Every year the start of spring brings with it the first Drummond’s phlox (Phlox drummondii) flowers along the roads of rural central Florida. Those first few flowers often succumb to frost damage, but they are never deterred for long. Now that we have made it to the first week of May, we are at the peak of the season for phlox. And in addition to the phlox we are starting to see more and more of the Leavenworth’s tickseeds (Coreopsis leavenworthii). The contrast between the white, pink, and purple phlox and the yellow tickseeds in quite stunning, and it’s one of my favorite times of the year. The phlox will soon start to fade, and more and more tickseeds will take their place and last most of the rest of the summer. The whole cycle is really pretty cool because it means that a drive through this area is usually accompanied by beautiful scenery with plenty of colorful flowers.