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[ACTION ALERT] Help preserve the ability of local governments to prevent water pollution

The Florida Legislature made a back-room, midnight-hour deal with TruGreen to rob local governments of the authority to enact ordinances that prevent the misuse of fertilizers on lawns. We have very little time to convince Governor DeSantis he needs to veto this offensive provision so counties and cities will still have the autonomy to prevent pollution in their own backyards. Ask Governor DeSantis to veto the provision to SB 2502 (“Back of the Bill” provisions, Section 85, Lines 2455-2460) that would preempt local governments from adopting or amending fertilizer ordinances. If the “back of the bill” part of that sounds strange or fishy to you, that’s because it is. This provision was added in the closing days of the session, late on Sunday night, without any committee debate, public input, or staff analysis of the potential impact. Our springs, rivers and estuaries are choking on excessive nutrients. Nutrient pollution imposes large and measurable economic and quality-of-life impacts
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Sabal minor Volume 25(2) is out!

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We are pleased to announce that the latest Sabal minor is out! We're South Florida-heavy this issue: Roger Hammer wrote a great article on Pine Rockland, Laurie Brooks wrote a comparison book review of Braiding Sweetgrass and Pastoral Song , and we celebrate the life of Lake Beautyberry member Barbara Grigg. Read it here .
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Help us get several good bills moving in the legislature!

Please take a moment to email or telephone Senator Jason Brodeur and ask him to schedule a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government to consider Senate Bills 320, 724 and 1170. It’s important to act by April 10 because the 2023 Legislative Session is nearing its end! These bills would help advance our mission to conserve native plants and native plant communities, but they have stalled in the legislature. If not acted on soon, they will never receive a fair chance to be debated. All 3 bills have already been debated by the Senate’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee, which passed them unanimously! These are good bills that address pressing problems that are not receiving the attention they deserve. Senator Brodeur is Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government. As Chair, he is responsible for setting the Committee’s agenda. Phone his Tallahassee office at (850)487-5010
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The Palmetto Award nomination deadline is near!

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Anne Cox presenting Marjorie Shropshire with a Green Palmetto Award at our 2016 Annual Conference It’s the time of year to nominate deserving people for a Palmetto award! At the Annual Conference, the Florida Native Plant Society bestows various awards to members and Chapters for their contributions to our mission.  The Palmetto awards were established in 1984 by Sherry Cummings, Palm Beach Chapter (then FNPS President), to further the mission of the Florida Native Plant Society by encouraging and acknowledging the contributions to conservation of natural areas and native plants, and educating to these objectives. HOW TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION Identify the award for which you are submitting the nomination Service/education, Science, Mentor, or Outstanding chapter of the year. Provide the name of the individual or chapter that you wish to nominate. In narrative format, provide an explanation of at least 150 words in length that explains what the individual or chapter has done to merit this
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Meet FNPS Board Members

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Melanie Simon, Director and Chair of the Council of Chapters Melanie is a lifetime member and has been with us since 2015. Melanie pledged to help match the first $10k of donations to our 2022 Annual Fund Drive. We asked her a few questions. What attracted you to join FNPS? I started volunteering at my local state park around 2001 and started working with the park biologist and learning about native plants.  In 2015 I learned they may be starting an FNPS chapter in my area - with meetings and activities close enough to attend.  Tell us your fondest native plant memory. Helping a newbie at a plant rescue find and laboriously dig up the huge root of an endangered Scrub Buckwheat ( Eriogonum longifolium var gnaphalifolium ). What's your favorite plant joke? Why couldn't the gardener plant any native plants? She hadn't botany. Tim Keating, Director Tim has been a member since 2020 and is a new board member this year. Tim joined the board and staff in putting up a match for the
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2022 Annual Fund Appeal

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  "This Land is My Land, This Land is Your Land, and Native Plants Are Meant for You and Me" - Mark Kateli Conservation. Preservation. Restoration. What do they mean for the future of Florida? What do these words really mean to you ? Many decades ago, these questions were answered as if by premonition. Unaware of the staggering growth that Florida would experience, a group of grassroots plant enthusiasts formed our organization and gave their voices to our precious plants. By sharing their love of natural Florida to newcomers, they grew from a chorus of a few, to a symphony of many that tangibly amplified the native plant priority. The Florida Native Plant Society was precedent setting. WE DEPEND ON YOU. Florida Native Plant Society is YOUR Society. Your gift of $100 or more can help make a difference today. Please help us reach our goal of $50,000 or more for this appeal. Our chapters have been remarkably resilient post-pandemic. The sheer volume of reported volunteer hours
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Hercules's Club, Pollinator Magnet, Host Plant, Culinary Delight

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"People who have tasted the bark call it pepperwood, rabbit gum, sting tongue, tongue-bush, and toothache [tree]". (Austin, 2004) 'Toothache tree' is how I was first introduced to Zanthoxylum clava-herculis about a decade ago. My partner made the introductions and told me the leaves would numb my mouth, so I popped one in to check it out. It was August and the leaves quite mature (in other words, potent!) and yes, it numbed my mouth. Completely. Over the years I've watched and admired as what started as a scraggly, knee high cluster of prickly twigs in our backyard stretch out and up into a majestic specimen nearly two stories tall. The pollinators go crazy over the hundreds of tiny flowers that appear briefly every spring and occasionally we are lucky enough to find giant swallowtail larvae nibbling away at the pungent leaves. It wasn't until this year that I considered trying the leaves again, this time in early spring, just as they are starting to unfurl a
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