You’re looking at one of the rarest plants in Florida, Liatris ohlingerae. This endangered species only grows in Polk and Highlands Counties of Florida in scrub openings. That’s it. You can’t find it anywhere else in the world.
I was really bummed that I didn’t get a photo of these in bloom before all the flowers passed. Two weeks went by, and then out of nowhere I spotted one last flower cluster on a trail I always walk on. I ran back to my room to grab a macro lens before the light changed. Mission accomplished.
