One of the things I find very interesting as an observer of nature is how it varies from year to year. Sometimes it’s easy to understand when a year is particularly rainy or dry, but other times it’s not that simple. Often I don’t really know why one species is so abundant one year and not the next. One of the flowers that I have been seeing everywhere this fall is the Florida paintbrush or coastal plain chaffhead (Carphephorus corymbosus). I have seen this plant growing on my own property, along several of the roads I drive regularly, around our office, and in several different places in the Gothe State Forest. Last fall I only saw one flowering plant and that was at my brother’s house in Orlando (I was kicking myself for not taking the time to photograph it). The weather hasn’t been hugely different these past two years, but obviously enough to matter to this species.

Florida paintbrush is not an endangered plant, by any means, but it is only native to a very small region consisting of peninsular Florida and parts of Georgia and South Carolina. It is, however, a popular garden plant, especially for use in butterfly gardens, and can be pretty easily grown outside the native range. It’s a member of the aster family (Asteraceae) and is known for it’s showy corymbs of bright purplish flowers. As a native, it is found in dry, sandy habitats like the sandhills, but can also be found in moister areas like the pine flatwoods as long as the soil is well drained. It actually prefers sandy soil that lacks a lot of nutrients. It is a perennial that has a strong, fiberous taproot that survives both cold winters and frequent fires. It is somewhat drought tolerant, but prefers regular water. It does not, however, have any tolerance for salt or brackish water or even salt spray, so it is not found directly on the coastal dunes.

As you may have guessed, it’s very attractive to butterflies and other pollinators. While I was photographing it one afternoon in my yard a Palamedes swallowtail butterfly photo bombed the scene. I also found several types of moths, several types of bees, and a couple of wasps on my plants here. In the Gothe State Park, I spent quite a bit of time following a zebra longwing around from cluster to cluster of Florida paintbrush. Time will tell what nature will have in store for us next fall, but this fall I certainly enjoyed the Florida paintbrush flowers.