“Tread Softly,” Stinging Nettle
It’s always a good idea to tread softly in nature, especially near this Florida native plant. Stinging Nettle, nick-named Tread Softly, blooms beautiful in summer, but packs a sting. 
Up in the tall slash pines
I stopped to take a water break and admire the robust, tall slash pines, some taller than 100 feet. South Florida slash pines are not normally this thick in scrub habitat. The land that is now Seacrest Scrub Natural Area was cleared in the 1920s for the growing of pineapples, and after the land was no longer farmed, the slash pines started to take over the thinner and shorter sand pines’ territory. As I took in the large pines, I looked up and saw an Osprey nearly directly above where I stood.
Oceanside Morning Glory
This deep bluish-purple Oceanside Morning Glory is one of the most visible wildflowers in Virginia Key’s restored Tropical Hardwood Hammock preserve.
Bright Beautyberry and tall pines at Yamato
There were patches of this wild flower Feay’s Palafox, which particularly liked to stem up the smallest saplings of Oak Scrub:
Thanks Emilia for the identification of the Feay’s Palafox!
