Pink Powder Puff or Fairy Duster

Keep an eye out on your next neighborhood walk for a shrub bursting with fluffy pink blooms you may be looking at a Pink Powder Puff, also known as Fairy Duster.

This eye-catching plant has a few distinctive features that make it easy to identify:

* A fluffy, pom-pom appearance made up of hundreds of long pink stamens

* Very small petals that are mostly hidden by the showy stamens

* A strong pull for local wildlife—bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds are frequent visitors

The plant is commonly grown in tropical and subtropical climates, including here in Florida, where it can bloom for much of the year. Residents who have spotted bees busy at work on the blossoms are seeing pollinators collecting nectar and pollen, which makes this shrub an excellent choice for anyone looking to support local pollinator populations.

If you have one growing in your own yard, it's likely Calliandra surinamensis or a closely related ornamental Calliandra species. Depending on how it's pruned, the plant can take the form of a rounded shrub or be trained into a small tree, and it's prized in home gardens for its striking pink blooms and low-maintenance, wildlife-friendly nature.

For neighbors interested in pollinator-friendly landscaping, the Pink Powder Puff is a great example of a plant that adds color while giving back to the local ecosystem.