Pink petals of Rosa palustrus attract pollinators along floodplains and cypress swamps from Jackson to Dixie Counties. It decorates the road to St. Marks Lighthouse in late May. Sharp thorns warn those tempted to (illegally) clip from the tall shrub. It blooms from Nova Scotia to Florida, and west to Arkansas. Says the Illinois State Museum, "birds and other wildlife eat the fleshy swamp rose hips (fruits), and the Cherokee used an infusion (a tea) made from the bark and/or roots from swamp rose to treat worms, diarrhea, and dysentery."
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