Southwest Florida has a springtime secret.
For a brief moment, usually between mid-March and early April, several of the region’s wildflowers bloom in one of the rarest floral hues: blue. The late Sanibel naturalist George Campbell used to call it our Blue Period, and the otherwise prickly (and self-described) curmudgeon would get positively misty about its beauty.
Cobalt, cerulean and sky, all painted on earthbound plants. Some grow in wild, wet places; others adorn ditches. The blue period tends to peak in mid-March, though it can vary from year to year. Some years, alas, the blues are scarce, but wait another and they’ll likely reappear.
So which flowers to look for? Here are three to get you started:
Blue flag iris, Iris virginica: These showy flowers favor wetlands, and they like company, often blooming in wide swaths. Their lance-shaped leaves arrive first, so keep an eye out for a green-bristled patch – the blooms won’t be far behind.
Blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium spp.: Contrary to the name’s implication these starry blooms aren’t a grass at all – they’re a tiny member of the iris family. Though they grow wild in sunny, periodically damp prairies and wetland edges, they also happily inhabit ditch-side sod, so keep an eye out when you’re walking.
Pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata: Named after a freshwater fish that favors it as an egg-laying haven, this water plant sends its flowers up on tall stalks. Common in natural ponds and sloughs, its ability to reduce polluting nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous in water make it a favorite for landscape managers.
Where to experience SW Florida’s floral Blue Period
Bird Rookery Swamp Trail, 1295 Shady Hollow Boulevard, Naples, 239-657-2253, crewtrust.org/bird-rookery-swamp-trail/
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve: Six Mile Slough Preserve, 7751 Penzance Blvd., Fort Myers. 239-533-7556; sloughpreserve.org/
This article originally appeared on Marco Eagle: What’s blooming? Keep an eye out for native blue wildflowers
Reporting by Amy Bennett Williams, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Marco Eagle
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