July 4th, is almost upon us.  Due to the colder than normal temperatures lasting well into the winter and early spring, the Lychee crop is not very abundant at the nursery this year, and much later than normal.  However, we still have some for sale, and they taste as good as ever.  On the other hand, the Longan crop is very abundant, and maybe another month until it is ripe.  We also continue to harvest Calabaza Squash and some Mamey fruit.  Coming soon will be Pomegranite and Pineapples.

This winter was especially rough on the Jade Vines. The freeze killed all of the potted Green Jade Vines (Strongylodon macrobotyrys), and all of the Red Jade Vines (Mucuna bennettii), both potted and in the ground.  We started propagating our Green Jade Vines from the plants in the ground, and we purchased the Red Jade Vine and have begun propagating this one as well.  We also recently planted a Black Jade Vine (Mucuna nigrican) and have some rooted cuttings of this as well.   

Memorial Day weekend is here, and driving around Miami it also means Royal Poinciana Trees are in full bloom.  Judging by the number of blossoms on the trees, it would appear, this past winter was beneficial to them.  I have seen several spectacular trees, both the common orange color and the rarer yellow.

This spring, The Great Southern White Butterfly (Ascia monuste) has been seen in great numbers at the nursery. This species’ larval host plant is greens in the mustard family, such as cabbage, mustard greens and collard greens, and it just so happens, we planted several cabbage plants and collard greens this winter.  This probably explains why we are seeing so many of these butterflies, as the larvae certainly had an abundance of food to feed upon.  These butterflies are often seen on the ground sipping water from puddles and moist soil.