Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Camp Lonesome Field Trip Follow up  Submitted by Jenny Welch, Sparkleberry Chapter If you were swayed to go on the Camp Lonesome Field Trip by Jenny's pre-conference blog, then you were one of the lucky ones. Here Jenny provides a follow up on the plants and animals observed at this very special place:  On our way to Camp Lonesome there were two crested caracaras beside the road, and we saw turkeys with cute babies. Beautiful bright yellow meadowlarks were singing melodiously, as if to welcome us as we drove up to the gate.  A loggerhead shrike was catching breakfast in the field as we gathered to begin our hike, and blue gray gnatcatchers, northern parulas, and cardinals were calling from the trees as we started to walk.

The schedule for the  2017/2018 Land Management Reviews  is out. Being a part of Land Management Reviews is an important part of the Florida Native Plant Society mission to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida. It is also a very rewarding experience for anyone who has participated in one. At the  Florida Native Plant Society's 37th Annual Conference in May   there will be a special field trip where you can  Learn About Land Management Reviews . The site for the Thursday morning training will be  Lake Kissimmee State Park . Led by Eugene Kelly and Eric Egensteine (Park Manager), this trip is designed to serve as a case study for the state’s Land Management Review process.

Story and Photos by Donna Bollenbach Despite the warnings of “DIFFICULT” and “YOU WILL GET WET”, my decision to go on the Mormon Branch/Ocala National Forest conference field trip in May, was based on two things: First, it was led by Scott Davis. I have been on a few adventures with Scott and have enjoyed every one of them. Even though I don’t think I am going to remember every plant and botanical detail Scott rattles off, I always go home knowing more than I thought I would. I think this is because Scott impresses upon the what's interesting and important. Second, I wanted to see where the Large-leaf grass-of-Parnassus ( Parnassia grandiflora ) blooms. Though I knew I would not see the flower because it is a fall bloomer, I still wanted to see the plant. I read that the presence of Parnassia, along with the Atlantic White Cedar ( Chamaecyparis thyoides ), is an indicator of high plant diversity and rare species. In other words, it would be pristine habita...

Submitted by Sonya Guidry The Pawpaw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society recently held a South Volusia Landscape Tour that included many of the native landscapes  that will be featured on FNPS Conference Fieldtrip "K" Landscape Bus Tour on Thursday, May 19th. They ended their yard tours at the Marine Discovery Center , the location for the  Kayak (paddle) - Lagoon Restoration Tour , FNPS Conference Fieldtrip"I" ,  on Thursday, May 19th.  Here is a glimpse of some of the  tour's native yards, and the Marine Discovery Center... Renee Luedke's Port Orange home.   Surprise, her front yard has no grass to mow!   Elizabeth ponders the diversity of plants in Renee's front yard. Most of the 16 tour visitors are gathered around Renee as she talks about her landscape.   Mike visiting from the UK notes Renee's creative bird feeders... including the log filled with peanut butter suet. Elizabeth Flynn will be ...

#GivingTuesday By Andy Taylor The Florida Native Plant Society was happy to participate in 2015 #GivingTuesday!  What is #GivingTuesday you ask? It is a global initiative of giving back following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  You can read more about #GivingTuesday here . FNPS participated by using our social media pages to look back on some of the work the Society has done and opportunities to give, either financially or as a volunteer. You can donate financially to FNPS at this link . Did you know your employer could double or even triple your donation??  Until December 15, 2015 , Double the Donation has made their database free to see if your employer makes donations.  Please check it out at https://doublethedonation.com/giving-tuesday/ Sunrise at DeSoto Park by Georgia Wilson. Some of the programs and projects we looked back at for #GivingTuesday: FNPS chapter field trips: Georgia Wilson recently took this beautiful photo...

The Story of a Field Trip Leader who Just Wouldn’t Give Up By Sande Habali Native “Apples” in Florida!  “Apples” in Volusia County?  Thanks to the dedication of our intrepid field trip leader, Sonya Guidry, the two year search for the endangered Harrisia fragrans is over!  Pawpaw chapter members located a Prickly “apple” orchard in southern Volusia County! Sonya and I first met Dr. Jon Moore from Florida Atlantic University, Wilkes Honor College , where he presented a paper on the Prickly Apple at the 2012 FNPS Conference in Plant City. His research paper was entitled " Transplantation of the Endangered Fragrant Prickly Apple Cactus,  Harrisia fragrans, in St. Lucie and Indian River Counties ." He explained the scrub habitat and conditions of its survival historically and that it exists now in St Lucie and Brevard County coastlines. He mentioned it could “possibly” be found in Volusia County and gave Sonya the coordinates. When he said it would be “hard...