Tillandsia fasciculata
As part of the EcoFlora Project, we are including fun monthly “Challenges” to enlist citizens in documenting plants in our area. May’s challenge is the Tilly Tally. Tillandsias (fondly called “tillys” here or, often, “air plants”) are in the Bromeliad, or pineapple family. Florida has 13 native species of Tillandsia, with eight of them found in our EcoFlora region. Can you find all eight known tillandsias in our area? Help us document as many air plants as possible by May 31! Click here for a guide to the Common Epiphytes of Florida.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens announced a fun, interactive way to learn about plants and nature in your own backyard last week. It’s easy to get involved with our EcoFlora Project! Using your smartphone or a camera, snap a picture of a plant in Sarasota or Manatee Counties and upload it to iNaturalist. Each month, we will feature a new EcoQuest Challenge to focus on different species and keep things exciting!
The EcoFlora Project is a collaboration with the New York Botanical Garden, Chicago Botanic Garden, Denver Botanic Garden, and Desert Botanical Garden and is funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences. Visit HERE to learn more.
Guide: Tilly Tally EcoQuest
Activity: Build a Paper Air Plant