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Showing posts from 2017

Citizens to the Rescue!

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Members of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) have sure been busy this hurricane season – rescuing Florida native plant communities – some from the hurricanes but mostly from the bulldozers! From the Panhandle to south Florida, FNPS and our partners have been racing to rescue native plants, and plant communities. As of October 23rd, we have rescued 1,000s of plants in the Panhandle, countless rare Tillandsias in south Florida, and in central Florida more than 3,200 plants from a rare Sandhill parcel with many more collection days still ahead of us. Words cannot adequately express how grateful we are for the outpouring of financial and volunteer support from our members, concerned citizens, and our conservation partners. There are so many to thank and not enough room for here for everyone’s name, but let’s start: our 81 generous financial donors, our 100+ volunteers, and our partners from Oakland Nature Preserve, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, Koreshan State Historic Sit

Wildflower Wednesday ~ Chapman's Blazing Star

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Chapman’s Blazing Star is one of 16 species of Liatris listed in the Florida Atlas of Vascular Plants. It has a patchy distribution throughout the state in scrub, sandhills and dunes  The basal rosette appears in the early spring and flowers begin to appear in late August several weeks before other blazing stars start to flower.  By early October most of the flowers of this short-lived perennial have gone to seed and the leaves have withered and turned brown. Liatris chapmanii is fairly easy to recognize because the flowers grow down stalk and are often interspersed with the upper leaves.  The stout flower stocks are usually about three feet tall.  Dense clusters of bright lavender flowers and buds cling tightly to the flower stalk. During its month of blazing glory, L. chapmanii is a magnet for butterflies and bees. Chapman’s Blazing Star is only offered for sale by a few native plant nurseries, or at native plant sales.  To succeed in a wil

Summer Farewell (Dalea pinnata) - a Titan among nectar plants for NE Florida Pollinators in September and October

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When scheduling Butterfly Holiday trips to all parts of the world, I always leave open the months of September and October. During this time, the greatest diversity and number of butterflies and many other N.E. Florida pollinators are attracted to  flowering plants in the Genera: Carphephorus , Liatris , Dalea , Vaccinium , Dioda , Elephantopus , Bidens , Lachnanthes , and  others. Southern Dogface on Liatris pauciflora When conditions are right, in the dry pinelands and sand hill areas in Julington-Durbin Preserve, Ralph E Simmons and Jennings State Forests, acres of Summer Farewell ( Dalea pinnata ) can be in bloom attracting multitudes of butterflies and other Northeast Florida pollinators. Summer Farewell ( Dalea pinnata ) There are eight native Dalea species growing in Florida. Three are vouchered in Northeast Florida, D. carnea , D. carnea var. albida , and D. pinnata , with D. pinnata being the most common. Summer Farewell ( Dalea pinnata

Join the Pawpaw Chapter of FNPS on an exploration of Longfleaf Pine Sandhill in the Ocala National Forest

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All FNPS members are invited to join the Pawpaw chapter of FNPS, Saturday, October 14, 2017, for an  all-day,  driving/walking, field trip in the Ocala National Forest!   Dr. Susan Carr will guide us, as we explore 1- 3 year old, fire-managed, longleaf pine sandhill areas near Salt Springs. Dr. Susan Carr    Trip participants should wear field clothes, and bring their own lunch, as well as drinking water, insect repellent, and Florida-appropriate weather gear.   Dr. Susan Carr and David Anderson Participants should expect to travel over several miles of rough dusty forest roads. The reward of possibly spotting a fox squirrel, RCW nest trees, and of course, great understory of plant diversity in Fall bloom, makes it worth the effort!  For more details, FNPS members should contact trip coordinator, Sonya Guidry: guidry.sonya@gmail.com

Why your Florida garden needs Yucca plants, and how to grow them

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Yucca plants are evergreen plants with interesting, usually spiky, leaves that bloom into bunches of flowers. There are  over 20 species of yucca  and three are native to Florida. These are the Spanish Bayonet, Moundlily Yucca, and Adam's needle. Spanish bayonet (Yucca aloifolia)  Photo credit: Shirley Denton Growing yucca plants in Florida is a great way to encourage indigenous plants to thrive, while benefiting birds and pollinators. If you grow native Florida plants, they also require less TLC because they're in their natural environment. Here’s what you need to know about Yucca plants. The three species of Yucca plant that are indigenous to Florida are beautiful ways to encourage a more creative and healthy garden. Here's how to identify them so you can choose the one that feels perfect for your garden and needs. 1. Spanish Bayonet (Spanish Dagger) This evergreen plant is marked by sharp tips and two-foot leaves. It can reach up to 20 feet in heig

Wednesday's Wildflower: Sandhill Lupine

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Lupinus cumulicola Text and photo by Roger L. Hammer, edited by Valerie Anderson From January to May each year the white sand scrub on the Lake Wales Ridge in Lake, Osceola, Polk, and Highlands Counties are adorned with the cheery blue flowers of the Florida endemic sandhill lupine (pronounced LOO-PIN).  Some botanists consider it a synonym of  Lupinus diffusus ,  but others argue that  L. diffusis differs by its habitat, range, prostrate to decumbent stems, orbicular-reniform (kidney-shaped) standard, and a nearly straight beak on the pods.  The stems of  Lupinus cumulicola  are usually erect with gray-green, silky pubescent, elliptic leaves that average 2”–3” long and about 1” wide. The pods have a curved beak. Lupinus  is taken from  lupus,  or “wolf,” and alludes to the curious belief that these plants consumed soil fertility, when, in fact, they improve the soil with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The species name  cumulicola  means “dweller on a heap or m
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Stimulate the Five Senses through Your Garden Submitted by Jackie Edwards, Guest Blogger  “Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden”  (Robert Brault).  Image courtesy of www.blogthecoast.com Gardening provides many miraculous benefits for a child’s development including fine motor skills, math skills, responsibility, and science. Children that spend time outside are also happier as the landscape helps to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and increase attention. When combining gardening with the use of all senses, you can further increase the benefits.

Wednesday's Wildflower: Tennessee Leafcup

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TENNESSEE LEAFCUP,   Polymnia laevigata  Beadle Aster Family (Asteraceae) Submitted by Roger Hammer Polymnia laevigata,  photo by Roger Hammer The lower leaves of this species reach 6"–12" long and 4"–6" wide and are deeply and raggedly cut with pointed lobes, reducing in size up the stem with few or no lobes. The 3'–6' stems are glabrous (smooth). The flower heads are about ½" wide, subtended by a whorl of leafy bracts, and with 3-toothed ray florets and male disk florets.

Wednesday's Wildflower: Atlantic Pigeonwings

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ATLANTIC PIGEONWINGS,  Clitoria mariana  L. Pea Family (Fabaceae) Submitted by Roger Hammer, Dade Chapter The upper leaves of this vining species have 3 ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaflets that reach up to 2½" long and ¾" wide. The violet or pink flowers reach 2" long. A similar, related, endemic species ( Clitoria fragrans ) has narrower leaflets, sweetly fragrant flowers, and is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge in Lake, Orange, Polk, and Highlands Counties.

In Touch: Teaching children to value and respect the wilderness and the creatures that live there.

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Submitted by by Steve Franklin, Guest blogger I feel certain that, like me, most of you can recall more than one occasion when you didn’t explain your thoughts about a subject as well as know you can. I’m currently experiencing one of those moments. On the day before Earth Day, a few other volunteers and I conducted an educational field trip event for the first graders from Lake Alfred Elementary School. My portion of the program involved taking them for a short hike on one of the trails at Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve, which is located in the City of Lake Alfred. Throughout the hike, I was discussing map reading, hiking safety, trail etiquette, and what it means to be a good steward of the land. However, I’m not certain that I did a good enough job of explaining the importance of being thoughtful and considerate of others when we’re out to enjoy the clean, wholesome fun that nature-related activities provide. Did I instill in them a new appreciation of nature and a co

Wednesday’s Wildflower: Seaside Gentian

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Seaside Gentian : Eustoma exultatum Submitted by Beryn Harty, Miami-Dade Chapter, resident of the lower Florida Keys Seaside Gentian, photo by Beryn Harty The beautiful Seaside Gentian, Eustoma exultatum , is a herbaceous wildflower found in brackish to fresh wet coastal areas, and inland in wet prairies. The stunning flowers are usually a shade of light to medium purple with a dark purple center, but some flowers appear almost white with dark purple centers.

Wednesday's Wildflower: Southern Beeblossom, Oenothera simulans

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Submitted by Jean Evoy, a 30-year veteran of FNPS. She has been active in several chapters including Miami-Dade, Serenoa, and Mangrove. Southern Bee Blossom flower, photo by Jean Evoy Southern Beeblossom is a common wildflower of roadsides, fields, dunes and open woods in Florida.  It used to be called Gaura angustifolia , but a few years ago the evening primrose family underwent extensive revisions and G. angustifolia , was renamed Oenothera simulans along with several other species of that were included in the genus Gaura. Crimson moth larva, J Evoy Southern Beeblossom has slender, branched, hairy stems that may reach six feet. The leaves are reduced on the upper parts of the plant and tiny flowers are found near the ends of wand-like stems. The flowers are white when they open in the evening.    They become pinkish the following day before withering.   As the name beeblossom indicates, the flowers are attractive to many insects, including bees, butterflies and

Wednesday’s Wildflower: Drumheads

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Polygala cruciata , Drumheads Text, photos and poetry by Donna Bollenbach. Suncoast Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society \ Some native flowers are greatly admired, but have yet to make it into our gardens. One is the showy Drumhead, Polygala cruciata. With a few exceptions, Drumheads are found throughout Florida. Like many members of the Polygalaceae or Milkwort family, they like moist, open habitats and are found in moist prairies, the edges of marshes, and wet  pinelands.

Methods to Remember: Concrete Steps for Teaching Conservation to Kids

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Submitted by Jackie Edwards, Guest Blogger image: pixnio.com Now more than ever, environmental conservation is a hot button issue. Despite the fact that it may feel like an individual contribution to cleaning up the environment is insignificant, enough individuals can effectively become a collective. This means that our kids have also got to be taught how to conserve their environment and care for their local plantlife. For kids it may be difficult to understand environmental conservation and why it is so important, but with these simple steps you can make it fun, simple and engaging while they're interacting with your garden or the local flora.

Wednesday's Wildflower: Tickseed, Coreopsis spp.

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Tickseed, Coreopsis spp. Submitted by Carol Mahler,  Serenoa Chapter of Florida Native Plant Society, edited by Valerie Anderson Coreopsis , photo by Carol Mahler Although the orange blossom, Citra sinensis,  was named our state flower in 1909, the legislature designated the genus Coreopsis as our state wildflower in 1991. According to the Netstate , the story began in 1963 as the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) finished a project near Tallahassee that required sod. The sod field had previously been a pasture planted in red clover—a winter forage for cattle. When the clover blossomed in the new grass, people complimented FDOT for their “highway beautification.” That praise inspired FDOT to plant native wildflowers along Florida’s highways . A partnership with the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs funded a research project at Florida Atlantic University. The results recommended many varieties of Coreopsis, and the Federation lobbied for Coreopsis to be designat