Horticultural and

Ecological Roles
of Common
Wildflowers in
Home
Landscapes

Rufino Osorio
May 23, 2009

FNPS Conference
Unless indicated otherwise, all text and
images are © 2009 by Rufino Osorio
 Ecological Roles of Cultivated Wildflowers

• GROUNDCOVER AND SOIL ENRICHMENT

- Legumes fix nitrogen by way of symbiotic bacteria
- Deep-rooted grasses and perennials (1) allow water
to penetrate further into the soil and (2) they enrich
the soil when their roots rot in place
- A dense cover of diverse wildflowers and grasses
protects the soil from erosion
- And a dense cover of diverse wildflowers and
grasses serves as a barrier to weeds and non-
native plants
 Ecological Roles of Cultivated Wildflowers

• INSECT PRODUCTION

The principal source of food for baby birds, as well

as numerous other animals, is insects.

And the principal source of insects is native plants.

Non-native plants, having left their insect herbivores

behind, rarely can match native plants in the
production of insect biomass.
 Large-Flowered Milkwort
Polygala violacea

Native plants can provide food

for insects in quite unexpected
ways. For example, the large-
flowered milkwort produces
capsules with tiny seeds about
the size of a pin head. Yet, in
spite of their small size, the
seeds provide enough food for a
tiny fly that develops from an
egg laid in the seed. When the
fly larva reaches maturity, it
exits the seed and leaves only a
hollow shell.
 Ecological Roles of Cultivated Wildflowers

• INSECT PRODUCTION
Native wildflowers are an important source of pollen
and nectar for native insects.

Some native insects, such as certain bees, use only

specific native wildflowers as food. Some are so
specialized, that their larvae can survive on only the
pollen and nectar from just one or two species.

Many wildflowers, especially common ones, have

small flowers that freely offer pollen and nectar to a
wide variety of insects.
 Large-Flowered Milkwort
Polygala violacea

Many native wildflowers offer

pollen or nectar rewards to
native insects although this may
not be obvious at first sight. The
large-flowered milkwort, whose
flowers are only about a quarter
of an inch wide, are avidly
visited by a large native bee.
Note that the tiny size of an
individual flower does not
indicate the size of potential
pollinators.
 Creative Commons 2005 André Karwath (Wikimedia Commons)

Sedum pallescens is not native to Florida but it is a good

example of how small flowers are able to attract insects in
a very wide range of sizes.
Image taken by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Punctate_Flower_Chafer.jpg)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License

The tiny size of each individual flower is no impediment to

the feeding activities of these punctate flower chafers.
Black Swallowtail Mock Bishop's Weed
Papilio polyxenes Ptilimnium capillaceum
 Ptilimnium capillaceum

• Winter annual that dies out in late spring or early summer

• Tiny white flowers attract flies, wasps, bees, beetles, true
bugs, and small butterflies; important source of nectar for
tiny parasitic flies and wasps
• Larval food source for black swallowtail butterflies
• Prefers open, moist sites in light shade to full sun
• Sow seeds in the summer; will germinate in the winter (in
the south) or very early spring (in the north)
• May be somewhat weedy, but this is not a problem in
informal wildflower gardens
Water-Hemlock – Cicuta maculata
 Conium maculatum

• Long-lived perennial
• Tiny white flowers attract flies, wasps, bees, beetles, true
bugs, and both small and large butterflies; important
source of nectar for tiny parasitic flies and wasps
• Larval food source for black swallowtail butterflies
• Prefers moist sites in partial shade to full sun
• Dangerously toxic; must never be planted where it could
be mistaken for an edible relative in the same family such
as carrots or parsnips; in other words, do not plant it as
an ornamental in vegetable gardens!
Greeneyes – Berlandiera pumila, subacaulis, and × humilis
Greeneyes – Berlandiera pumila, subacaulis, and × humilis
Greeneyes – Berlandiera pumila, subacaulis, and × humilis
Greeneyes – Berlandiera pumila, subacaulis, and × humilis
 Berlandiera

• Long-lived perennial
• Brilliant yellow daisies attract bees and both small and
large butterflies
• The species pumila and subacaulis must have extremely
well-drained soil in full sun; the hybrid between the two
species has hybrid vigor and tolerates more shade and
wetter soils than either of its parents
• Tends to go semi-dormant or dormant in hot, humid
summer weather
• Old, dried flower stems will need to be cut to the ground
once a year
Beggar Ticks – Bidens alba
 Bidens alba
• Everblooming perennial
• Brilliant white, honey-scented daisies attract innumerable
insects including bees, flies, wasps, beetles, day-flying
moths, true bugs, and both small and large butterflies
• Easily grown from seeds or cuttings in moist but well-
drained soil in very light shade to full sun
• The foliage is a larval food for the dainty sulphur
butterfly, Nathalis iole
• Barbed, seed-like fruits that stick to fur, feathers, and
human clothing are a considerable annoyance
• Extremely weedy due to excessive self-seeding
• Doubtfully native
Oakleaf Fleabane – Erigeron quercifolius
 Erigeron quercifolius

• Winter annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial

• Excellent groundcover for small areas
• Easily grown in moist soils with 4–8 hours of full sun
• Self sows, but not aggressively, once established
• Masses of flowers attract a wide variety of bees, wasps,
flies, true bugs, and both small and large butterflies
 Prairie Fleabane
Erigeron strigosus
 Prairie Fleabane
Erigeron strigosus
 Prairie Fleabane
Erigeron strigosus
 Erigeron strigosus

• Summer annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial

• Easily grown in moist to rather dry soils with 4–8 hours of
full sun
• Self sows, but not aggressively, once established
• Masses of flowers attract a wide variety of bees, wasps,
flies, true bugs, and both small and large butterflies
 Gray
Hairstreak
Strymon
melinus

© 2009 Alan Cressler

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_cressler

Snowy Squarestem – Melanthera nivea

 Snowy Squarestem (and a beetle)
Melanthera nivea

© 2009 Alan Cressler

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_cressler
 Melanthera nivea

• Short-lived perennial, sometimes shrubby; rarely

behaving as an annual
• Easily grown from seeds or cuttings
• Tolerant of widely varying conditions from light shade to
full sun and in moist to dry soils
• Everblooming or nearly so in south Florida
• White daisies are attractive to a wide variety of insects
including bees, flies, wasps, true bugs, beetles, day-flying
moths, and both small and large butterflies
• Old flowering stems can be unsightly and may need to be
pruned once or twice a year
 Frostweed
Verbesina virginica
Frostweed – Verbesina virginica
Frostweed – Verbesina virginica
Frostweed – Verbesina virginica
 Frostweed
Verbesina virginica

Polka Dot Wasp Moth

Syntomeida epilais ssp. jucundissima
 Verbesina virginica

• Robust perennial tolerant of widely varying conditions

from light shade to full sun in both moist and dry soils
• Excellent specimen or accent plant
• Flowers in the autumn, winter, or early spring
• White daisies are attractive to varied insects including
native bees, flies, wasps, true bugs, beetles, day-flying
wasps, and both small and large butterflies
• Plant looks best when cut to the ground once or twice a
year
Blodgett's Ironweed – Vernonia blodgettii
 Vernonia blodgettii

• Florida's smallest and least aggressive ironweed;

commonly 1–3 feet tall
• Prefers evenly moist soils
• Should have full sun for its best appearance and
maximum flower production
• Bright rosy-pink flowers are especially attractive to native
bees and to both small and large butterflies
Pineland Heliotrope – Heliotropium polyphyllum
Pineland Heliotrope – Heliotropium polyphyllum
Pineland Heliotrope – Heliotropium polyphyllum
Pineland Heliotrope – Heliotropium polyphyllum
The tiny flowers of pineland heliotrope provide nourishment for many insects, such as this
wasp, which would starve in a garden filled with long-tubed butterfly-garden plants.
 Heliotropium polyphyllum
• Extremely hardy and long-lived perennial
• Excellent as a groundcover
• Apparently pest free and, in 14 years of cultivation in my
home garden, has never been bothered by any pests
• Easily grown from root cuttings
• Prefers moist to dry soils in full sun
• The brilliant yellow or bright white flowers are tiny but are
produced in innumerable quantities from spring to
autumn and into the winter in southern Florida
• Flowers are especially attractive to bees, wasps, and both
small and large butterflies
• Old plants with lots of long, straggling stems can be
reinvigorated by being cut to the ground
Wild Poinsettia – Euphorbia cyathophora
 Euphorbia cyathophora

• Fast-growing summer annual

• Easily grown from seeds
• Prefers well-drained soils in light shade to full sun
• Readily accessible nectar glands attract a wide variety of
insects
• Used as a caterpillar food plant by the ello sphinx moth,
Erinnyis ello
• Can be weedy due to excessive self-seeding
• Plants will flower and seed themselves to the point of
exhaustion and old, spent plants are unsightly
 Queen's Delight
Stillingia sylvatica
Queen's Delight – Stillingia sylvatica
 Queen's Delight
Stillingia sylvatica
 Queen's Delight
Stillingia sylvatica
 Stillingia sylvatica

• Long-lived perennial; sometimes shrubby

• Readily propagated from cuttings taken in late spring or
summer
• Easily grown in moderately moist to dry soil in full sun
• Essentially unbothered by pests or disease
• Flowers from spring to autumn and, in southern Florida,
into the winter
• Readily accessible nectar glands attract a variety of
insects but most notably large bees and wasps
• After several years, stems may become unkempt or
straggly and may need to be pruned back
Horsemint – Monarda punctata 'Robert Hopper'
 Monarda punctata

• Summer annual
• Easily grown from seeds or cuttings; self-sows once
established
• Oregano-scented foliage is an additional interesting
feature
• Colorful bracts vary from almost pure white to pale or
dark pink
• Unexcelled for attracting a vast array of bees, flies,
wasps, true bugs, and day-flying moths
• Usually dies after flowering and setting seeds
 Primrose-willow
Ludwigia maritima
 Ludwigia maritima

• Long-lived perennial
• Easily grown in moist soil in very light shade to full sun
• Easily propagated from seeds or cuttings (may also be
propagated from root tubers)
• Flowers have easily accessible pollen and nectar and are
especially attractive to bees and wasps
• One of the food plants for the caterpillars of the banded
sphinx moth (Eumorpha fasciatus)
Witch Grass – Dichanthelium species
Star-grass (Hypoxis juncea) is but one example of the many
small wildflowers that can be grown with witch grasses.
 Dichanthelium
• Short- to long-lived perennials
• Combine well with short wildflowers such yellow star-
grass and wild-petunias
• Numerous stems create a complex 3-dimensional space
in which many insects, spiders, and small reptiles live or
seek shelter
• Flowers are visited by pollen-seeking flower flies
• Foliage is a food source for a wide variety of skippers
• Seed heads provide food for grain-eating birds and small
mammals
• Old, dried matted stems can be unsightly and may need
to be raked or cut to the ground in the autumn
Piriqueta – Piriqueta caroliniana
 Piriqueta
Piriqueta caroliniana
 Piriqueta caroliniana

• Usually a short-lived perennial

• Generally pest free
• Easily grown from cuttings and seeds
• Brilliant yellow flowers provide easily accessible pollen to
a wide variety of native bees
• Foliage is a food source for gulf fritillary caterpillars
• Self-sterile and two or more clones are required for seed
production
• Often eaten to the point of death by gulf fritillary
caterpillars
Indian-plantain (Arnoglossum ovatum) does not appear to be a showy
wildflower but photographs can be deceiving. The image on the next
page, taken from the side, reveals the full beauty of the startlingly white
flowers.
Indian-Plantain – Arnoglossum ovatum
 Arnoglossum ovatum

• Long-lived perennial
• Generally pest free but susceptible to root mealy bugs
• Easily grown from seeds; also propagated by division
• Brilliant white flower-heads provide easily accessible
pollen and nectar to a wide variety of insects
• Self-sterile and two or more clones are required for seed
production
• When grown in formal garden situations, old flower stems
will need to be removed once or twice a year for a tidy
appearance
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