Your Backyard Nature Preserve

Just last year, my partner and I were staring at a bare, sandy patch in our backyard. The earth had been graded high during construction, and grass stubbornly refused to grow there. The only thing holding back erosion was an increasingly expensive layer of pine straw. It's about time, I thought, to finally follow my own advice and plant some frogfruit.

Frogfruit as seen from above. These specimens have their characteristic white and purple blooms. Photo by Jade Fortnash.

I was first introduced to the plant Phyla nodiflora, better known as frogfruit, as a butterfly host plant. If you want Common Buckeye or White Peacock butterflies flitting around, tuck some frogfruit into your garden. However, the more I chatted with older gardeners, the more I heard a familiar refrain: "Oh, I used to play in meadows of that stuff as a kid! Haven't seen it in ages."

These days, much of the arable land in Tampa Bay has been developed for agriculture or housing. Extraordinary quantities of topsoil were replaced or amended, and synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and fresh water have been used to establish crops or turf at scale. Frogfruit, a common, native, southern wildflower, no longer forms very many meadows in Tampa Bay.

Wildflowers such as these Lupinus flowers in Bell Creek Nature Preserve rely on dry prairie and associated ecotypes. These were the first lands developed by Europeans, and most conservation lands in Hillsborough County include wetlands which proved more difficult to develop. Photo by James Robe.

But my curiosity was piqued - I've since seen demonstration gardens where this low-growing perennial formed a lovely, walkable green mat peppered with tiny flowering stalks. Known for shrugging off drought, salt spray, and direct sun, frogfruit seemed the perfect pick to green up that bare patch and stop yard erosion.

So we grabbed some one-gallon pots of frogfruit. But in nature, you rarely see just one wildflower species in an area, so we mixed in some sunshine mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa) too. This plucky native quickly colonizes sandy areas like fire breaks, with its signature sensitive leaves and showy blooms. More importantly, sunshine mimosa can work with soil bacteria to "fix" atmospheric nitrogen into plant-usable form - hopefully making this planting low-maintenance long-term.  

Sunshine mimosa can grow in uniquely hostile conditions. It is what is called a "disturbed area plant," and is not deterred by the asphalt and construction sand pictured. Photo by John Kees.

The project has largely succeeded. The frogfruit formed a lush, green mat with the mimosa peeking through. Remarkably, some lingering perennial peanut that had been struggling at the edges has now intermingled, benefiting from the newfound soil quality, moisture retention and nutrients.

Now, I don't want to contribute to the rising mythological status of native plants in some circles. Anecdotes like mine can portray these plants as invincible and foolproof, superior in every situation. There is no silver bullet to gardening, native or non-native. We carefully matched these plants to the soil, sunlight and location, providing initial mulch and diligent watering as they established.

Once established, some Florida native plants can withstand extreme conditions. The ground here on the yellow loop of Bell Creek Nature Preserve is still blackened and scorched from a prescribed fire, yet these Florida greeneyes (Berlandiera subacaulis) defiantly bloom, despite the oppressive sunlight. 

For gardeners, native plants offer numerous benefits that align with the University of Florida's 9 Principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping. By selecting the right plant for the right place, you can save money and effort compared to force-fitting inappropriate plants. Native plants are well-adapted to Florida's unique environments, having evolved here for millions of years. They can help you water efficiently, reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides, attract wildlife, and protect our waterways by reducing stormwater runoff.

Dry prairie and sandhill natives like partridge pea or chalky bluestem can shrug off heat and drought. Dune sunflowers and sea grapes are at home in coastal areas. Shady yards might enjoy native woodland plants like creeping sage or coontie cycad. More than just yard-friendly, native landscaping is increasingly vital for environmental health.

Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) is an excellent native plant for injecting some color into shady areas. This patch grows in the constant shade of a tree at Bell Creek Nature Preserve. Photo by James Robe.

Through conservation efforts like the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program, Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management (CELM) has made great strides establishing wildlife corridors - efforts that have remained popular with the public. However, to secure the long-term success of these natural ecosystems, the surrounding urban landscapes must not be incompatible with native wildlife. Conventional landscaping introduces invasive plants, provides poor habitat, and in extreme cases acts as ecological traps.

A tiny gopher tortoise is interrupted while foraging for food at Bell Creek Nature Preserve. FWC provides a list of tortoise friendly plants. Photo by James Robe.

Wildlife such as songbirds, gopher tortoises, butterflies, and bumble bees all evolved to take advantage of our diverse indigenous plants. (Check out a previous article on several butterflies in Hillsborough County with their native host plants.) In some cases, the ultimate existence of entire species may hinge on the landscaping choices made by private landowners. Even the plants themselves can benefit, as evidenced by nitrogen-fixing interactions, the supportive effect of bunching grasses on liatris, and increased crop yields enabled by nectar-producing wildflowers and plant partners that require cross-pollination.

A butterfly rests center of frame. A household garden doesn't need to meet all the complex requirements of conservation land. However, some straightforward research on your local native ecosystems, an evaluation of your property's conditions, and a consideration for complementary plant choices will go a long way in making your outdoor space sustainable. Photo by James Robe.

The largest coastal land management project in Hillsborough County, the Cockroach Bay Restoration Project, was driven by initiatives to mitigate the devastating effects of synthetic fertilizer runoff which had reduced Tampa Bay's water quality to a low point in the 1970s. Back then it was largely agricultural runoff, but now we are seeing unprecedented issues from unsustainable urban fertilizer runoff from misconceived landscaping.

Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve is home to a wide range of beautiful plants, including this non-invasive non-native blanket-flower (Gaillardia pulchella). It is always prudent to check online with a quick search before buying a plant to check if it is an invasive exotic. Not all exotic plants are harmful to the environment, but some can be devastating. Photo by James Robe.

I believe that for those who are able, native plants are a means to reclaim a piece of the Florida experience we allowed to slip away. The diverse, interesting, and unique ecology of Tampa Bay is still there, buried under expensive and often unnecessary industrialized landscaping practices. Those lush meadows of frogfruit, and the wildlife they support, can spread again - one thoughtful garden at a time.