Fortunately, there are still plenty of leaves remaining on the trees in panhandle Florida. Hurricane Idalia’s track damaged some of the Big Bend area, but its destructive path will not impede the seasonal color change.
The summer of 2023 has been relatively wet and as such the color change of leaves will be unremarkable. The foliage of many deciduous trees will turn yellow, then brown and then fall off.
Still, there will be plenty of the bright yellow palette represented in the landscape and wild areas. As mentioned in last week’s column, most of the native wildflowers are white, yellow, green and purple with yellow being the most common.
Goldenrod’s head-high conical spires of golden yellow blooms are the most frequently observed in its genus. There are over 100 members to this plant’s genus, which is in the aster family, in the northern hemisphere and South America.
This cloud-like collection of tiny flowers floating three feet above the soil is typical of goldentops. Its soft edges and puffy appearance support a variety of native pollinators with a generous supply of foliage, pollen and nectar.
Another similar species seen locally is bushy goldentop, sometimes known as Mississippi Valley Goldentop. With the potential to reach about 40 inches in height, its top is covered with clusters of small golden blooms.
Instead of jagged peaks protruding skyward, its blooms form a relatively even zone of yellow, much like a floating cloud. Both plants are prolific producers of nectar and pollen which support a variety of insects, including European honeybees.
Unfortunately, these wildflowers are frequently blamed for the onset of hay-fever symptoms. In reality the real culprit is ragweed, another north Florida native plant, but with tiny yellow pollen producing blooms which are rarely noticed.
Regrettably, at least for the goldenrod and goldentop, all produce flowers at the same time and the much larger flowers are easier to identify and blame.
For the record, only ragweed is typically wind pollinated. The other’s pollen is too heavy and sticky to be blown far from the flowers.
Another member of the very large aster family now delivering bright yellow peddles is the tickseed. Coreopsis gladiata, as this species is botanically known, are finishing their bloom cycle in the early days of autumn.
Its seeds are small, dark and resemble a stationary tick, hence the common name. Curiously the formal name, coreopsis, is derived from a Greek term meaning bedbug.
Despite the implication of the names, this wildflower is gaining popularity as a landscape ornamental. Mass planting delivers a striking vista, and the early autumn is the ideal time to distribute its seeds in the desired area.
As a native, it supports a number of local pollinators and caterpillars which produce butterflies.
While there are many more native wildflowers with bright yellow blooms, large and small, there is one exotic invasive with a very showy bloom.
Crotalaria pallida, commonly known as rattlebox, is producing very large spikes of bright yellow blooms. Each of those blooms produces a cocktail wiener-shaped seedpod filled with tiny seeds which rattle in the wind when dry.
Once scattered, the seeds may remain viable in the soil for decades, waiting for the conditions to become right. When timberland is cleared, it is not uncommon to see rattlebox sprout, in mass, the following spring.
No matter the source, autumn is the golden season for wildflowers. The waning light will soon strip the bright tones from the land and replace it with muted colors for the coming season.
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