Florida Native Plant Society Blog

submitted by Donna Bollenbach Connections:   What an all-encompassing term! It implies links, associations, bonds, assemblies, and networks. But it also refers to the way things relate and interact. So, when destiny took us to Westgate River Ranch Resort, a venue in heart of the state and the historic Everglades Watershed, choosing “Connections” for the theme of the 2017 Florida Native Plant Society seemed natural.  Historically, the Headwaters of the Everglades watershed flowed like a sheet of water that moved through grasslands and prairies to the Everglades. This flood plain filtered the water of its impurities, like the heart oxygenates blood, before delivering it to the other parts of the land body. But the natural path of water has been greatly altered resulting in water that is nutrient-contaminated and being rechanneled to our east and west coasts, causing a host of environmental problems that have a negative impact on plant communities, wildlife, our health a...

Produced and Submitted by Mark Kateli, Tarflower Chapter This was yet another great year with the "sister society" collaboration for the Central Florida Native and Wildlife Friendly  Yards Tour .  Florida Native Plant Society Tarflower and Cuplet Fern chapters, and the Orange Audubon Society, host this event annually. It's a great exercise to help strengthen our bond around a common mission. This year, we had well over 100 attendees.  A special thanks to noted environmental journalist Kevin Spear that published an article in the Orlando Sentinel that promulgated the event to people outside our usual sphere of influence. Being Tarflower chapter Treasurer, I firmly believe that as we prosper, so will our neighboring chapters.  I look forward to hearing from chapters that border Orange County- Lake, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, and Polk chapter Treasurers- for more collaborative ideas that amplify attention t...