Fifteen Sarracenia members and five other native-plant enthusiasts seized the opportunity to walk in a wildflower wonderland on April 23. We had chosen an area of low pine flatwoods and bogs of Apalachicola National Forest just east of the lower Apalachicola River. We began in the Fort Gadsden Creek drainage. As anticipated, as soon as the party had made a few steps from the cars it was wading in delicate spring wildflowers stimulated by a prescribed fire applied nine weeks earlier.
With an orchid expert in the Chapter along and providing botanical commentary, the group enthused over no fewer than six species of native terrestrial orchids found flowering. Before the four walks of the day were finished (by picnic time), the party had also encountered three species of pitcherplants, three species of milkweeds, and three other species that are Florida endemics rare and endangered ---these along with dozens of other colorful native wildflowers.
The field trip party finding wildflowers where pine flatwoods give way to bog conditions
Found: the endemic and endangered Florida skullcap (Scutellaria floridana)
