Florida Native Plant Society Blog

Nature in Broward:  The Silent Crisis of Local Rare Species Extinction by Richard Brownscombe A recent review of vegetation maps and firsthand knowledge of Broward natural areas reveals that less than 3.5% of metropolitan land remains for nature. Some ecosystems, such as Scrub, Pine Flatwoods, and Wet Prairie, are now 1% of their size in 1943. Late conservation efforts enabled by Preservation 2000 and Forever Florida gave us a patchwork of small, isolated preserves. Each is important and valuable as a last remnant of a unique subtropical ecosystem. Some have an evolutionary history tens of thousands of years old. Five hundred plant species are living in these metropolitan parks and preserves. By comparison, two hundred plant species live in the large western wetlands, the Everglades Wildlife Management Areas. Therefore, our greatest biodiversity is within metropolitan Broward. Largeflower false-rosemary,  Conradina grandiflora , is endemic to sc...

submitted by Richard Brownscombe, Broward Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society ( Richard wrote this inspirational holiday appeal to help make Broward County a better place for all creatures, large and small. The same could be said for any county in Florida, or place in the world. ) The holidays engage us in the kind and generous inclinations of the human heart. We hear holiday stories of the world's needs and generous people doing something about it. In this era of climate change and species extinction, we think not only of other people, but the other species upon the earth. Some of the best we do for the environment and nature is in our home, yard, neighborhood, city, and our efforts in Broward County that celebrate nature and inspire us to create a sustainable community. Dahoon Holly, Ilex cassine, Mary Keim The paradigm for Broward should become sharing our land and resources, making space and leaving water for all the creatures great and small. As we set ab...

By Devon Higginbotham, Suncoast Native Plant Society (originally published in the Plant City Observer ) Spanish Needles is NOT a weed. It is native, a great pollinator plant and edible! “Is that a weed?”  That’s my sister, Candi.  She lives in one of those golf communities where the maintenance crews mow and primp everyone’s yard as well as all the common areas.  I think they allow her a 3 square foot area to “garden”. “No, that’s a Spanish Needle.  It’s a native plant that’s edible and the pollinators adore the flowers”, I replied, sounding a bit defensive.  “Oh” she replied.  She was trying to sound chipper but I knew what she really said was, “I’m not eating any weeds!” She’s my big sister which should explain everything.  Her house and yard are always spotless and manicured, whereas my yard is 15 acres in the middle of nowhere. Anywhere farther than 10 minutes from the nearest grocery store was nowhere to her.  Even her d...

Mexican Petunia is a Category 1 invasive species in Florida.  by Megan Weeks, Cuplet Fern Chapter of FNPS Florida’s biodiversity is made remarkable by the plants and animals that depend on one another for survival. This delicate yet imperative relationship maintains a healthy natural environment, where the population of plants and animals are balanced. When new species are introduced, natives can be outsourced and the natural balance risks being disrupted[1]. Biocontrol is one method to help restore a balanced environment. Exotic species have been introduced to Florida both accidentally and intentionally. Most threatening to the natural balance are plants from tropical and sub-tropical regions which are suited to Florida climate and often “take root” in this foreign land[1]. These non-native species do not serve as a significant food source for Florida organisms and are able to outcompete native plants for resources[1]. When an exotic species that is not affected by pr...

Webpage of big-box store selling Lantana camara Lantana camara , commonly known as lantana and/or shrub verbena, can (unfortunately) be found throughout the state of Florida. It is a Category 1 invasive species , according to the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. Category 1 species are defined as: "Invasive exotics that are altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused." These plants are being marketed as "Flowers for Florida" and sold at many big-box home improvement stores. DO NOT BE FOOLED by this rather deceptive advertising. Although they do GROW in Florida, they are in no way FOR Florida. Photo by Rich Fuller ( CCO ) Lantana montevidensis (left), sometimes referred to as "trailing shrubverbena,...

by Laurie Sheldon History and Definition President Bill Clinton On Feb 3, 1999, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13112 - a critical piece of legislature on the environmental front. It established a multi-agency task force (the National Invasive Species Council) to deal with the management of " invasive species ," which it defined as a species: that is both non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. These "invaders" present themselves in many forms, and include (but are not limited to) plants, animals, and pathogens.   I found an air potato as big as my hand at a Roundup during NISAW 2012: air potato has been listed as one of Florida’s most invasive plant species since 1993. Causing Harm Invasives may feed on fish and wildlife and/or cause widespread illness. Invasive pathogens can kill forest trees....

By Shirley Denton We bemoan the prevalence of invasive species in our landscapes. From cogon grass to Brazilian pepper and Japanese honeysuckle, we don’t want them. I personally fight with natal grass, guinnea grass, skunk vine, and lantana, all of which insist on coming into my landscape. But I love species such as water lily and red mangrove – and sometimes us humans have spread them beyond their native ranges. I thought it might be instructive to see how some of them have behaved in their new homes. Global Invasive Species database I just scanned through 3065 records in the Global Invasive Species database looking for Florida natives that can misbehave when moved into areas where they don’t grow natively. I found a dozen of them, but since I was scanning through the list, there could be more. And this is just the species that are considered to be problems in the areas where they are introduced. Some of these I knew about. Others were surprises. A couple, I didn’t even know ...

 Arbor Day Foundation website presents important educational material. The Arbor Day Foundation has played a big part to help people, cities and towns plant more trees since 1865 when J. Sterling Morton started this foundation. In Florida alone there are 165 Tree Cities . We've discussed this organization in these previous posts: Florida's Arbor Day: Third Friday in January  and our followup post on our members' favorite trees: Your Favorite Trees .  So yes, The Arbor Day Foundation has done a lot to increase awareness of the importance of trees even in urban and suburban environments and presents a lot of good educational material. BUT... With their membership packages, they make it almost irresistable to acquire trees from their Nebraska-based nursery. Where I live in northern Florida, the 10 free trees offered are 3 redbuds, 4 dogwoods and 3 goldenraintrees, plus I could qualify for 2 crape myrtles.  Arbor Day Foundation offers  ...

February 26 – March 3, 2012 What is an “Invasive Species”? It is a non-native plant, animal, fungus or other organism whose arrival causes or is likely to cause economic harm, environmental harm, or harm to human health. These “invaders” are aggressive species which grow and reproduce rapidly, causing major problems to the new areas in which they thrive. National Invasive Species Awareness Week includes activities, briefings, workshops and events across the United States. It is focused on creating solutions to address invasive species prevention, detection, monitoring, control, and management issues at local, state, tribal, regional, national and international scales. Check www.nisaw.org for more details and further developments!     10 Ways to Observe NISAW in Florida Research invasive species. 1.   Do Some Research: You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home. Get on the internet and find out what’s invasive in your a...