Florida’s Butterfly Milkweeds, Backyard Snakes

Urban and suburban development is eliminating monarch butterfly habitat by supplanting agricultural landscapes where an estimated 90% of milkweeds occur. Almost all of Florida’s 21 milkweeds are native — add some to your landscape for the butterflies. Also, a useful reference, “Dealing with Snakes in Florida’s Residential Areas – Identifying Commonly Encountered Snakes.”

____GARDEN TALK ____

Swamp Milkweed
Swamp Milkweed (photo Jeffrey Pippen)

EDITOR’S NOTE:  University of Florida/IFAS Extension Director for Nassau County and Environmental Horticulture Agent III, Rebecca Jordi, addresses questions about landscaping and gardening in northeast Florida. She is also a University of Florida faculty member. __________

QUESTION: I believe I have the Mexican milkweed in my garden and would like to replace it. Online I see Asclepias tuberosa and Asclepias lanceolata as well as the incarnata. Which one should I choose? MH

JORDI: Almost all of Florida’s 21 milkweeds are native, and at least two of them are native only to Florida (endemic). Milkweeds are frequently encountered throughout the state, and the rest of North America. Different species are found in very wet habitats as well as in very dry ones.

A few of the butterfly weed listed here are commonly found in Florida so feel free to choose any of them: Butterfly weed, Asclepias uberose; Florida milkweed, Asclepias longifolia; Fewflower milkweed – Asclepias lanceolata, Pinewoods milkweed, Asclepias humistrata. Swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnate is native to the lower 48 states.

Milkweeds grow most abundantly in disturbed habitats such as agricultural landscapes and along roadsides, but they are in decline for several reasons. Urban and suburban development is eliminating monarch habitat by supplanting agricultural landscapes where an estimated 90% of milkweeds occur. Therefore, we applaud your efforts to add some of these to your landscape. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in780

Adult Red Rat Snake
Adult Red Rat Snake

QUESTION: I found a long, brown striped snake in my yard. I am worried it might the snake might attack me or my pets. How concerned should I be? BP

JORDI: This question is actually come to me twice this week so I thought I should write something again about the importance of snakes. The most important thing to do is to stay away from them as most bites and injuries occur when people poke at the snake or try to pick it up. Snakes are not going to chase you down and attack – you can definitely out run them. Even if the snake is not venomous it can bite, so just leave well enough alone. The non-venomous snakes are also keeping our rodent (rat) populations in check and some even eat the venomous snake varieties.

 

It was especially fortuitous for me to have a yellow rat snake end up in my back yard this weekend. The snake was especially patient with me by staying stationary long enough for me to fetch my camera and take a couple of snapshots. The juvenile is very different looking as it has black and white patterns which people often mistake as venomous. Notice the pupil of the eye is round which is another indication of it not being poisonous; at least this is true in Southeast Florida. University of Florida publication titled, “Dealing with Snakes in Florida’s Residential Areas – Identifying Commonly Encountered Snakes” will probably be very helpful when finding snakes in the yard. I would suggest making a copy and having it readily available should the need to identify a snake arise. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw258

Brown Rot on Plum
Brown Rot on Plum

QUESTION: What is wrong with my plums? CH

 

JORDI: Your plums are showing the early stages of brown rot, which is caused by a fungus called Monilina fructicola. Brown rot can attack blooms, fruit, leaves, and stems. It over-winters on blighted stems and mummified fruit. Brown rot can be a problem during wet weather.

I know what you are thinking – we have had very little rain (but remember the spores have been there all along and they are just now causing issues with the fruit).
In addition, we create an artificial environment by applying irrigation to the trees – sometimes twice a week. It is best to irrigate any tree and shrub at the root keeping the water off the leaves. Infections will appear as masses of brown to brown-gray spores on infected tissue if left on the tree long enough.

It is important to prune the tree in an open vase-shape to encourage good air flow which reduces the spore problem. At this point, we have no plum cultivars resistant to brown rot, and fungicide sprays may be necessary during wet weather or irrigation landscapes. The best time to apply fungicide is just at the new leaves are forming, just after flower budding and fruit setting. Use a fungal spray specifically developed for fruit tree species.

It is also very important to remove any fruit from the tree and not allow it to go from one season to the next. Clean away any leaf, stem and fruit debris from around the base of the tree as these can be the source of the fungal spores, creating the perfect environment for future spore dispersal to the tree.

Rebecca Jordi

Rebecca L. Jordi
County Extension Director
Environmental Horticulture Agent III
543350 U. S. Highway #1
Callahan, Florida 32011
904 491-7340
http:\\nassau.ifas.ufl.edu