My last post featured a Northern Cardinal, one of my favorite birds.
This post features another Cardinal, a bromeliad called the Cardinal Airplant.
Cardinal Airplant
Cardinal Airplants are one of 16 native bromeliads in Florida that are almost exclusively tropical and grow on woody hosts high in the canopy.
Cardinal Airplants
The Cardinal’s red stalks or “tanks” grow throughout the year. In January/February, they produce small purple flowers on the tips. No blooming purple flowers were seen on this trail a few days ago.
Cardinal Airplant
The Cardinal Airplant is listed as Endangered in Florida due to the Mexican bromeliad-eating weevil. In addition, it is threatened by illegal collecting and habitat destruction.
(Photos taken along Janes Scenic Drive in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. The drive is an 11-mile long unimproved, narrow dirt road that dead-ends, giving you access to a portion of Florida’s remaining subtropical wilderness.)
