Yet another gorgeous flower that was growing in lots of places in the Cedar Lake Botanical Garden was the paperflower (Bougainvillea glabra). Like the purple lotus, it’s not native to this area, but it is cultivated through much of the world, including in Florida. It actually comes from central South America and prefers a tropical to semi-tropical environment. It’s popular as a decorative plant thanks to its colorful flowers, its long blooming period, and its relative ease to grow. It’s also nontoxic to people and pets, although it does have some pretty wicked thorns that can scratch or poke small kids. As well as being very pleasant to look at, paperflowers are great for hummingbirds and butterflies. Their long blooming period means that flowers are available to pollinators throughout much of the year in warmer climates. These flowers (actually the entire plant, especially the leaves) are great for air quality because they are known for being able to remove toxins from the air. That is part of the reason that they have become very popular in urban re-greening programs and green buildings. Back when I used to keep plants, I had several of these beauties, and I did pretty well with them (and I’m definitely not a green thumb), which tells you that they are pretty hardy. They don’t do well with below freezing weather, though, so if you live somewhere that gets cold in the winter, you may need to keep your paperflowers in pots..