The winter weather of January 2025 turned out to be harsh by panhandle Florida standards. While the month did not produce the coldest temperatures, there was record snowfall over much of the region.
A lot of the foliage color and condition reflects the unforgiving conditions. Many oak species currently have brown leaves, but they will sprout new ones in the weeks to come.
Still there are native species which are displaying an emerald tint, for the time being.
Evergreen trees are one example. Wax myrtles, cedars and pines are green and easy to pick out in the landscape, albeit with a few branches broken under the weight of the snow and ice.
There are some subcanopy plants which use the shielding offered by these arboreal giants.
Spiderwort is green and flush with growth. It will bloom when the weather warms and the days lengthen. It utilizes the protective layer of mulch to insulate itself from low temperatures.
Under pine trees the common blue violets were not smothered under the multiple inches of snow which remained for a few days. Viola sororia, the scientific name for this native plant, will soon provide a distinct color contrast to the leaf litter and pine needles it thrives in.
This delicate herbaceous plant is an early bloomer with inch-wide blooms which are commonly bluish-purple. These violets are self-pollinating perennials which flourish in the filtered light under tree canopies.
The heavy mulch layer in forest settings provides consistently moist soil and ample organic matter for successful growth. Seed heads form in the late summer and early autumn, and are scattered by birds, animals, and weather events.
The Roundleaf Bluet (Houstonia procumbens) or as it is sometimes called “Innocence” is peering through dead grass and pine needles. This tiny plant’s white flowers are about the size of a dime and appear in random clusters.
The blooms have four evenly spaced petals and prefer filtered light and heavy mulch, like violet. This perennial is native to the lower southeastern U.S. and gradually fades away as the days become warmer.
A multi-color bloomer with the descriptive common name Horse-sugar (Symplocos tinctoria) is soon to be in flower. The identification originated because horses were attracted to the sweet tasting leaves.
This woody native prefers woods, thickets and borders of streams. A shrub or small deciduous tree, it is also known as Sweetleaf. Its strong, sweet-smelling blooms make it worthwhile to look up from the forest floor.
Tradescantia ohiensis, the scientific name for spiderwort, is an herbaceous native plant still displaying ample green foliage. Its most striking feature, which makes it easily identifiable, is the cluster of bright purplish-blue blooms which appear in late spring and attract pollinators.
The name spiderwort implies an arachnid with a complexion issue. Far from it, but the terminology is shrouded in agriculture and horticulture history.
The term wort, in its various forms, can be traced back to northern Europe well over 1,000 years ago. Its meaning was related initially to herbs, and then to plants without bark or hard stems.
Lastly there are thistles native to panhandle Florida. All Florida thistles are biennials, except for Lecontes thistle which is a perennial.
Biennial plants are those growing from seed in the first year and which produce seeds the second year.
There are three distinct life stages pertaining to all native thistles. During the first year the plant will grow as a rosette, a taproot with a cluster of leaves on or near the soil surface.
The rosette growth stage occurs primarily during the winter months and is distinctly green in north Florida’s February.
The bleak forest shades following the “Blizzard of ‘25” are brightened by native plants snuggling in the mulch of pines and deciduous trees. When spring arrives many, but not all, will enter their dormant season only to return when the days shorten and the temperatures drop.
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