Along the spine of the Florida peninsula, in sandy fields and roadside swales,
Florida phlox (Phlox floridana) is in full bloom.
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This native plant is lovely from a distance but it is really spectacular close-up.
Getting close to the phlox requires stopping one's car and getting out.
I received a lot of strange looks as I investigated these fields of phlox.
I like how there are a few pure white phlox mixed in with the dominant
purples and lavendars.
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Mixed in with the phlox is a lot of India Mustard (yellow-flowering) also known as Leaf Mustard (Brassica juncea). The mustard is attracting the Checkered White Butterfly (Pontia protodice) commonly known as the Southern Cabbageworm Butterfly. In the image above I caught the flutter of one of these currently abundant butterflies.
The hosts of Checkered White larvae are herbs in the Mustard family (Brassicaceae). The preferred host in the South is the Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum).
A close up of a Checkered White drinking from some mustard blooms.
There were a lot of wild beans in this swale but the Checkered White was much more interested in the Mustard. Click on the image below for a large view. You'll see many ripe string beans on the left side of the image.
An extreme close up of a Checkered White on a mustard bloom. These white butterflies with black spots were very abundant in all the fields of phlox and mustard that I visited on a recent afternoon.
The sun is again relentless. We desperately need a few months of rain.
