Florida native plants provide something for everyone…
By Susan Scott
Over the millenia, plants and animals have evolved together, often forming symbiotic relationships where each benefits from the other. Animals provide pollination, genetic diversity and spread seeds from place to place. Plants in turn provide food, shelter, hydration, and a place for rearing young.
A good example of this relationship exists right here at the Conservancy, in our Christopher B. Smith Preserve. Right now, the prickly pear cactus is blooming. There are nine species of this Florida native, and they love harsh, dry conditions.
Aren’t these blooms gorgeous? Be sure to see the ants. These flowers will provide food for many insects and even bats!. Our gopher tortoises will eat the flowers, the fruit and the “pads,” which also provide moisture in habitats like scrub. Other native wildlife who benefit from these plants are raccoons, quail, doves, wild turkey, woodpeckers, foxes, squirrels and rabbits, even deer.
Proof is in the pudding or “poop.” Below you can see tortoise poop! I found lots of these pellets all over the ground near every one of the prickly pears I checked on.
Here is the reason why…the prickly pears have been providing a buffet for the gopher tortoises!
Prickly pear is also easily found at Florida native nurseries. Be sure to visit www.plantrealflorida.org to find the retail native nursery closest to you. By adding more native plants to our homes, businesses, and governments we can help Florida native wildlife.
To see our beautiful prickly pear and other native plants in a natural, scrub habitat, be sure to visit the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, 1495 Smith Preserve Way, Naples, FL
