Barrier Island Sanctuary - Melbourne - 3-31-2019
September 30, 2019
By:
Andy Firk
March 31, 2019 - REPORT FROM THE ROAD - BARRIER ISLAND SANCTUARY LOOP TRAIL- MELBOURNE: Even though I've been feeling weak and lousy from last week's fever, I still decided that it would do the old body good to go for another walk, this time alone, after our morning's group walk that I led at Sebastian Inlet State Park. For such a short trail, boy oh boy were there some rare native pants to be found at the Barrier Island Sanctuary trail, across the street from their nature center! There may have been one thousand native Rubbervines (aka Mangrovevine), Rhabdadenia biflora - Apocynaceae, along the trail, which was a super treat. There were many yellow-flowered native Poor-Man's-Patch, Mentzelia floridana - Loasaceae, in bloom (which I first thought might be Gingerbush... oops!) and the rare native Coastal Mock Vervain was also in full bloom. Both are rather rare sights for me. Healthy Coralbean, Erythrina herbacea - Fabaceae, was also in bloom. By the way, this is location #1,307 in my log book of places that I have visited while searching for plants across Florida since 1993.