

16. Martin County Dianna Wentink dw18hpc@gmail.com

17. Naples Sara Dust saraedust@gmail.com

18. Nature Coast Diane Hayes Caruso dhayescaruso@hotmail.com

19. Palm Beach County Amanda Pike amandaalders@yahoo.com

20. Passionflower.......................................Melanie Simon msimon@fnps.org

21. Pawpaw Karen Walter karenlw72@gmail.com

22 Paynes Prairie Sandi Saurers sandisaurers@yahoo.com

23. Pine Lily Tayler Figueroa harper.tkf@gmail.com

24. Pinellas ....................................................David Perkey dperkey@hotmail.com

25. Sarracenia ............................................. Lynn Artz.......................................................... lynn artz@hotmail.com

26. Sea Oats ................................................. Judith D. Zinn................................................. jeryjudy@valinet.com

27. Sea Rocket ........................................... Laura Covel .................................................... srsecretary@fnps.org

28. Serenoa ...................................................Pamela Callender ....................................... callenderpamela@gmail.com

29. Sparkleberry ......................................... Carol Sullivan ................................................ csullivan12@windstream.net

30. Suncoast ............................................... Virginia Overstreet .................................... vaoverstreet@gmail.com

31. Sweetbay .............................................. Jonnie Smallman ........................................ jsmallman2@gmail.com

32. Tarflower Jennifer Ferngren jennfern fnps@outlook.com

33. The Villages Gary Babic gtbabic@hotmail.com

Contact the Florida Native Plant Society PO Box 278, Melbourne, FL 32902-0278. Phone: (321) 271-6702. Email: info@fnps.org Online: https://fnps.org

To join FNPS: Contact your local Chapter Representative, call, write, or e-mail FNPS, or join online at https://www.fnps.org/support/membership

To submit materials to PALMETTO, contact the Editor: Marjorie Shropshire, Visual Key Creative, Inc. Email: palmetto@fnps.org Phone: (772) 285-4286