Florida Native Plant Society Blog

By Shirley Denton Common Eastern Bumble Bee ( Bombus impatiens ) foraging on a Partridge Pea ( Chamaecrista fasciculata ) in Split Oak Forest WEA in Orange County. Photo by Valerie Anderson. Two native insects have been in the news, and not in a good way. The first, the bumblebee, is an important native pollinator. The second, the lightning bug, needs native habitats. Neither is a single species, but together, they demonstrate the importance of maintaining healthy native plant ecosystems in balance with other environmental factors. Both demonstrate the importance of climate. Both demonstrate the importance of human behavior. Fireflies in Maryland CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by Robert Sullivan The bumblebee study (published in Science) showed that populations in North America and Europe have plummeted as a result of increasingly extreme high temperatures. The number of areas populated by bumblebees has fallen 46 percent in North America and 17 percent in Europe. The data ...

(top) Student recording data for a restoration project funded in part by FNPS Conservation grants. (bottom) The project focus: Harrisia fragrans , a rare, night-blooming native cactus. Photos by Jon Moore. by Juliet Rynear, Conservation Committee Chair Whenever I hear a F.N.P.S. member say, "landscaping has nothing to do with science," or, "nothing to do with policy," I cringe in horror. The reality of our organization is that there is science behind science has everything we do, every policy we draft, and every function we perform. If the words "science" or "scientist" intimidate you, then it's time for a reality check. We all utilize and apply science on a daily basis, often without our conscious awareness. Even if your primary interest is landscaping with native plants, please realize that horticulture is a science and landscaping is an applied science. Successfully growing and landscaping with native plants requires k...