May your 2021 be filled with hopeful new beginnings, just like this coontie plant regrowing after a prescribed fire in the park last year!

Coonties, or Zamia integrifolia, are small shrubs.

NPS Photo by Yvette Cano A seedling sprouts from soil.
This plant has underground stems and leaves that grow to about eighteen to twenty-four inches tall. It is native to much of Florida, and its range also includes the Bahamas and the Caribbean, with a limited amount found in Georgia, too.
Here’s why we think the coontie is an excellent role-model for 2021:

It's grounded -- as a cycad, it is part of an ancient group that evolved in the Carboniferous or early Permian, about 280 million years ago. This means it's been around since before the time of the dinosaurs!
It has persevered -- it was once harvested for the root which was crushed to make a starchy food, which affected its population size and numbers. It is also at risk due to habitat loss.
It’s born from chaos -- coonties thrive in dry, upland areas where wildfires are common.

It gives life to others -- several animals rely on it for food. Check back tomorrow to learn about one animal whose survival is completely linked with the coontie.

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More from @EvergladesNPS

2 Jan
If you have been patiently waiting for the answer to yesterday’s post about which animal needs the coontie to survive, get ready! (And if you missed the post, check it out.)

*Drum roll* … it's the rare atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala)!

Photo courtesy of Dylann Turffs An atala butterfly rests on a flower with white petals and a
The coontie serves as the one and only host plant for atala caterpillars, so they need it to eat. The orange-red caterpillars with yellow spots have evolved to handle the coontie’s natural poison (cyasin). They can incorporate it into their tissues, making them poisonous too.
The caterpillars store the poison as they transform into adults, so the atala butterflies are poisonous, too. The bright colors of the caterpillar and the butterfly tell predators, especially birds, to back off!
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