The buttonbush is a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree that produces flower heads. It is part of the coffee family (Rubiaceae).

The shrub’s flower heads have tiny, tubular, white flowers that grow in a sphere shape. It looks like a pincushion. The flowers bloom from June to August. The flowers produce  green and brown nutlets, which are ripe in the fall. They stay on the plant throughout the winter. Different animals, ducks, and birds eat this fruit – more than 50 species, in fact. Although, it is poisonous to humans and livestock. Hummingbirds, butterflies, insects, and honey bees feed off this plant’s nectar.

This plant has dark green, glossy leaves that are two to six inches long and one to three inches wide. In the fall, the leaves turn light green or yellow.

It can be found in forests, around ponds and streams, and swamps. This plant loves moist soils and likes mostly sunny areas. It can live in water up to three feet if flooding occurs. However, it does not tolerate salt water well.

Many animals and ducks use this plant for nesting or for cover in the wild.

This plant can grow 10 to 20 feet in the Everglades.

Explore the Everglades by Private Airboat Tour

If you love flowers and plants, you need to get out and explore the Everglades – there is no place like it on Earth. You need to see these beautiful plants up-close-and-personal!

A great way to view flowers in the Everglades is on an airboat tour. Even if you don’t see a buttonbush, there will be so many other flowers, plants, and wildlife you will see and learn about on your trip.

If you’re ready to explore the Everglades, jump on a private airboat tour! You’ll have a fun day full of exciting memories to share. To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page.

Cacti in the Everglades? Huh? I thought cacti grew in deserts. They do, but they also thrive in tropical and subtropical environments. In fact, there’s many species of cacti that are native to the Everglades.

These cacti enjoy the heavy rainfalls in the Everglades, as well as the sunny and hot days. These cacti like the sandy, rocky, alkaline soils found throughout the wetland.

In the Everglades, the cacti species Simpson’s applecactus (Harrisia simpsonii) lives but is endangered. This cacti is large and has white, fragrant flowers that bloom at night. It’s nickname is “Queen of the Night.” Bats, moths, and other insects are attracted to these flowers because of their sweet smell and help pollinate the cacti.

Another endangered cacti in the Everglades is the mistletoe cactus (Rhipsalis baccifera). Sadly, it has not been spotted in the park since 2005! The last-known mistletoe cactus was destroyed by a hurricane.

There is also several prickly-pear cacti in the park including Opuntia eburnispina, humifusa, and stricta. These cacti have fleshy, green pads, large yellow/orange/red flowers, and reddish-purple fruits. The prickly pear cactus’ flowers bloom for only one day. The

The triangle cactus (acanthocereus tetragonus) is a large cactus that can grow up to 23 feet in height. It has white flowers that open around midnight and close at dawn. It produces two-inch, red fruit.

Explore the Everglades by Private Airboat Tour

The Everglades is the perfect location for you to get a view of so much different plant life, including cacti. On an airboat tour, you’ll have the opportunity to see so many plants and flowers. Even if you don’t see a cactus, there will be so many other plants you will see and learn about on your trip.

If you’re ready to explore the Everglades, do so by airboat! It’s a fun adventure! To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page.

The coral bean is a native flower plant to the Everglades. It blooms from spring until fall. It has red, tubular flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. In the fall, its seed pods mature and turn nearly black. These seed pods split open to reveal red seeds inside. The coral bean’s seeds are poisonous.

During the winter, it freezes to the ground. In the Everglades and South Florida, this flowering plant grows as a large deciduous shrub or small tree while in North or Central Florida it grows as a large perennial; it can grow up to six feet tall.

This plant is beautiful when it flowers, but it’s actually not that attractive of a plant when the flowers are gone. It is known to look sparse and ragged.

Coral bean thrives in well-drained, sandy soil with full sun or a little shade. It is a salt-tolerant plant.

If you boil the flowers and young leaves, they are edible. The coral bean flower has six antioxidants in it, so it is healthy. The plant tastes like mild spinach. Remember, the seeds are not edible. In fact, in Mexico, the seeds are used to poison rats and fish.

This plant always turns its leaves towards the sun.

This plant is also known as the Cherokee Bean.

Explore the Everglades by Private Airboat Tour

There are so many reasons why the Everglades is a beautiful and magical place. One of these reasons is the flowers. Pictures don’t do the Everglades’ plants and flowers justice. You must see it in person to truly grasp the beauty.

A great way to view flowers in the Everglades is on an airboat tour. Even if you don’t see a coral bean, there will be so many other flowers you will see and learn about on your trip.

If you’re ready to explore the Everglades, do so by private airboat! It’s an experience you’ll never forget.  To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page.

What comes to mind when you think of a succulent? A pretty, little greenish-blue plant that lives in a tiny pot in your house? Succulents in the home is popular at the moment. However, many succulents are actually native to the Everglades.

Below, we’ve shared some succulents that can be found in the Everglades:

• Agave decipiens can be found around beach dunes and shell mounts. It is a bright-green succulent with spiny leafy margins. Tequila, mescal and other drinks have been derived from the Agave.
• Sisal hemp (a. sisalama) has good fibers in it that is great for making clothing and rope.
• Wormvine vanilla (Vanilla barbellata) never touches soil and has a few tiny leave and thick succulent stems. Their stems are an orange hue when conditions are harsh. They produce beautiful flowers. They are found in coastal forests.
• Shoreline seapurslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum) is a herb that grows in coastal prairies and beach dunes in the Everglades. It has thick, fleshy leaves with succulent, reddish/green stems. This succulent grows up to 12 inches with some stems growing up to three feet. It produces pink flowers. It helps beach erosion by catching sand in its roots.

Explore the Everglades by Private Airboat Tour

If you’re a fan of succulents, you’ll love spotting them in their native habitat. The Everglades is packed with plants and flowers for you to enjoy. Many of these species you won’t get to see anywhere else.

A great way to take in all the plants in the Everglades is on an airboat tour. Even if you don’t see a succulent, there will be so many other plants you will see and learn about on your trip.

If you’re ready to explore the Everglades, do so by private airboat! It’s a fun adventure! To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page.