An environmental group petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday for endangered species protection for two rare Florida flowers.
The Center for Biological Diversity is pushing the federal agency to extend protections for Jobé bluecurls and hidden bluecurls, two varieties of fragrant blue-purple flowers. The flowers are found in just two Florida counties — one on the state’s Atlantic coast and the other in the Panhandle — and have been observed only a handful of times.
The Thursday petitions were filed jointly with biologist Kevan Schoonover McClelland, who identified the two species and distinguished them from other bluecurl flowers.
“Both of these species play an important role in the ecosystems of which they are a part,” McClelland said in a statement. “Without them, bees, butterflies and other pollinators would lose an important food source, potentially leading to a decline in not only these pollinators, but also the other animals, such as birds, that rely on them for food.”
