Gardens Blog
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
The EcoFlora project is kicking of 2022 with our new EcoQuest, Finding Florida Ferns! This EcoQuest will take place during January and February with the goal of observing as many local ferns as possible and help citizen scientists in effectively identifying fern...
As we come to the end of our second year with the EcoFlora project we wanted to share some highlights and statistics from a variety of our projects. We are thankful to our volunteers for their valuable contributions to citizen science and hope these observations...
Florida’s large airplants (Tillandsia utriculata, T. fasciculata, Guzmania monostachia, and others) have been under attack for over three decades by an invasive pest called the Mexican bromeliad weevil (Metamasius callizona). The weevil chews holes in the leaf bases...
Florida has 16 species of native bromeliads, 12 of which are in the genus Tillandsia. Eight are found in Sarasota and Manatee County. The other four species are from counties south and unlikely to be found in our area. For our November and December EcoQuests, we are...
Each month EcoFlora Sarasota-Manatee holds at least one BioBlitz in relation to our monthly EcoQuest. For September and October our EcoQuest, Asters All Around, has focused on plant species in the Asteraceae, or sunflower, family. On September 24th our EcoFlora team...
Florida has the climate to host a variety of subtropical to tropical exotic plants. Many landscapes are rich in non-native species that are beautiful but high maintenance, subject to pests, and need special fertilizers and soils to grow. While such plants may be...
Asters are fun, vibrant, and beautiful, they are a significant source of color in our lives. They are appreciated not only by us but by a large majority of animals and insects. Their contribution to our local ecosystem services is significant that their longevity...
The aster, or sunflower family (Asteraceae), is among the largest flowering plant families, with more than 1,620 genera and over 23,600 species . Most species are annual, biennial, or perennial plants with a widespread worldwide distribution from subpolar to tropical...
Glassworts received their common name in 16th Century England to describe plants that yield an important ingredient for glass and soap making. The original English glasswort plants belong to the genus Salicornia; however, the term was quickly extended to include a...
Inspired by the glass show currently on display at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, In Dialogue with Nature: Glass in the Gardens, we are highlighting Salicornia, a genus of plants also known as glassworts, pickleweed, samphire, and saltwort, for our EcoQuest in...